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72-629: The Palace Theatre is a disused theatre in Union Street, Plymouth , Devon in south west England. It opened in 1898 as a music hall but was damaged by fire only three months after opening, and was re-opened in 1899 as the New Palace Theatre of Varieties . In 1961 it was converted to a bingo hall , but later reverted to being a theatre as the Palace Theatre until 1983, when it became The Academy disco and finally operated as

144-444: A "character vocalist", Emmie Ames, a vocalist, and Fred Darby, roller skater, who closed the show. During the interval, a formal opening speech was made by Mr. L.C.J. Livermore for the owners who welcomed the audience and apologised for the delay in opening the theatre, "the long looked for come at last", and promised "better class" acts in future. William Arber, the architect thanked the audience for their warm applause and said that he

216-411: A ball finial . According to Pevsner, the turret is "rather reminiscent of Winstanley 's ill-fated lighthouse ". The decorative style is briefly continued around the western edge of the building fronting Phoenix Street. On the ground floor, the first two bays have semi-circular spoked fan windows. Above these is a semi-circular window, the same size as the two panels at the front. Originally this window

288-464: A carving of a centurion representing valour in battle. In northern Europe, serpents, bulls, dolphins, and dragons were customary and by the thirteenth century, the swan was used representing grace and mobility. In Germany, Belgium, and the Netherlands, it was once believed that spirits or faeries called Kaboutermannekes (gnomes, little men, faeries) dwelt in the figureheads. The spirit guarded

360-560: A club. The theatre re-opened in 1962 with Reg Sully as the resident manager; the opening show was a pantomime , " Sinbad the Sailor ". The theatre also became the home of a local amateur operatics group, the Carmenians, whose productions included " Oklahoma! " and " Kiss Me Kate ". During this period, the theatre gained a reputation for being haunted, with lights turning themselves on and off and chained doors being unlocked. In March 1965,

432-497: A commission agent from Exeter for a price of £77,000. This sale fell through and the theatre was eventually sold to a consortium of six businessmen, headed by Gerard Heath. In 1949, the theatre was closed for refurbishment, including the installation of new seating. It was re-opened a year later, with the opening show being headed by the Billy Cotton Band Show featuring Alan Breeze in " Wakey! Wakey! ". Following

504-480: A few remaining late night venues . Despite the conservation area status, modern developments have not attempted to respect the original historic urban design, with retail parking taking up much of the newer street frontage with higher profile developments more aligned with the aspirations of the Plymouth Plan which are focussed toward the development of links between the city centre and Millbay immediately to

576-491: A five-month-long police operation showed that ecstasy , a Class A drug , was being used and dealt in the Dance Academy, and it closed as a result, with Bahmanzadeh, Costelloe and two other people being charged with permitting the supply of Class A drugs. Following the closure, protests were held outside the building by clubbers opposed to the closure. In July 2008, Bahmanzadeh and Costelloe were found guilty of allowing

648-451: A heady reputation" as a top trance and hard house club under resident D.J., Tom Costelloe. By 2005, the club claimed that it had in excess of 20,000 members. In 1998, Bahmanzadeh entered a short partnership with the team behind “Scream” and established "Eyecon", a weekly hard house and trance night from 10.30 p.m. to 8 a.m. on Saturdays. This grew to be one of the UK's biggest dance events and

720-467: A large first-floor saloon. Both the foyer and saloon are decorated with friezes with illustrations of nereids , dolphins, cherubs etc. The saloon is decorated in the Cinquecento style with a coffered ceiling and enriched spandrels above the arcades and Ionic capitals at the top of marble pilasters and columns. The saloon is lit by three large round-arched windows. The manager's accommodation

792-484: A police operation showed that class A drugs were being used and dealt there, and it closed as a result. The building is grade II listed , and in 2008 it was included on a list by the Victorian Society of the UK's ten most endangered and best Victorian and Edwardian buildings. The environment of Union Street - although designated as a local conservation area is now considerably dilapidated following

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864-448: A presentation of a film of the boxing match between Johnny Summers and Jimmy Britt which had taken place at Covent Garden , London on 22 February. In August of that year, Harry Houdini was the star act. In his show, he challenged carpenters from the nearby Devonport Naval Dockyard to make a box from which he would not be able to escape. Houdini was nailed inside the box but managed to escape within 12 minutes. Later that week, Houdini

