On the corner of Station Road and Birchett Road is the large, square, 1960s office block which is Hippodrome House, the name being the only indication that on this site was the Hippodrome Variety Theatre.
The Hippodrome was probably the most loved Aldershot theatre. It was also built by Clarence Sounes and opened on 3 February 1913. By this time Sounes was a successful theatre impresario who had owned numerous theatres including the Grand Theatre, Cardiff; Lyceum Theatre, Newport; Theatre Royal Kidderminster; Queen’s Theatre, Birmingham; Grand Theatre, Woolwich; and the Empire, Kingston.
The Hippodrome was one the largest variety theatres in the south of England. Over the years many household names appeared there, among them Julie Andrews (as a child star aged 12 years), Gracie Fields, Vera Lynn, Harry Secombe, Bruce Forsythe, Tommy Trinder, Roy Castle, Clive Dunn, and Morecambe and Wise. Another star who played the Hippodrome was Arthur English, who was born in Aldershot at 22 Lysons Road. In the years just after the Second World War Arthur was a star of the variety theatres, and went on to have a long career as a comic actor on stage and on television.
During the Second World War the Hippodrome played to full houses as Aldershot’s soldiers looked for a break from their military duties, but after the war audience numbers fell sharply. The management tried to entice them back with cheap “girlie” shows with titles such as “Stars and Strips” and “Briefs Encountered”, but these had no long term future and the Hippodrome closed in June 1953. There was an attempt to turn it into a repertory theatre, but audiences were poor and final closure came on 4 April 1959. This fine building was demolished in 1962, to be replaced by the Hippodrome House office block.
On the corner of Station Road and Birchett Road is the large, square, 1960s office block which is Hippodrome House, the name being the only indication that on this site was the Hippodrome Variety Theatre.
The Hippodrome was probably the most loved Aldershot theatre. It was also built by Clarence Sounes and opened on 3 February 1913. By this time Sounes was a successful theatre impresario who had owned numerous theatres including the Grand Theatre, Cardiff; Lyceum Theatre, Newport; Theatre Royal Kidderminster; Queen’s Theatre, Birmingham; Grand Theatre, Woolwich; and the Empire, Kingston.
The Hippodrome was one the largest variety theatres in the south of England. Over the years many household names appeared there, among them Julie Andrews (as a child star aged 12 years), Gracie Fields, Vera Lynn, Harry Secombe, Bruce Forsythe, Tommy Trinder, Roy Castle, Clive Dunn, and Morecambe and Wise. Another star who played the Hippodrome was Arthur English, who was born in Aldershot at 22 Lysons Road. In the years just after the Second World War Arthur was a star of the variety theatres, and went on to have a long career as a comic actor on stage and on television.
During the Second World War the Hippodrome played to full houses as Aldershot’s soldiers looked for a break from their military duties, but after the war audience numbers fell sharply. The management tried to entice them back with cheap “girlie” shows with titles such as “Stars and Strips” and “Briefs Encountered”, but these had no long term future and the Hippodrome closed in June 1953. There was an attempt to turn it into a repertory theatre, but audiences were poor and final closure came on 4 April 1959. This fine building was demolished in 1962, to be replaced by the Hippodrome House office block.
