Smeaton's Tower

Smeaton's Tower was built by John Smeaton on the Eddystone Reef in 1759. There had been two previous lighthouses in the same location. The first was built by Henry Winstanley in 1695. Unfortunately, seven years later, during a storm, it was washed away taking its builder with it. The second lighthouse was built in 1711 by John Rudyerd but it was destroyed by a fire in 1755. Work commenced on Smeaton's Tower in December 1756 to replace the damaged lighthouse. Smeaton's Tower would still be there today but the rock underneath it was undermined by the sea. James Douglass built a new lighthouse on an adjoining rock. It was felt that if Smeaton's Tower was left standing beside the new lighthouse, that it could eventually collapse onto the new lighthouse if the rock beneath it became even more undermined. It was decided to blow it up but a Mr FJ Webb suggested that it should be dismantled and erected on the Hoe where the Trinity House Navigational Obelisk once stood. This was quite a task and the lighthouse was removed stone by stone and rebuilt on the Hoe with a new base to support it. The original base can still be seen beside the present Eddystone Lighthouse. On 24th September,1884,the Lord Mayor opened Smeaton's Tower on the Hoe to the public.

Tram at Saltash Passage

This very rare photo shows a tram at Saltash Passage in 1929. To the right of the tram, is the Royal Albert Bridge Inn and the building on the left is now a cafe. The foreshore has now completely changed and nowadays, the area to the left in taken up by a small park built in the 1950s. It's interesting to see the lack of traffic. There would have been few cars in the towns of Plymouth, Stonehouse and Devonport at the time and there was probably none at all in Saltash Passage. It's also interesting to see the tramlines which, apparently, still lie there today underneath the modern tarmac. The tram's destination is 'theatre' which referred to the termination point at Derry's Clock near to the old Theatre Royal. This is tram number 148 which had the longest route in Plymouth. At the time, trams would have brought many visitors to the nearby Little Ash Tea Gardens, the annual regatta and the St Budeaux Carnival. The area by the cafe is where the American soldiers left for D-Day in 1944. Saltash passage has certainly seen some changes over the years but is still instantly recognisable from this old photo though one thing is noticable - it was a far quieter place!

Memories of St Budeaux

I have just finished a new book called, 'Memories of St Budeaux'. When I finished my book on St Budeaux a few years ago, I received lots of emails and letters from people who had enjoyed reading it and who kindly sent me their own memories and photos of the area. There was so much information, it seemed a shame not to record it so I've collected all these memories together in this book. There are memories taken from the notes and cuttings of local historian, Marshall Ware. I've also tried to recall the many stories that he told me about St Budeaux over the years. There are memories of the war, the people, entertainment, transport etc. The book also covers the time when a lot of St Budeaux was mainly farmers field and of a time when there were no trains, buses, cars, electricity or gas. Also included are the memories of the railway enthusiast and author, Maurice Dart. He tells of his time living at Tamar Terrace throughout the Second World War. There are also rare photos of the American soldiers who left from Saltash Passage for D-Day. I hope it will prove very interesting to people who live in the area and also to others who have an interest in St Budeaux. The book will shortly be available through Amazon and other online retailers and should be in Waterstones within the next few weeks.

H Leslie's Gay Lieutenants, Plymouth Pier, 1909

I recently bought this rare postcard off ebay for just 99p! Amazingly, the picture was taken in September, 1909 so it's exactly 100 years old.

The photo features H Leslie's Gay Lieutenants and the picture was taken on Plymouth Pier. Although little is known about the group, they were probably a theatrical troop and would maybe have made appearances at other venues within the town. Their names are written in ink on the photo and these include Jack Willcox, Walter Banett, Fred Shephard, Jack Waller, Ella Elgar and Cecilia Gold. A note on the back of the postcard reads, 'Jack Waller married Cecilia Gold in 1910.'

H Leslie appears in theatre history and the earliest reference I can find of him is a playbill announcing a performance of 'H Leslie's celebrated London company, in The Princess of Trebizonde, at the New Theatre Royal, Park Row, Bristol, 18 September 1871.' He is billed as an orchestra leader which would suggest that the Gay Lieutenants were a musical troop. Other references show that H Leslie wrote songs with a fellow composer, G. A. MacFarren. One of the songs that Leslie wrote in the 1800s was, 'Speed on,my bark, speed on!' with an M Dee. At the same time, there is a composer mentioned called Henry Leslie and this is probably the same person. He is also listed as Henry T Leslie.

Of the troop, only Fred Shephard and Jack Waller's names appear in later productions. Jack Waller went on to compose songs for music hall and to put on stage shows with his business partner, Herbert Clayton. These included, 'Good News' in 1929 and 'Tell her the Truth', in 1933 which featured music by Waller. The partnership of Clayton and Waller was still producing stage shows as late as 1964, although it's hard to tell if they were both still alive then. Waller wrote many songs for shows including, 'Got the Bench, Got the Park', 'Roll Away Clouds' and 'Babying You' with his writing partner, Joseph Tunbridge. Shows that they wrote music for included, 'Silver Wings', Yes, Madam' and 'Princess Charming', all now long forgotten. Waller and Tunbridge would have been well known in their day.

Fred Shephard wrote, 'Have we got the wind up, no not likely', another song that has long been forgotten.

It's amazing how much has changed in the 100 years since this photo was taken and anyone turning up to see a show called the Gay Lieutenants today would probably expect to see a whole different sort of act!

