Childhood memories

'Old Winkle' the clown
From the private collection of Rod Tempest

A really special place

I remember the Hippodrome Theatre as being something really special from my childhood. My parents ran a guest house and we would accommodate players and actors who were appearing in the town.

Like meeting a famous artist

On one occasion I was taken to a show and met a clown called ‘Old Winkle’ who signed the attached photo for me. It seemed like meeting a famous artist at the time. The photo is dated 1951 and I would have been 6 years old. 

Do you remember?

Do you have any memories of shows at the Hippodrome Theatre? If you can share your memories with us, please leave a comment below.

Comments about this page

  • Well, I used to go to the pantomime at the Hippodrome every year, but my lasting memories are of all the ‘pop group’ shows that I went to there. I went to so many as a teenager and also waited round the back by the stage door to get autographs. And, of course, sleeping on the pavement all night outside the box office in order to buy tickets to see The Beatles.

    By Sue Moore (23/01/2014)
  • I remember seeing Laural and Hardy in 1952, one of the sketches was in a haunted castle, they were in a bedroom with a four poster bed, above which was a picture of a man with holes where his eyes were.  Real eyes were looking out which kept rolling around.

    By Richard Constable (18/06/2015)
  • My mum worked in the clock room at the hippodrome in the 1960s and told us children of the celebrities she met. I think her favourite was Dickie Henderson.

    By Mark Bayley (16/02/2020)

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