Photo above: Tivoli – before that it was known as the Old Cheese, the Prince of Wales and the Pavilion.
In 1848, James Clark ran the Old Cheese.
In 1850, Thomas Edgley is listed as licensee, also a brewer of the Old Cheese. The brewery in a converted stable at the rear, fronting Wilton St. By 1861, James Knight was landlord.
In 1864 William Paul reconstructed the Old Cheese to include a clubroom for entertainment, an early concert hall and a forerunner to the music halls. George Ludlam is listed as licensee.
By 1863, the building is referred to as the Prince of Wales, William Paul as licensee. Paul also had opened another concert hall in Queen St, but this closed in 1873. Although the Prince of Wales was offered for sale in 1875, William Paul was to continue there for a year later he submitted ambitious plans to rebuild the concert hall. The new building was to consist of a bar entrance on Belgrave Gate, also a three tiered gallery. In 1878 Paul advertised the world famous ‘Electric Light’.
William Paul died in 1882, choking on a tripe supper he was giving for the old folk of the area. The Paul family continued to manage the Prince of Wales until 1888 when the building was sold to London impresario, Alexander Lovejoy.
Mr Paul hosted many lodge meetings of the Buffalos
Alexander Lovejoy, who had purchased the Prince of Wales for £6100, was soon put under pressure by the magistrates to make improvements to the structure, partly to alleviate the risk of fire. On the 28 February 1889, the Prince of Wales – sometime called Paul’s Theatre of Varieties – completely burnt down.
A new building was constructed and opened by Mr Lovejoy, still as the Prince of Wales, although by 1896 it had become the New Tivoli or Tivoli. Bass Ratcliffe & Gtretton were to become the new owners.
Not long after opening the landlord of the Tivoli was fined 14/- or fourteen days for refusing to admit PC Jones in execution of his duty in demand to search the premises.
The Tivoli advertised ‘cycles stored, free of charge’.
By 1898, a compulsory winding up order was presented on the Tivoli. The new proprietors were Drew and Stacey, although the licensee was Robert Grey, followed in 1900 by Frederick Pollard.
By the turn of the century the Tivoli had been renamed the Pavilion. Artists such as Marie Lloyd and Gracie Fields were to perform here.
The Pavilion, more commonly known as the ‘PAV’, as in this photo the illuminated letters P.A.V. can be seen on the roof. The ‘Pav’ was to last until 1930, when road widening meant the demolition of the Victorian building.
The Leicester Illustrated Chronicle summed up the last night on 29 November 1930, ‘almost every square inch of floor space was occupied by theatre fans wanting to pay their last respects at the death of the old place – there was pathos in the air.’
Other licensees were Robert White, 1893. Arthur Wilkes, 1895. Fred Pollard, 1898. Frank McNaughton, 1900. Joseph Lawson, 1921. George Gray for four months in 1928 before John Whye later that year. The licence was removed to Gipsy Lane, 1930.
Further history on the ‘Pav’ can be found in Helen and Richard Leacrofts book, Theatre in Leicestershire.
These major artists of their day both appeared at the ‘Pav’, Marie Lloyd before the war and Gracie Fields shortly before the Pav’s closure.
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