Royal Wanganui Opera House
Encyclopedia
The Royal Wanganui Opera House is New Zealand
's last Victorian
theatre
. Located in St Hill Street in central Wanganui
, the 110-year-old theatre seats 830 and is the venue for many local, national and international events.
These include grand opera, operetta, tribute concerts, piano recitals, orchestral concerts, school events, lectures, graduations, fashion shows, dance of all forms, and floral theatre.
Functions requiring a stage and auditorium style seating can be accommodated. Wedding ceremonies have been performed and the stage can accommodate a reception of up to 80.
The Opera House has its own ticketing system but maintains a link to TicketDirect Network.
“record reign” should be commemorated by setting aside land on which the Council itself would build an opera house The Mayor, Alexander Hatrick, supported the idea, a committee was established to investigate and the council agreed to go ahead.
In March 1897 the prospectus of the Wanganui Opera House company (Limited) was published in the local newspaper, with a capital of £
5000. Of the 5000 £1 shares, 4000 were offered to the public. Plans were to erect the Opera House on a site in St Hill St.
The council had plans for a competition drawn up to design the opera house. Terms, announced in September, 1898, noted that the successful architect would be rewarded with supervision of the job, and a commission of 5% on the total cost, with a second prize of £40 and third prize of £20. The winner, Wellington
architect, George Stevenson, was announced in January, 1899,
Mr Stevenson died that July, the day on which the foundation stone was laid. A retired Wanganui builder, James Tawse, took over supervision free of charge. The tender of £4597 was awarded to a former employee of his, Swiss-born Nicholas Meuli, who ran his own building company in Wanganui.
The plans Stevenson drew up are held in the Whanganui Regional Museum. Copies are displayed in the bar/sweet stall lounge at the Opera House. The six sheets show "plans at basement, ground floor and dress circle levels, a longitudinal cross-section, and external elevations.
The Wanganui Herald of the day recorded that "the building which is of wood, resting on massive concrete foundations, all the inside walls being plastered. In size, it compares favorably with any theatre in the colony, the auditorium measuring 60 ft by 60 ft, affording seating accommodation for over one thousand persons. The dress circle and orchestral stall seats are of the latest pattern, with cast-iron frames and upholstered backs, the latter to tip up, thus giving ample room for persons to pass in front of those sitting down…" The circle itself was supported from below by 18 cast iron pillars, painted to imitate marble, and which spoiled the view of patrons. Even today patrons avoid buying seats located too close to the pillars. Behind the circle was a reception and refreshment room”.
Thomson notes that "the auditorium was comparatively narrow, and the circle ended at the proscenium on each side, "strengthening the intimacy of relationship between actors and audience".
Ten large windows provided some ventilation and lit the auditorium and dress circle in the day time. Other ventilation was provided with "twenty-two ‘a hit and miss’ ventilator fitted into the walls, and in the dome itself is an ornamental cast-iron ventilator. At night electricity was used to light the theatre, ‘power for which is derived from a 16 hp Crossley
Brothers engine".
1898 Competition to design an Opera House for Wanganui.
1899 Foundation stone laid by Mayor Alexander Hatrick
1900 Official opening by Premier Richard Seddon
on 9 February
1900 First shows, A Sporting Life and The White Heather performed 9 January by Bland Holt
and Company.
1901 Water main laid.
1905 Wanganui Liedertafel - 20th Grand Concert.
1909 Handrails provided on stairs leading to Dress Circle.
1910 Agreement in July to cover stage entrance before next winter.
1911 Engineer told to prepare specifications and tenders invited for erecting stage.
1912 Larger music stands and improved lamp holders for the orchestra.
1913 The committee decided to recover 300 armrests, in Utrecht velvet.
1915 Staircase to dress circle treated with dark spirit stain.
1917 Engineer reports on ventilation.
1918 Council suggests Opera House could become Fire Station.
1920 Alterations to Opera House - movie theatre established.
1921 Modification of seats with central aisle created.
1930 Wiring reconditioned.
1934 First loan paid off.
1937 Fire in sweet stall closes theatre for several months.
1938 Annexe added.
1956 Custodian/manager collapses, dies.
1957 Opera House Debt free.
1958 Gas engine removed.
1962 Stairs carpeted.
1963 Exterior repainting.
1967 Gray’s attention drawn to deterioration in paintwork.
1964 Dome repainted.
1978 Fire in annexe.
1986 Staff member Dave Brough died while working in the circle.
1989 Council retains control of Opera House for at least 12 months more. Friends of the Opera House steering committee established. Membership drive for Friends of the Opera House begins. Smoke detectors installed. Foodtown donates $10,000 for refurbishing the orchestra pit. Girvan Corporation pledges at least $5000 through pre-Christmas competition.