936-558: A revue performance from Danny La Rue before finally closing as a theatre in 1983 to become the "Academy Disco". By this time, the city council had opened the new Theatre Royal , which effectively ended any prospect of live theatre at the New Palace Theatre. By 1994, the building was owned by Graham Blow, a businessman from Lytham St. Annes in Lancashire, who was unsuccessfully seeking Government assistance to refurbish

1008-402: A ship's transom , decorated with plaster-work representing clinker planks each surmounted by a canopy bearing a pair of ship's lanterns. The two-tiered auditorium has panelled walls under a domed ceiling. The curved balcony is partly supported on slender cast-iron columns and decorated with military motifs in plaster-work. The foyer opens onto a Sicilian marble balustraded staircase leading to

1080-471: A sliding roof was installed into the theatre. In September 1911, the theatre changed hands for the first time when it was sold to a syndicate headed by G. Hamilton Baines who also owned the Theatre Royal, Cardiff. In 1913, the theatre was sold to Thomas Hoyle for £25,000 but after three years he sold it on to Myer Fredman, who in turn sold it to John Tellam in 1924. Tellam died shortly after purchasing

1152-523: A tale of love and loss amongst the pubs and clubs of Union Street at the time of the Falklands Conflict. Figurehead (object) A figurehead is a carved wooden decoration found at the bow of ships , generally of a design related to the name or role of a ship. They were predominant between the sixteenth and twentieth centuries, and modern ships' badges fulfil a similar role. Early ships often had some form of bow ornamentation (e.g.

1224-545: A three-week jubilee show by the Carmenians. The theatre was again closed for refurbishment in July 1978 and re-opened under the management of John Redgrave on 23 December for the pantomime, " Cinderella ". Shortly afterwards, the owners of the theatre, New Palace Theatre (Plymouth) Limited, were experiencing financial difficulties and on 27 May 1980, the theatre was closed and the contents put up for sale. The theatre had one further brief respite when it re-opened on 16 May 1981 with

1296-451: A tunnel described as "an electrically lighted subterranean passage, fitted with mirror panels". Above the ground floor were the cantilevered grand circle with the gallery on the top floor, with no pillars to obstruct the view of the stage. On each side of the proscenium were four boxes , eight in all. The interior was decorated with a naval theme reflecting the history of Plymouth. Over the upper stage boxes were "poop-lanterns" resembling

1368-434: Is a balcony with a turned balustrade , with smaller windows either side, slightly forward. The windows are decorated with Art Nouveau panels. On the top, third floor there are three pairs of arched windows with square columns. The right-hand, Old Palace Theatre section has seven bays in the 2:3:2 formation with a colonnade of Tuscan columns between which are various entrance doors, some of which are original. Originally,

1440-535: Is a large Flemish gable with a carved and shaped pediment with finial and a pair of statues of Spanish soldiers standing on brackets either side of the central window. In the centre of the pediment is a shield bearing the coat of arms of Plymouth, with the Cross of St. Andrew and the four turrets which overlooked the Barbican. Originally, a large two-sided clock was situated outside the present day window. Below this

1512-489: Is an improvement of the greatest importance … [it] affords a spacious thoroughfare, and presents … a succession of neat and uniform buildings. Despite its upper-class associations, Union Street was the location of the first outbreaks in Plymouth of cholera in the 1849 epidemic. At the time, these outbreaks in July of that year were believed to be caused by works connected with the new Millbay railway station , during which

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1584-413: Is situated on the third floor and can be accessed by a separate entrance on Phoenix Street. The building is described by English Heritage as being in the "Northern Renaissance style with Modern Style (British Art Nouveau style) details". The building comprises two main sections: the former Grand Western Hotel occupied three bays at the eastern end of the building, with the New Palace Theatre occupying

1656-485: The Battle of Waterloo . In the early morning of 23 December 1898, a passing police officer spotted that there was a fire in the building. Although the fire brigade were called immediately, the rear of the building was well alight. By the time that the fire had been brought under control, the stage area, dressing rooms and the entire rear section of the building had been destroyed. As the safety curtain had not been lowered,

1728-532: The Dance Academy , before being closed after Class A drugs were found on the premises. The theatre was built in the Flemish Renaissance style, with the interior in an Art Nouveau style, with nautical features. It is now deteriorating while an agreement is reached about its future and it is listed as an "at risk" building. It is a grade II* listed building . The theatre was built in 1898 on

1800-529: The Spanish Armada; that on the left depicts the "Spanish Armada Leaving Ferrol" while that on the right depicts the "Defeat of the Spanish Armada". Above each panel is a pair of circular oculi windows. The central section has three round-arched transom windows flanked by Ionic half columns . Above the central section is a tall " piano nobile " section with three pairs of arched windows, with each pair flanked by columns similar to those below. Above these

