The Panopticon Britannia Music Hall, Glasgow

Members of the writing group I attend had the privilege of visiting a unique building in Glasgow with one of the most interesting hidden histories of the city. Most of us didn’t know it existed and that afternoon was a fascinating journey into the past.

Hidden amongst the old buildings of the Trongate in Glasgow is a remarkable old Victorian music hall known as the Panopticon. The Britannia Panopticon is hard to find, for it’s situated above a very modern amusement arcade, although observant passers-by might look up and notice the beautiful façade of an older building. Like much of Glasgow, the architecture is often most impressive above eye-level. Having located the building, it is a matter of going through the amusement arcade to find the stairs up to the hidden world of the old music hall.

Beginning life as a warehouse, the original Britannia Music Hall went through several changes of use from its opening in 1857. The first renovation was to the outer façade when the architects Thomas Gildard and Robert H.M. MacFarlane redesigned the front of the old warehouse. Their elegant classical design with cherubs celebrated Glasgow’s reputation as the second city of the Empire. The date, MDCCCLVII, was carved in Roman numerals into the stone beneath the apex.

In its early days, the music hall attracted mostly male customers, not least for the titillation of watching dancing girls and female acrobats. The only women who entered were generally those soliciting a paying customer for the evening, in a dark corner of the theatre. By the 1860s, however, it was upgraded to attract a family audience, with wooden pews added to the balcony and a proscenium arch above the stage. A strict door policy was introduced and bills were printed with the words: ‘No ladies admitted unless accompanied by gentlemen’. Up to 1,500 people attended the daily shows which were regarded as a family treat.

Although it went through various uses, including a cinema and a zoo, the Panopticon saw some famous music hall stars make their debut on its stage. Harry Lauder went on to become a legend in London as well as Glasgow, with songs such as: ‘A Wee Doch and Doris’ and ‘Roamin in the Gloamin’. One half of the famous comedy duo, Laurel and Hardy, the young sixteen year old Stan Laurel (born Jefferson) made his debut on the stage in 1906 and went on to be a box-office hit. And one of the first matinee idols, Jack Buchanan, also made his comedy and singing debut at the Panopticon, which was less successful than his eventual film career.

The Panopticon finally closed its doors in 1938 and the building was sold. And the old music hall lay forgotten. Until the remarkable Judith Bowers discovered the hall, stage and balcony with their ghosts of the past, and began the long journey of bringing it back to life. The Panopticon Britannia Music Hall reopened to the public in 2003, and once more brings occasional evenings of music-hall entertainment, burlesque, and old films to the people of Glasgow. As we stood on the old stage and glanced up at the balcony, we could almost imagine the ‘boys in the balcony’ waving back.

The fascinating history of the Panopticon is told by Judith Bowers in The Story of the Brittania Music Hall, published by Birlinn.

Romy

Research: Original Letters and Images

While researching additional material about the 19th Century Regency period for Dangerous Deceit, I went straight to the lovely book I have, My Dear Cassandra, which contains most of the surviving letters from Jane Austen to her sister Cassandra. The letters are all written between 1796 and Jane's death in 1817 and contain a wealth of information about their lives at that time. Another great advantage of the book is the wonderful illustrations and paintings depicting the fashion, transport, people and places. Apart from being an absolute joy to read, it provides first-hand experience of that period.

The other lovely book I was lucky enough to pick up in a second hand bookshop is Mrs Hurst Dancing & Other Scenes from Regency Life 1812-1823. This is an even more highly visual book, full of superb illustrations by a young girl, Diana Sperling, painting scenes of her everyday life between those two dates. The delightful watercolour prints tell a wonderful story of her friends and family and the simple pleasures they enjoyed in the country.

Nothing can beat the joy of reading about historical people in their own words and seeing their surroundings from original illustrations. I'm looking forward to discovering more original material when next in an antique shop or second hand bookshop!

Romy

Wicked Lord Byron

Delighted to see that my article on Lord Byron is on the History Undressed Blog! I've long been fascinated by the man who was bad, mad and dangerous to know, and have written about him before. I even gave him a walk-on part in Dangerous Deceit.

Romy

Research: Replica Newspapers

The previous post on research was about using original newspapers and magazines for authentic details on a particular period, when published features and advertisements give a flavour of everyday life and what was happening in a local or national context.

The other option is to look out for replica newspapers - modern facsimile copies of original publications. These are sometimes given as a free supplement in a newspaper, or may be on sale for specific anniversaries. Our local newspaper had wonderful supplements showing copies of original photos and articles about the Blitz. Watch out for special replicas at historic and heritage centres, or museums. Sometimes a supplement will be specially repoduced to commemorate an anniversary or event. I have a very informative Commemorative Souvenir newspaper about Agatha Christie, The Agatha Bygones, which I bought on a holiday to Torquay in 1990, at the Centenary Exhibition in the Museum.

The photograph above shows two of my other finds. The Old Town Reporter was a tourist souvenir from Edinburgh and contains four broadsheet sides full of articles from the Royal Mile over several periods of history. The Bonnie Prince Charlie article, with photo, is from September 17th 1745, while beneath that is a small piece from January 1872 about the death of Greyfriars Bobby. On the back page, an article from 10th March 1556 highlights the mysterious murder of Queen Mary's secretary, Davd Rizzio. It's fun and informative.

