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That's entertainment!
Travelling entertainment was popular until the end of the 19th century when permanent theatres were established. The arrival of fairs created great excitement in Warrington. The great showmen, Chipperfield and Silcock, brought their shows to the town.
| Some of Warrington 's early plays were staged at the Old Coffee House on Horsemarket Street . The audiences for these plays were drawn from the local gentry as were the members of a local theatrical group, the Catch and Glee Club, who met to perform traditional ballads at the Old Lion Hotel on Bridge Street in the early 19th century. |
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| Warrington's first permanent venue for music and theatre was its Music Hall. This hosted a huge variety of entertainment and attracted working class audiences. The town's first permanent theatre, aptly named The New Theatre, opened in 1818 and despite being demolished and rebuilt several times there was a theatre on this site for a century. |
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| The Public Hall, opened in 1862, was fierce competition for the old theatre. The hall was refurbished and reopened as the Royal Court Theatre in 1892. Sadly Warrington's two theatres became cinemas in the 1920s. |
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| Pyramid & The Parr Hall provide a programme of entertainment in the town today. Perhaps entertainment is returning to its roots as open-air shows, including music festivals and theatre, have become popular once again. | |
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