1872-562: The area was destroyed by German bombing in World War II, more by widening and slum clearance work. In 1898 the Palace Theatre opened as a music hall in Union Street. It was damaged by fire only eight months after opening, but re-opened in 1899 as the New Palace Theatre of Varieties. In 1961 it was converted to a bingo hall and continued in this use and as a theatre until 1983 when it became "The Academy" disco. In May 2006

1944-405: The building "represents the theatre as a place for lavish entertainment as reflected in the rich and exciting decoration and architectural detail, with particular attention to nautical themes". The stage is 28 ft. deep by 60 ft. wide with a proscenium opening of 29 ft. 6 in. and the grid height is 58 ft. The rectangular proscenium arch is flanked by large boxes in the form of

2016-468: The building had a wrought-iron canopy with seven arched sections, one above each entrance door, but this has been replaced by an unattractive modern canopy projecting from half-way up the height of the columns. Above the ground floor, the entablature retains the original fine quality lettering and decorative detail, bearing the inscription "New Palace Theatre". The first floor facade is dominated by two semi-circular tiled panels on which are depicted scenes of

2088-539: The building was sold to Arthur Fox, a club owner from Manchester , for £50,000. The theatre became a club showing striptease and wrestling, and bingo under the " Star Bingo " style. In the summer of 1975, the business of Star Bingo was sold to the EMI group, and the theatre was re-opened on 19 April 1977 with a performance of " The Magic Flute " by the English Music Theatre Company, followed by

2160-492: The building. The building was then sold to an Iranian businessman and club owner, Manoucehr Bahmanzadeh, who renamed it as "The Dance Academy". During the years in which the theatre operated as a music hall, many well-known acts appeared on its stage. On 9 December 1902, Lillie Langtry appeared at the theatre portraying Virginia, Duchess of Keensbury in a production of The Crossways , which she had written in collaboration with J. Hartley Manners . In August 1907, Gertie Gitana

2232-402: The closure of the majority of the night leisure businesses in an attempt to control the associated problems of late-night violence and drunkenness. The broken and collapsed historic frontage has fallen into considerable disrepair and many of the businesses associated with servicing the nighttime economy are now vacant. Some limited new developments consist of new housing, low-cost supermarkets and

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2304-513: The coming season". He said that he had travelled widely throughout Europe and in his opinion the only two theatres that were more beautiful were the Opera Houses in Berlin and Paris . In its original form, the theatre could accommodate 2,500 spectators. The auditorium was laid out with stalls on the ground floor behind which were the "ordinary pit seats". Entrance to the pits was gained by

2376-437: The corner of Union Street and Phoenix Street, for the joint owners, United Counties Theatres Limited and Horace and Lechmere Livermore (the "Livermore Brothers"), to replace the original Palace of Varieties which had operated at the nearby St. James's Hall since 1866. The site was originally occupied by Frederick Burner, tobacconist, Jonathan Crowl, butcher, Mark Durbin, provision dealer, and John Shepheard, bootmaker. The theatre

2448-547: The drains of several houses had become blocked and their lower premises overflowed with sewage. It was the continuing development along and around Union Street that led to the merger of the Three Towns in 1914, and the granting of Plymouth's city status in 1928. Frequented by sailors from all over the world, it was once known as one of the West Country's most infamous streets and red-light districts . Much of

2520-524: The dressing rooms. The theatre was offered to Plymouth City Council in 1956, but the council declined to purchase it. There were further closures for five months in 1956 and then in February 1959. The theatre was again offered to the city, for a price of £15,000, but again the council turned the offer down. In 1961, Palace Theatre (Bingo) Limited acquired the theatre and converted the Circle lounge bar into

2592-602: The eighteenth century, and in some cases they were abolished altogether around 1800. After the Napoleonic wars they made something of a comeback, but were then often in the form of a small waist-up bust rather than the oversized full figures previously used. The clipper ships of the 1850s and 1860s customarily had full figureheads, but these were relatively small and light. During their final stage of common use figureheads ranged in length from about 18 inches (46 cm) to 9 feet (2.7 m). Figureheads as such died out with

2664-454: The extent of his wages when employed at the club, i.e. £6,600. As Costelloe had no significant assets, the confiscation order was agreed at Nil. Costelloe was released from jail after the confiscation hearing and started to re-build his career as a D.J. Union Street, Plymouth Union Street in Plymouth , Devon , is a long straight street connecting the city centre to Devonport ,

