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Royal Hippodrome Theatre Investigation
Eastbourne, East Sussex
10th April 2010
Introduction
Photographs
Team Reports
Introduction
The Royal Hippodrome Theatre opened on Thursday 2 August 1883. At the time Eastbourne was emerging as a highly fashionable destination for people, encouraged by the regular visits from the Prince of Wales.
Its original name 'Theatre Royal and Opera House' survived for about 20 years but from around 1904 it became The Royal Hippodrome Theatre. Reasons for the change are unclear, but this seems to mirror a change in style and use. In the early days plays and light opera (including the touring company of the D'Oyly Carte) were presented but gradually these gave way to music hall and variety shows.
Music hall programmes had been staged in the Bourne Inn in nearby Pevensey Road until around 1900, and it is true that the Royal Hippodrome Theatre was - and still is - at the unfashionable end of town.
Vesta Tilley appeared on a bill here in May 1903 and the theatre attracted the star names throughout the music hall era: Harry Houdini, Marie Lloyd, Albert Chevalier, Little Titch, Charlie Chaplin, Gracie Fields, Harry Lauder, George Robey, Flanagan & Allen and of course, Max Miller all worked this popular venue.
In the 1930s substantial remodelling of the foyer took place, but the auditorium remains much as it was in 1883. Summer rep. variety flourished from 1933 with the Eastbourne Players, a stock company: there was still a resident orchestra of 13 under the baton of Mr Alfred Brocklebank; and a permanent theatre staff of 40!
During part of World War 2 the theatre was closed - though not before a young Hylda Baker had graced its boards in early 1942. The streets to the east became known as 'Hellfire Corner', unfortunately situated on the Luftwaffe's chosen bombing route. The Royal Hippodrome Theatre escaped a direct hit - almost miraculously, since the Lion pub and Caffyn's motor garage only yards away were obliterated - but blast damage caused much of the original ornate plaster work to be damaged beyond repair and removed.
Many local people still remember with fondness seeing the likes of Elsie & Doris Waters, Harry Secombe, Tod Slaughter on his farewell tour, Frankie Vaughan, Norman Wisdom, Russ Conway and Bruce Forsyth. They recall "It was our theatre ... the toffs went to the Devonshire Park, but the Hip was our theatre".
MPI would sincerely like to thank Dave Davies, for inviting us to investigate what we would say is “his beloved Hip” Dave made us all so very welcome and throughout the night accompanied us on our vigils, not giving any information away to the investigators only to our historian Pat. We all felt so much at ease with Dave and would like to extend our gratitude by inviting him on any of our future investigations.
Well done Dave you were a star.
Investigating Team Members
Val Butler
Ken Taylor
Becki Ephgrave
Pat Rendell
Jacqi Ephgrave
Steen Spencer
Cat Smith Guest
Darren Salmon
Becci Brennan
Perry Marcham
Lorraine Woollands
Heather Guest
Mark Lines
Jenna Gallop
Colin Angell
Team 1
Becky (Team Leader)
Pat
Mark
Lorraine
Heather
Dave (Host)
Team 2
Val (Team Leader)
Perry
Steen
Darren
Cat
Team 3
Ken (Team Leader)
Jenna
Colin
Becci
Jacqi
Photographs
Team Reports
Area - Auditorium/Dress Circle/Front of House
Team 1
Start in main auditorium. Several means of communication attempted including calling out to spirit, and Ouija with no response. Team sits quietly and listens and look but nothing appears to want to come through team move to front of house. All sit quietly; Becky sees some dotted red lights like sparkles near the ceiling. Calling out to spirit, attempted and again encouraging any kind of communication but none felt.
Lorraine and Heather feel cold breezes during the whole vigil but when spirit was asked to affect someone else, or give a different sign nothing seen, heard or felt.
During this vigil Lorraine gets the name Grace. We use this name to try and communicate but no response.
Team 2
Mark (group medium) felt 3 figures were walking up and down to the right side of the auditorium.
Steen feels very hot; Cat has a sharp pain from her collar bone down her arm and felt some one was hurt in this area. Mark calls to spirit; he feels one male presence called George who is a prominent character, possible owner or manager of the Victorian era before 1900, possible 1880 who was referring to how the theatre was built.
Mark also feels a second male an audience member who had a stroke/heart attack, Mark feels this man did not die here.
Perry has the name Frankie Harpin come to mind. Steen gets the name Annett Dawson, 1930, wearing a flowing white dress aged in her late 20s. Mark smells tobacco and has the name Beth/Elizabeth who he feels was a lady cleaner after the shows.
Daren and Perry hear a sound behind them, Steen hears the word Priest. Mark specifies the services, sailors etc in the auditorium. Val has a pressure on her head.