1990 Orchestra pit refurbished.
1991 $51,000 Lotteries Commission grant towards sprinkler system.
1991 Exit doors installed at either side of the building replace two doors at the front of the building and make room for upgraded toilet facilities.
1992 New toilet facilities provided, including a paraplegic toilet. Upstairs area becomes lounge, bar and new sweet stall.
1992 New toilet facilities completed. Seat refurbishment begins.
1993 Stage replaced. Seventeen volunteers help to lay 3500 lineal metres of matai timber, and hammer in 15,500 nails. Old flooring reused in the foyer of the Whanganui Riverboat Restoration and Navigation Trust’s Riverboat centre in Taupo Quay.
1995 Newly installed sprinklers save Opera House from arson attempt.
1996 Historic Places Trust awards Category One grading to the Opera House.
1997 Discussions to extend annexe. Historic Places Trust agrees to 15 m by 13 m corrugated iron extension to maintain historic connections. Plans include room for set construction and catering kitchen. Horror when Friends discover upgrading the annexe means "every aspect of the building" having to adhere to the Building Industry Act regulations 1991. Friends’ president warns that people are pulling down buildings because the cost of compliance is so high.
1999 Annexe construction begins. Centennial celebrations begin. October: Royal charter given to the Opera House as part of the centennial celebrations. Name changed to Royal Wanganui Opera House
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
's last Victorian
Victorian architecture
The term Victorian architecture refers collectively to several architectural styles employed predominantly during the middle and late 19th century. The period that it indicates may slightly overlap the actual reign, 20 June 1837 – 22 January 1901, of Queen Victoria. This represents the British and...
theatre
Theater (structure)
A theater or theatre is a structure where theatrical works or plays are performed or other performances such as musical concerts may be produced. While a theater is not required for performance , a theater serves to define the performance and audience spaces...
. Located in St Hill Street in central Wanganui
Wanganui
Whanganui , also spelled Wanganui, is an urban area and district on the west coast of the North Island of New Zealand. It is part of the Manawatu-Wanganui region....
, the 110-year-old theatre seats 830 and is the venue for many local, national and international events.
These include grand opera, operetta, tribute concerts, piano recitals, orchestral concerts, school events, lectures, graduations, fashion shows, dance of all forms, and floral theatre.
Functions requiring a stage and auditorium style seating can be accommodated. Wedding ceremonies have been performed and the stage can accommodate a reception of up to 80.
The Opera House has its own ticketing system but maintains a link to TicketDirect Network.
The Background
In 1897, councillor F.M. Spurdle proposed that Queen Victoria’sVictoria of the United Kingdom
Victoria was the monarch of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland from 20 June 1837 until her death. From 1 May 1876, she used the additional title of Empress of India....
“record reign” should be commemorated by setting aside land on which the Council itself would build an opera house The Mayor, Alexander Hatrick, supported the idea, a committee was established to investigate and the council agreed to go ahead.
In March 1897 the prospectus of the Wanganui Opera House company (Limited) was published in the local newspaper, with a capital of £
Pound (currency)
The pound is a unit of currency in some nations. The term originated in England as the value of a pound of silver.The word pound is the English translation of the Latin word libra, which was the unit of account of the Roman Empire...
5000. Of the 5000 £1 shares, 4000 were offered to the public. Plans were to erect the Opera House on a site in St Hill St.
The council had plans for a competition drawn up to design the opera house. Terms, announced in September, 1898, noted that the successful architect would be rewarded with supervision of the job, and a commission of 5% on the total cost, with a second prize of £40 and third prize of £20. The winner, Wellington
Wellington
Wellington is the capital city and third most populous urban area of New Zealand, although it is likely to have surpassed Christchurch due to the exodus following the Canterbury Earthquake. It is at the southwestern tip of the North Island, between Cook Strait and the Rimutaka Range...
architect, George Stevenson, was announced in January, 1899,
Mr Stevenson died that July, the day on which the foundation stone was laid. A retired Wanganui builder, James Tawse, took over supervision free of charge. The tender of £4597 was awarded to a former employee of his, Swiss-born Nicholas Meuli, who ran his own building company in Wanganui.
The building
The general design of the building is of the Tuscan order (pillars and pilasters) for the lower storey and the Doric for the upper one, and…somewhat in keeping with the Borough’s other building alongside, the Council Chambers.The plans Stevenson drew up are held in the Whanganui Regional Museum. Copies are displayed in the bar/sweet stall lounge at the Opera House. The six sheets show "plans at basement, ground floor and dress circle levels, a longitudinal cross-section, and external elevations.