2736-536: The eyes painted on the bows of Greek and Phoenician galleys , the Roman practice of putting carvings of their deities on the bows of their galleys, and the Viking ships of ca. A.D. 800–1100). The menacing appearance of toothy and bug-eyed figureheads on Viking ships were considered a form of apotropaic magic , serving the function of warding off evil spirits . The Ancient Egyptians placed figures of holy birds on

2808-405: The fire had spread into the auditorium and as a result most of the decorative features were also destroyed including the domed ceiling and the panels illustrating naval scenes. The previous evening, the entertainment had included a sketch based on the Battle of Trafalgar , which included a "spectacular naval scene" involving the firing of stage cannon. Although firemen had been in attendance during

2880-597: The following Monday 5 September. Tickets for the opening show were priced at 2 s 6 d for the stalls, 1s 6d for the grand circle and 1s for the gallery. The first show ran for three hours and featured a variety of acts. After a rendition of the National Anthem by the Princess Ladies' Orchestra from the Promenade Pier, the show was opened by Leopoldine, described as "a lady who is very clever on

2952-408: The front of the gallery and grand circle. On each side of the proscenium there was a clock face on which the number of the turn was illuminated. In the main entrance there was a marble staircase, adorned with marble pillars, leading to the grand circle. In the foyer, described as "beyond question one of the handsomest out of London", was a painting of "the meeting of Blücher and Wellington " after

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3024-457: The grounds that the court should not have accepted evidence from undercover police officers, but the appeals were rejected. In September 2010, Costelloe was the subject of an application under the Proceeds of Crime Act 2002 under which assets deemed to have come from a crime could be seized and confiscated. The Crown Prosecution Service (C.P.S.) calculated that Costelloe had only benefited to

3096-461: The longest ship in the world at the time of her launch. It is still common practise for warships to carry ships' badges , large plaques mounted on the superstructure with a unique design relating to the ship's name or role. For example, Type 42 destroyers of the Royal Navy , which are named after British cities, carry badges depicting the coat of arms of their namesake. On smaller vessels,

3168-458: The military sailing ship. In addition the vogue for ram bows meant that there was no obvious place to mount one on battleships. An exception was HMS  Rodney which was the last British battleship to carry a figurehead. Smaller ships of the Royal Navy continued to carry them. The last example may well have been the sloop HMS  Cadmus launched in 1903. Her sister ship Espiegle

3240-466: The owner. At the height of the Baroque period, some ships boasted gigantic figureheads, weighing several tons and sometimes twinned on both sides of the bowsprit. A large figurehead, being carved from massive wood and perched on the very foremost tip of the hull, adversely affected the sailing qualities of the ship. This, and cost considerations, led to figureheads being made dramatically smaller during

3312-638: The parallel bars and flying rings and kindred implements". She was followed in turn by comedian Harry Comlin, Arthur Vining and Nellie Coleman (vocalists) and singer Emmie Ames. Adele and May Lilian, the Levey Sisters, were "very chic", and "one of the features of the evening" while the Marvellous Craggs "were encored again and again for their wonderful acrobatic work". Walter and Edie Cassons performed "their highly amusing musical vaudeville" Honours are Easy . Other acts included Walter Stockwell,

3384-431: The performance, heat from a cannon had ignited a curtain which later flared into flame. The theatre was rebuilt after the fire and was re-opened on 22 May 1899, although the interior was now much plainer than it had been originally. The paintings on the ceiling which had been destroyed in the fire were replaced by "an allegorical group". According to the 1989 edition of Nikolaus Pevsner 's Buildings of England : Devon ,

3456-606: The prow. A wall relief at Medinet Habu depicting Ramses III defeating the Sea Peoples in the Battle of the Nile Delta circa 1200 BC depicts Ancient Egiptian ships with a fierce lioness figurehead carved on the bow of two of the ships. Likely this depicted their warrior goddess, Sekhmet , who was seen as their protector. The Phoenicians used horses representing speed. The Ancient Greeks used the heads of boars to symbolise acute vision and ferocity while Roman boats often mounted

3528-410: The refurbishment, the theatre could accommodate 1,440 with 339 in the orchestra stalls, 307 in the pit stalls, 214 in the dress circle, 148 in the rear circle and 400 in the gallery with another 32 in the four boxes. A lack of touring shows forced the theatre to close again in 1954; during this period, the opportunity was taken to further renovate the theatre, including enlarging the stage and rebuilding