Darren sees the backs of people’s heads. Mark sees Noel Edmunds and has the song White Cliffs of Dover come to mind.
All hear a sound by the doors to the left of them. Steen hears a tap on the pillar on the right hand side. Steen asks for spirit to copy his whistle, no response. Mark was guided to row P3 Seat 21. Steen feels someone to his left all hear floor boards squeaking and Perry has pins and needles in his legs. Val has the feeling of a man right in front of her staring into her face. Mark feels this area was once an infirmary/morgue and can see stretchers; he then has the song Red Robin. Mark then says George is back. There are American soldiers here. One soldier names Jeffery Spinelli associated with US airborne. Mark feels bodies were brought into the building during the Second World War. Surrounding buildings were hit by bombs. Val has the name Joe given to her and feels cold. Darren smells smoke, there was possibly a fire.
Team 3
Everyone feels ok at start of vigil. Ken hears a noise and saw a door open. At the back of the auditorium (to front of house). Ken calls the spirit, everyone hears a bang. Jacqui feels a cold spot. Again Ken calls to spirit, tap heard, Ken asks spirit if they worked here, a tap was heard. Ken asks for a sign, tap heard near the stage. Jenna calls to spirit, no response. Jacqi and Jenna don’t have a good feeling about the top left box. Jacqui calls to spirit and feels like a pin prick through her neck and Becci feels sick. Jenna Jacqui and Becci hear a sound like a scream. At the front of the theatre Colin saw a small black apparition run across the door, and Jacqui hears the door move although it is locked.
Everyone hears footsteps and all hear a door slam. A sound is heard by the stage. Noise heard by Jenna and Becci, bang at door. A loud bang was the heard by everyone by the stage. By the main doors Jacqi calls to spirit as she thought someone had come down the staircase. Jenna feels very cold by the stairs, Jacqi calls to spirit again and Ken feels pains in his legs, he sits on the stairs and is feeling very cold. Although the temperature remains the same throughout. Jacqi is given the name James Beasley; Colin calls for spirit to join with them the pains go in kens legs. I the main seating area of the auditorium several bangs and thuds are heard by all which seemed to come from behind the safety curtain, the group call out if any members were there but all remained quiet the team were alone.
Area Grand Tier/ Rehearsal Room
Team 1
A séance was held in the rehearsal room but nothing came through to the team Jacqi thought she could smell cigarette smoke or pipe tobacco, all go upstairs to the top tier seating. Lorraine calls out to spirit, she feels something on her arm, the magazines behind them fell of the stand but no-one had touched them.
Team 2
Team sat quietly in the large rehersal room for some time, Val calling and then Steen, Cat, Darren and Perry. We all moved to the smaller rooms of the corridor and Steen felt as though a cob web had gone across his face, he also feels wobbly on his legs. Steen feels as though there is a male watching us and the male is poking his head around the door at the end of the large room. In the small room to the side of the Grand Tier Val felt there was a man who did not want us there, Darren was standing in the doorway when Val mentioned this and immediately Darren felt his left arm go icy cold. 2 degree drops in temperature on Darren’s arm. Cat felt as though she was poked on the shoulder as we went down the fire staircase Darren’s arm still feeling cold, we make our way back to the large rehearsal room, Steen calls to spirit and asks for communication by copying him whistling. Steen felt a pain in the neck like that of a hard poke. He also has the name of Samuel Evans aged 34 come to mind and Samuel touched Steen hair. Val asks for Philip to call to spirit then wonders why Philip, there is no member by that name
Team 3
On the way up the stairs Jacqi had the most overwhelming feeling that she was being followed and Becci can smell burning. Colin felt as though someone had touched his head and then Jenna and Jacqi both hear a thud to the right of the stalls. All hear the sound of metal being rattled. Jenna calls for spirit to join with them but there is no response and everyone is feeling fine. Becci had a song come to mind and when she hummed it members said it came from Carmen. Up in the Gods area Colin, Jacqi and Jenna hear footsteps, Ken smells rubber burning. Colin sees a flash of light to the left side of the stage and all hear a tap sound coming from in front of them. Then we all saw the flash of light. Colin admits he has seen the flash of light 5/6 times before.
Area - Crew Room/Fly’s/Dressing Room
Team 1
While standing in the crew room we felt like we were on board ship swaying, the all hear a male voice. During calling to spirit to come and join with us we all heard a child or woman high pitched voice tone. In the changing room Mark feels that this part was boarding rooms, bedrooms, study, not changing rooms at all. Lorraine hears shoe shuffle in the corridor just outside the room. In the hallway/staircase Pat can smell flowers and Mark felt as though someone had walked through him.
We moved up to the second level of seating and Lorraine tried to communicate with spirit but there were no occurrences here.