The other newspaper is a Souvenir Reprint of the 1996 Anniversary Issue of the Hastings Observer, which I bought on a family holiday to that area. It's a fun replica of what the newspaper headline and articles might have looked like after the Battle of Hastings in 1066, had the newspaper been around then! It's a much easier way to read about all the main action and historical people than reading boring history books, as the information is delivered in bite-size pieces. The back page shows the fateful events month by month from January to October and is headed: 1066 - The Year of the Comet. A comet did indeed blaze across the sky  causing many to think it a bad omen for King Harold.

So next time you're browsing at a heritage site or museum, ask if they have any replica newspapers.

Romy

Burns the Exciseman

Today is Burns' Day, when our National Bard's birthday will be celebrated all over Scotland, and in some other parts of the world, with a Burns' Supper. Besides the haggis, neeps and tatties meal, the haggis is usually marched in to the sound of bagpipes, and most of the men wear the kilt.

Robert Burns is world famous as a farmer and poet of the people, yet a large part of his adventurous life was spent as a very respectable government Exciseman, or ‘rascally gager’, as Burns himself called them. Here's a little bit about his life as a gager.

When the crops failed on his farm, Ellisland, in Dumfriesshire before his 29^th birthday, Burns became disillusioned with farming and looked for another source of income. Having little experience of other types of work, apart from a short time as a Flax Dresser, he contacted some influential friends in the hope of gaining their patronage in his change of career. One such man was the Earl of Glencairn, to whom Burns wrote a hopeful, pleading letter in the January of 1788, outlining his desire to be an Exciseman.

Burns was subsequently added to the roll of Excisemen in September 1789. It was a hard and often dangerous job. Covering ten parishes in his first area, Burns rode extensively, writing that he was “condemned to gallop at least 200 miles every week.” From his letters recorded in the Life and Works of Burns by James Currie, Burns later complained: “My fingers are so worn to the bone in holding the noses of his Majesty’s liege subjects to the grindstone of Excise that I am totally unfit for wielding a pen in any generous subject.”

The danger was real in a period when smuggling was rife, with huge profits on items such as beer, cider, brandy, tea and coffee, and Excisemen were sometimes beaten or killed. They made surprise visits to traders to check books for accurate accounts and to make sure the correct tax was applied on whisky. It certainly wasn't one of the most popular jobs.

While Burns carried out the day job, he continued writing his poems. The fact he was an Exciseman himself did not prevent him writing the song, The Deil’s Awa wi’ the Exciseman’. This illustrates Burns’ empathy with the people in their wish to be rid of these government men, so they could continue drinking their purloined goods.

Robert Burns remained at his station working from Mill Street until his death on 21^st July 1796, still a serving officer of the Excise.

Romy

Research: Original Newspapers and Magazines

One of the most interesting and often exciting ways to research historical detail is to look for original old newspapers and magazines, many of which are found in antique shops. Apart from reading about history in the month or year it's actually happening, the advertisements are invaluable for showing people, clothes and the kinds of items they bought or used. The following photo shows three of the original publications I managed to find here in Britain.

The oldest is a rather tattered copy of the Weekly Illustrated from Saturday, June 20th, 1936. I was fortunate that this edition happens to be the Kings Birthday Number - celebrating the 42nd birthday of King Edward VIII on June 23rd, 1936. It's a fabulous edition, rich in photographs and adverts. The back page has great photos of 'England's Hope' for Wimbledon that year: two women tennis players.

The next in age is a copy of the famous satirical magazine, Punch, from March 17th, 1954. Again, it is full of wonderful advertisements (very full!), from cookery and home, to luggage and men's hats and shoes, with everything in between. Then there are the quirky articles and cartoons about world affairs and items in the news.

The other magazine is a copy of Country Life from October 4th, 1956. As the title suggests, this is full of detail about country life and the gloriously expensive properties for sale. Wonderful illustrations and photos accompany every article and, once again, advertisements for all the latest clothes and essential items. There are some lovely articles about plants, birds, famous landmarks, and fabulous lingerie and women's country fashions.

These three items alone provide hours of fascinating historical detail. So next time you're visiting an antique shop or antique fayre, seek out the old magazines as some of them might even suggest a new story idea. next time I'll talk about replica newspapers.

Romy

Primary Sources for Historical Research

Research is quite an overwhelming concept for some historical writers if covering a period with huge amounts of information. How can we possibly hope to know enough before starting the novel? One piece of advice I’ll offer is to choose a background period with which you’re already familiar. Then start writing the story and fill in the gaps in historical background as and when needed. This avoids spending too much time researching before getting started writing, and also avoids using every bit of information you can find!

We all bring our own cultural influences and knowledge to the past and can never fully understand what it was like to live then. So the next best option is to read about it from a historical person. One of the best kinds of research is Primary Sources, material written around the time of your novel, if not too far back in history. Good sources include books (fiction and non-fiction), diaries, newspapers, maps, paintings, drawings, guides and letters.

Next time, I’ll look at one of these examples in more detail.

Romy