Christmas 1912

With today's game off here is the Way Back Then article I wrote for the programme

If one wanted to stock up on drinks for Christmas 1912 then wine importer and spirit merchant W R Mann had plenty to offer, including fine old brandies, special old Scotch and Irish whiskies, light old port (recommended for invalids) and champagne. At the cheaper end of the spectrum, there was British wine, cooking sherry and cooking brandy. Beers on offer included Bass, Allsipp and Worthington, as well as Guiness’s Extra Stout, but no Brakes Fluid. In addition, there were Havana and British cigars and Turkish and Virginia cigarettes.

W.J. Randall in Regent Street West were offering ‘useful’ Christmas presents which included palm stands; coal boxes; Japanese and Chinese vases, plaques and bowls; and draught screens. In similar vein one could visit Lee Longland in Birmingham for ‘useful and artistic gifts’ which included ‘a nice cushion, pretty table covers, occasional tables, palm stands, book racks and easy chairs.’

Cinderella was the pantomime on offer at the Theatre Royal. As the Courier noted, ‘We look forward to the timely entertainment with as keen an appetite as we look forward to turkey, Christmas pudding, mince pies, and all the other gastronomic bon-touches of the season.’ The Courier spent more time describing the appearance and condition of the theatre, although it was full of praise for the production as well.

The decorations of the theatre received particular attention, in particular a floral design that reflected the spirit of the age by depicting ‘an aeronaut on a monoplane.’ It will be recalled that earlier that year the first heavier-than-air machine had landed in Leamington on the old football pitch. On entering the foyer of the theatre, patrons saw ‘a glorious fully-berried holly tree, groups of the choicest hothouse flowers, in which lilies and poinsettias are conspicuous amidst delicate pink blooms on the staircase, a graceful floral swan under the spreading leaves of a Kentia palm in one corner.’ Further praise was given to the way in which draughts had been excluded, in particular by the installation of a warm carpet.

Over at the Colonade Theatre, the evening’s entertainment started with moving pictures, including ‘The Hand of Fate’, a story of German duelling, and the ‘Physician of Silver Gulch’ which apparently offered a mixture of cowboy and medical themes with the story of ‘a doctor’s temptation’. Other films on offer included the seasonal ‘A Christmas Messenger’ and an ‘instructive’ film called ‘Unique Nature Studies’ (this was believed not to be an early venture into nudism films). Having enjoyed the miracle of moving pictures, the live bill included The Murrati Brothers, ‘a trio of expert clog dancers, including a marvellously clever roller-skater’. The following week offered acrobats and gymnasts and Tyrolean vocalists.

If one wanted more sober entertainment, one could go to the Town Hall to view the portrait of the ex-Mayor, apparently an ‘esteemed and popular figure’. The Courier advised its readers that it was well worth a visit, despite having been hung in bad light.

On Christmas morning, carol singers who have been ‘remarkably quiet’ in the preceding week started to sing at 2 a.m. in the morning and continued to do so until daybreak. One of the wettest years on record ended with a cold, wet and windy Christmas, ‘leading the fireside to hold its traditional place in the esteem of English people at Yuletide.’ A Happy Christmas to you.