The Wanganui Herald of the day recorded that "the building which is of wood, resting on massive concrete foundations, all the inside walls being plastered. In size, it compares favorably with any theatre in the colony, the auditorium measuring 60 ft by 60 ft, affording seating accommodation for over one thousand persons. The dress circle and orchestral stall seats are of the latest pattern, with cast-iron frames and upholstered backs, the latter to tip up, thus giving ample room for persons to pass in front of those sitting down…" The circle itself was supported from below by 18 cast iron pillars, painted to imitate marble, and which spoiled the view of patrons. Even today patrons avoid buying seats located too close to the pillars. Behind the circle was a reception and refreshment room”.
Thomson notes that "the auditorium was comparatively narrow, and the circle ended at the proscenium on each side, "strengthening the intimacy of relationship between actors and audience".
Ten large windows provided some ventilation and lit the auditorium and dress circle in the day time. Other ventilation was provided with "twenty-two ‘a hit and miss’ ventilator fitted into the walls, and in the dome itself is an ornamental cast-iron ventilator. At night electricity was used to light the theatre, ‘power for which is derived from a 16 hp Crossley
Crossley
Crossley, based in Manchester, United Kingdom, was a pioneering company in the production of internal combustion engines. Since 1988 it has been part of the Rolls-Royce Power Engineering group.More than 100,000 Crossley oil and gas engines have been built....
Brothers engine".
Timeline of the Royal Wanganui Opera House
1897 Council discusses need for Municipal Opera House.1898 Competition to design an Opera House for Wanganui.
1899 Foundation stone laid by Mayor Alexander Hatrick
1900 Official opening by Premier Richard Seddon
Richard Seddon
Richard John Seddon , sometimes known as King Dick, is to date the longest serving Prime Minister of New Zealand. He is regarded by some, including historian Keith Sinclair, as one of New Zealand's greatest political leaders....
on 9 February
1900 First shows, A Sporting Life and The White Heather performed 9 January by Bland Holt
Bland Holt
Bland Holt, born Joseph Thomas Holt, was a comedian and theatrical producer, active in Australia.Holt was the son of Joseph Frederick Holt and his first wife Marie, née Brown...
and Company.
1901 Water main laid.
1905 Wanganui Liedertafel - 20th Grand Concert.
1909 Handrails provided on stairs leading to Dress Circle.
1910 Agreement in July to cover stage entrance before next winter.
1911 Engineer told to prepare specifications and tenders invited for erecting stage.
1912 Larger music stands and improved lamp holders for the orchestra.
1913 The committee decided to recover 300 armrests, in Utrecht velvet.
1915 Staircase to dress circle treated with dark spirit stain.
1917 Engineer reports on ventilation.
1918 Council suggests Opera House could become Fire Station.
1920 Alterations to Opera House - movie theatre established.
1921 Modification of seats with central aisle created.
1930 Wiring reconditioned.
1934 First loan paid off.
1937 Fire in sweet stall closes theatre for several months.
1938 Annexe added.
1956 Custodian/manager collapses, dies.
1957 Opera House Debt free.
1958 Gas engine removed.
1962 Stairs carpeted.
1963 Exterior repainting.
1967 Gray’s attention drawn to deterioration in paintwork.
1964 Dome repainted.
1978 Fire in annexe.
1986 Staff member Dave Brough died while working in the circle.
1989 Council retains control of Opera House for at least 12 months more. Friends of the Opera House steering committee established. Membership drive for Friends of the Opera House begins. Smoke detectors installed. Foodtown donates $10,000 for refurbishing the orchestra pit. Girvan Corporation pledges at least $5000 through pre-Christmas competition.
1990 Orchestra pit refurbished.
1991 $51,000 Lotteries Commission grant towards sprinkler system.
1991 Exit doors installed at either side of the building replace two doors at the front of the building and make room for upgraded toilet facilities.
1992 New toilet facilities provided, including a paraplegic toilet. Upstairs area becomes lounge, bar and new sweet stall.
1992 New toilet facilities completed. Seat refurbishment begins.
1993 Stage replaced. Seventeen volunteers help to lay 3500 lineal metres of matai timber, and hammer in 15,500 nails. Old flooring reused in the foyer of the Whanganui Riverboat Restoration and Navigation Trust’s Riverboat centre in Taupo Quay.
1995 Newly installed sprinklers save Opera House from arson attempt.
1996 Historic Places Trust awards Category One grading to the Opera House.
1997 Discussions to extend annexe. Historic Places Trust agrees to 15 m by 13 m corrugated iron extension to maintain historic connections. Plans include room for set construction and catering kitchen. Horror when Friends discover upgrading the annexe means "every aspect of the building" having to adhere to the Building Industry Act regulations 1991. Friends’ president warns that people are pulling down buildings because the cost of compliance is so high.
1999 Annexe construction begins. Centennial celebrations begin. October: Royal charter given to the Opera House as part of the centennial celebrations. Name changed to Royal Wanganui Opera House