3600-514: The royal court; each barge had a specific mythical figurehead at the front. A general practice of figureheads was introduced in Europe with the galleons of the sixteenth century, as the figurehead as such could not come to be until ships had a stemhead structure on which to place it. During the period from the seventeenth to the eighteenth centuries the carved subjects of figureheads varied from representations of saints to patriotic emblems such as

3672-467: The sale of a class A drug and were sentenced to jail terms of nine years and five years respectively. 16 drug dealers had also been arrested following the raid in May 2006 and had been sentenced to a total of 27 years in jail. During the trial, the court heard that the sale and consumption of ecstasy was "rampant" and dealing was "overt and blatant". In December 2008, both men appealed against their convictions on

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3744-439: The seven bays to the west. The whole building is constructed of brick and yellow terracotta with the ground floor decorated with glazed tiles. The roof is of plain tiles with four banded brick and terracotta chimney stacks. The Grand Western Hotel section is four stories high with dormer windows ; at the corner there is now a small turret with a bell-shaped roof. Originally this was much higher with an arcaded section above which

3816-700: The ship from sickness, rocks, storms, and dangerous winds. If the ship sank, the Kaboutermannekes guided the sailors' souls to the Land of the Dead. To sink without a Kaboutermanneke condemned the sailor's soul to haunt the sea forever, so Dutch sailors believed. A similar belief was found in early Scandinavia. In pre-colonial Burma, during the Konbaung dynasty , figureheads were used to distinguish several types of royal barges allocated to different members of

3888-496: The site of Plymouth's naval base and docks. Originally the home of wealthy people, it later became an infamous red-light district and the location of most of the city's night-life. Designed by John Foulston , it was laid out between 1812 and 1820 as a grand boulevard to connect the three towns of Plymouth, East Stonehouse and Devonport . Today Union Street forms part of the A374 . For some years after its construction, Union Street

3960-445: The south. It has a noticeable police presence late at night and early into the morning, to control drunk and lively people. As of 2002, it was also patrolled by military police to maintain a degree of integrity among sailors and marines, though it is less frequented by service personnel than it once was. "Union Street (Last Post)" is a track on the 2006 album Witness by contemporary West Country folk duo Show of Hands . It tells

4032-501: The sterns of three-deck warships; below these were crossed anchors with the centres containing ships' figureheads . Above the auditorium was a domed ceiling, which was decorated with "historical paintings" as was the proscenium. The scenes illustrated included the knighting of Sir Francis Drake by Queen Elizabeth I , HMS  Victory and the Spanish Armada . Medallions bearing portraits of naval and military heroes decorated

4104-690: The theatre and it was then re-purchased by Thomas Hoyle for £25,000. Hoyle was also the owner of the Cinedrome cinema in Ebrington Street, Plymouth and the Belgrave Electric Theatre in Belgrave Road, Plymouth. During this period, the theatre was managed by Jack Fitchett , a former professional footballer who had played for Bolton Wanderers , Manchester United and Plymouth Argyle . Following Hoyle's death in 1932,

4176-411: The theatre during their final tour of Europe. Starting on 17 May 1954, they were scheduled to appear for one week. They were performing the routine which had been specially written for the tour, "Birds of a Feather". Among the support acts were the comedian Harry Worth , "Wonder Horse Tony", Peggy Cavell ("The Cartoon Girl") and Alan Rowe ("Born to Impress"). After performing the first night, Oliver Hardy

4248-477: The theatre passed to his widow, Mary. Mrs. Hoyle remained in charge of the theatre until her death in January 1945. Mrs. Hoyle kept the theatre open throughout the war, including during the blitz of 1940–1941. On 21 April 1941, several incendiary devices hit the theatre but the fires were quickly extinguished and little damage was done. Mary Hoyle died in January 1945, after which a sale was agreed to Saul Silver,

4320-418: The unicorns or lions popular on British ships. When the ship was named after a royal or naval personage the head and bust of the individual might be shown. As with the stern ornamentation, the purpose of the figurehead was often to indicate the name of the ship in a non-literate society (albeit in a sometimes very convoluted manner); and always, in the case of naval ships, to demonstrate the wealth and might of

4392-477: Was "securely chained" before diving off the Halfpenny Bridge, which connected Devonport with Stonehouse ; Houdini returned to the surface within a minute of entering the water. In 1931, Charlie Chaplin visited Plymouth as the guest of Lady Astor , the M.P. for Plymouth Sutton . He appeared on the stage at The New Palace Theatre on 16 November 1931, before catching a late train to London. Chaplin