Team 2
We ventured right to the top (the fly’s) Cat and Val sat together as both of them did not like it here. Cat asked for spirit to come and join with us, then Val tried but all was quiet. Steen Had the name of Jeremy comes to mind. Val had sharp pain in her chest did someone perhaps have a heart attack up here? Val feels quite sick. Cat also complaining that she felt peculiar here but couldn’t put her finger on the reason why.
Crew Room Steen felt as though he had been in a fight and that he was hit around the head and ear. After sitting quietly for a few moments Val, Perry, Cat and Steen suddenly all feel quite sleepy although Darren felt wide awake.
Wardrobe Room team stand in here not saying a word then all hears footsteps from outside the door, Cat looks but no one there. Darren wants to sing “Peggy Sue”. Steen is given the name of “Toppham” and immediately Perry says Michael Toppham? Leaving here we went to the staircase at the entrance to the theatre and we all sat on different stairs. Steen asks for spirit to come and join with us, Val and Cat then ask but all remained very quiet.
Team 3
All team members were feeling quite scared going up the stairs more so than normal. Ken has the name of Joseph” a “Joseph Todd”. While standing to the far side of the fly’s Ken has the feeling of being told “don’t lean over” Jacqi has a voice come to mind saying to “leave this place” Becci stood with Ken and Ken thinks that Joseph fell or was pushed from this height onto the stage below. Just then a pulley starts moving on its own and all team can hear a rope swinging. Ken can see another rope swinging but no-one is near it. Jacqi and Becci want to leave this area. Jenna, Jackie and Colin hear a groaning sound but ken and Becky didn’t hear anything hear Becci feels a headache coming on all team here a creaking noise not sure where it came from though again we hear another noise but not sure what it is ken Colin and Jackie feel out of breath up here ken calls out for Joe asking if he we was an actor or did he work here and all heard a scuffling from other side of the room we made our way to the dressing room ken and Colin and Becci feel very happy in this room the team then merged with Val’s team Jackie said that Becci was sitting next to her the more Jackie looked at Becci she could see Becci’s face was that of a man with short hair no glasses (Becci wore glasses) Jackie could not believe the change in Becci’s face.
Area - Stage dressing room under stage.
Team 1
On the stage Lorraine felt a draft to her left ear, then Pat felt the same draft between her and Mark. Heather is 4 degrees on her back different to her front. Mark feels a male presence wearing cords, baggy shirt, suede shoes spiked hair and the name J. He also feels that the buildings surrounding were destroyed in 1940’s but not the theatre. While group were talking a bang was heard but not sure where it came from. Dave said Vodka in polish and Mark says the spirit acknowledges this. Heather feels freezing cold. Mark has the name Jo or Joseph Blasic. Group say they do not believe anyone is here and we need proof, a bang is heard from the end of the props area. The group go down to basement area. Heather says she sees someone in her minds eye in the corner of the basement but only for a second. Temperature is initially between 11 and 14c but raises to 19 during stay. Becki and Heather are looking into the small room off the side and Heather feels pushing in her chest and feels like there is a barrier in front of her that she cannot cross. While in the basement Mark feels that this area should be bigger and like a wall has been bricked up. Mark says he is picking up on 2 layers, 1 is of people sheltering or hiding. On the other layer there are 3 males 2 on periphery and 1 arrogant male. The arrogant male appears to be of the Victorian era and possibly male who would be capable of physical touch, moving or throwing things. Mark is certain the groups will experience something in this area.
Team 2
All team sat quietly on the stage listening for any different sounds. Cat had the feeling that there was a male spirit to the right hand side in the wings. A spirit just watching us, a spirit that did not want to interfere with us. Glass divination was attempted on stage but to no avail. Val felt uneasy to the left side of the stage and thought she saw a shadow passing from front to back. Cat asks for spirit to come closer to us and copy her sound, but nothing came through. Steen asks for spirit to copy his whistle and again all was very quiet.
We ventured into the unknown, the dark under stage area. The team tried to conduct glass divination but nothing came through to us, Perry is feeling really cold down here, Val tries to communicate with spirit and while calling out Cat starts to feel really cold and shivery. Val has the name of Tom Aldridge come to mind and thought he was a stagehand. No other occurrences in this area.
Team 3
Team try to conduct a Ouija séance with Mark then Jacqi asking questions, no communication came through. Jenna, Becki and Jacqi feel cold down their backs. Ken has the smell of leather, Mark says “call somebody a bitch” Ken has the name Joe given to him. Becki has the name George come to mind. Ken said Joe was saying “we had an agreement”, all girls are really a lot colder. Ken thought Joe had a worker fall from the fly’s and break his neck 1901, Becki has the name Georgina come to mind, no further occurrences in this area.
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