In April 2024 a group of volunteers started to strip the wallpaper from our Grand Circle boardroom. This used to be part of the Ladies Powder Room and is now used as an internal meeting room. As the layers of wallpaper were stripped away, we started to reveal what looked like painted lettering on wooden boards.
As the work continued, a full 2 walls of lettering was uncovered. On closer inspection, we noticed that the words were mirror writing, and referred to films and actors from around the 1930s. We suspect that the lettering was from historic posters used as lining paper which then transferred the writing on to the boards.
The shorter wall was more difficult to clean, as much of the colour was attached to the old paste. We still have some very careful work to do on this section.
Many thanks to our team of volunteers (some of whom are shown below) who gave their time to help.
We have been able to identify the following films:
The Blue Angel/Der blaue Engel (1930), a musical comedy-drama directed by Josef ven Sternberg and starring Marlene Dietrich and Emil Jannings. This was the first feature-length sound film made in Germany, and was made in both a German-language version and an English-language version. The Stoll showed the film, presumably the latter version, from 3rd September 1932.
Mystery Ranch (1932), an American Western, directed by David Howard and starring George O’Brien and Cecilia Parker. This was shown at the Stoll in November 1932.
The Match King (1932), an American drama, directed by William Keighley and Howard Bretherton and starring Warren William and Lili Damita, and Central Park (1932), an American crime drama, directed by John G. Adolfi and starring Joan Blondell and Wallace Ford. These were shown in a double bill at the Stoll from 22nd May 1933.
Perfect Understanding (1933), a British comedy shown here from 28 August 1933. The film was directed by Cyril Gardner and starred Gloria Swanson and Laurence Olivier.
Cynara (1932), an American romantic drama, directed by King Vidor and starring Ronald Colman and Kay Francis. This was shown at the Stoll from 18th September 1933.
Diplomaniacs (1933), an American comedy, directed by William A. Seiter and starring Bert Wheeler and Robert Woolsey, a vaudeville act. This film played at the Stoll in November 1933.
My Woman (1933), an American romance, directed by Victor Schertzinger and starring Helen Twelvetrees. This was shown at the Stoll from 5th February 1934.
Last year we opened up a small ‘window to the past’ just by the door to the Upper Circle bar, where we found wide tongue and groove painted boards behind the wallpaper. We have now removed all the wallpaper from the boards below the rail and are able to showcase a larger area. The red paint is likely to date from around 1890. You can see that the colour varies between the different layers of paint. In the early days the theatre was redecorated on an almost annual basis by the scenic artist and his team. The boards have now been treated with traditional ‘size’ which will help protect the historic paintwork.
We also investigated the area above the rail and found a decorative stencilwork in dark duck egg blue and rose du barri (pink). This is the original colour scheme from 1867 and would have been the decorative scheme in the auditorium at that time.
We also opened up the area above the shelf in the Bar itself which has been covered for many years.
The decorative “Gothic” stencilwork we found (see images below) is painted in distemper and probably dates from the opening of the theatre in 1867. The plain boards on the right almost certainly date from the 1892 extension work to the theatre by Newcastle architects Oliver Leeson who designed the adjacent staircase and knocked through the wall to connect the Upper Circle. We think it likely that the builders were probably a little over zealous and damaged the original boards!