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4464-477: Was a domed shaped roof surmounted by a weather vane, as seen in the 1905 illustration. The ground floor has three arched bays, with the central bay being larger than those either side. In the arches are a variety of entrance doors (not original) above which are semi-circular spoked fan windows. Above the ground floor there is a tiled entablature bearing the legend "Grand Western Hotel". The first and second floors have central oriel windows set back, on top of which

4536-420: Was a sign at right-angles to the building bearing the legend "New Palace Theatre", as shown in the 1905 illustration. On the top, second floor above the left panel is a pair of arched windows similar to the central ones. Above the right panel the wall is blank although a balustrade stretches to the midpoint from the central section. The corner is surmounted by a turret which has a balcony and bell shaped dome with

4608-492: Was designed by William Arber of Wimperis & Arber from Sackville Street, London, and cost £95,000 to erect. The development included the adjacent Grand Western Hotel which cost a further £87,000. The theatre was opened for a private viewing on Friday 2 September 1898 by a large number of invited guests who were entertained by the Royal Naval Band, directed by Mr. E. Binding with the first public show at 7.30 p.m. on

4680-404: Was glazed but is now blanked off; the decoration is completed by a pair of oculi windows as on the front with a single arched window on the top floor. Set in the pavement outside the theatre entrances are four plaques featuring copies of programmes and playbills from the 1950s. Following the fire of December 1898, the theatre re-opened on 22 May 1899 under new manager, Mr. James Wynes. In 1906,

4752-482: Was on the bill, performing songs such as Nellie Dean ; the Western Morning News described her as "A youthful artiste possessing a well developed voice and a most winsome style. She captivated her audience by a fine rendering of Nellie Dene (sic), a very difficult song to sing and she finished with a coon song and a well-executed dance which were much appreciated". In March 1909, the show included

4824-420: Was pleased to have given "the three towns ... a hall that they would be proud of". Livermore went on to say that if the audience "patronised the new hall as they should there was nothing the directors would not do to give them satisfaction". Mr. E.J. Dexter, the manager of the theatre, also thanked the audience for their warm reception assuring them that it would be "my pleasure to do everything I can for you during

4896-620: Was seen off at the station by the manager of the theatre, Jack Fitchett , with whom he had previously appeared in The Mumming Birds when they were members of Fred Karno 's Theatrical Company. Among the acts appearing in 1941 were comedians Nor Kiddie and Tommy Handley who headed the cast of the variety shows on 20 and 27 January respectively, Billy Cotton and his band, Arthur Lucan (" Old Mother Riley "), Henry Hall and his "orchestra" and comedian Douglas Byng . The comedy double act Laurel and Hardy were billed to appear at

4968-572: Was taken ill with flu and suffered a mild heart attack and as a result the duo had to pull out of the rest of the engagement. A brass plate on the pavement outside the theatre commemorates their performance. Manoucehr Bahmanzadeh acquired the building in 1997 and renamed it "The Dance Academy". It soon became one of the top dance venues in the UK attracting top D.J.s such as Ferry Corsten , Judge Jules , Lisa Lashes , Dave Pearce , Gilles Peterson , Carl Cox and Sasha . The club could accommodate 1,300 dancers in two rooms and had seven bars and "gained

5040-416: Was the home of the wealthy. According to a guidebook of 1823: …the buildings are neat and handsome, and the streets straight and commodious, particularly those of Durnford-street, Emma-place, Edgcumbe-street and Union-street. These are almost entirely occupied by genteel families, chiefly those of naval and military officers, and other persons holding situations under government. The addition of Union-street …

5112-482: Was the last to sport a figurehead until her breaking up in 1923. Early steamships sometimes had gilt scroll-work and coats-of-arms at their bows. This practice lasted up until about World War I . The 1910 German liner SS  Imperator originally sported a large bronze figurehead of an eagle (the Imperial German symbol) standing on a globe. The few extra feet of length added by the figurehead made Imperator

5184-583: Was voted Club of the Year (West region) in the clubbing magazine " Mixmag " in 2004. As well as Eyecon, the club hosted other musical genres, such as Legends of the Dark Black a drum and bass night, held on the last Friday of each month. and the infamous Jelly Jazz parties. In 2004, the club had a brief but unsuccessful attempt to present live music, hosting groups such as Hope of the States . In May 2006,

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