Houdini Centenary

August 2009 marks 100 years since Harry Houdini jumped off Stonehouse Bridge. The event took place on August 18th, 1909. Unfortunately, there seems to be no photos of the event or any of his appearance in the town or within the Palace Theatre. The Western Morning News covered the jump and it is probable that photos were taken at the time, however, many photos were lost and destroyed during the Blitz of 1941 and perhaps these were amongst them. If anyone knows of any photos of his visit to Plymouth, I'd love to hear about them. Between 1900 and 1914, Houdini played at over a hundred venues within the UK. Houdini was a very generous man, When he performed his show in Edinburgh, he noticed how many children were without shoes. He performed a special show for the Scottish youngsters and made sure there were three hundred pairs of shoes so none would go away bare foot. There wasn't nearly enough shoes for the children that turned up so Houdini took them all to the nearest cobbler and made sure that everyone was fitted for shoes.

His appearance in Plymouth must have drawn huge crowds also. In a time when television was non-existant, someone like Houdini must have attracted people in their thousands.

It's amazing to think how Plymouth, and the world, have changed over the last 100 years. It's amazing that the Palace Theatre still stands though Stonehouse Bridge has seen many changes apart from being bombed in the Second World War.

Houdini went on to perform many more shows after he left Plymouth and he died on October 31st, 1926, aged 52.

Cora Pearl

Cora Pearl was said to have been born in Caroline Place, Stonehouse on 23rd February, 1842. However, it is believed that she forged her birth certificate and was actually born in London in 1835. Her family moved to Plymouth in 1837. She was born Emma Elizabeth Crouch and would become a famous courtesan of the French demimonde in the 19th century. Pearl had inherited her musical talent from her father, Frederick Nicholas Crouch, a composer and cellist. In 1867, she appeared in the role of Cupid in a production of Jacques Offenbach's, 'Orpheus in the Underworld.' While working in London, she became involved in prostitution and had dalliances with several wealthy men. She became the mistress of Robert Bignell who owned the Argyll Rooms in Regent Street. Together they travelled to Paris where she first adopted the name, Cora Pearl. She so fell in love with Paris that she refused to return to London with Bignell. Pearl began a theatrical career in Paris but was more known for her sexual appeal than her acting talents. Her theatrical reputation grew and she was soon linked with several wealthy men including the Duke of Rivoli. While she was with him, she developed a serious gambling habit and Rivoli, tired of bailing her out, eventually ender their affair. She soon attracted other rich and powerful men who became her benefactors. A skilled craftsman could earn between two or four francs a day, whereas Cora earned 5,000 a night. She was famous for dancing nude on a carpet of orchards and bathing before guests in a silver tub of champagne. The Duke of Grammont-Caderousse said at the time, 'If the Freres Provencaux served an omelette with diamonds in it, Cora would be there every night.' Her lovers included Prince Willem of Orange, Prince Achille Murat and the Duke of Morny. Morny was Napoleon III's half-brother. Being financially sound, she rented Chateau de Beausejour in 1864, which lay on the banks of the Loiret outside Orleans. When Morny died in 1865, Cora became the mistress of Prince Napoleon who was the cousin of Emperor Napoleon III. He purchased two home in Paris for her and also supported her financially until 1874. Although her activities made her very wealthy, her downfall resulted from her compulsive gambling and ultimately, her age. One story though seems to have led more to her downfall than others. She was the mistress of the wealthy Alexandre Duval who lavished her with gifts and money. When she chose to end the affair, Duval was so distraught that he shot himself on her doorstep. Rather than call for assistance or help him, she went back inside and went to bed. Duval survived but stories of the incident spread quickly and brought her theatrical career to a halt. She fled back to London but her popularity had waned and she eventually returned to Paris. With no benefactor to support her, she had to sell her possessions to support herself. In 1886, she became ill with intestinal cancer and had to move to a shabby boarding house where she died in poverty and forgotten by most.

Lillie Langtry

Lillie Langtry appeared at The Palace Theatre in Union Street in a production of, 'The Crossways' on the 9th December, 1902. She played Virginia, Duchess of Keensbury in the production. Lillie Langtry was born Emilie Charlotte Le Breton in Jersey on the 13th October, 1853. She became a highly successful actress and was the mistress of King Edward VII. In 1874, Lillie married an Irish landower called Edward Langtry. One of the attractions was that he owned a yacht and she insisted that he take her away from Jersey in it. They eventually settled in Belgravia in London. She became the subject of sketches and paintings after her appearances in London Society and through this she soon became quite well known. She was nicknamed, 'Jersey Lily' because of her beauty. Her new found fame soon reached the attention of the Prince of Wales and after attending one of his dinner parties, she soon became his mistress. The affair lasted between 1877 and 1880. By 1879, Langtry had commenced an affair with the Earl of Shrewsbury and her husband announced that he would divorce her. Without her Royal connections, the Langtrys soom found themselves short of cash and realised that they had been living a lifestyle beyond their means.In October 1880, many of their possessions were sold off to meet debts. Langtry also had many other publicised affairs. In 1881, she made her acting debut in 'She Stoops to Conquer' at the Haymarket Theatre in London. Oscar Wilde, a close friend, had suggested that she take up acting. She later became the mistress of two millionaires and eventually took up American citizenship.She died in Monaco on the 12th February, 1929, aged 75.