Lewis Waller - Postcard, 1910
Title
Lewis Waller - Postcard, 1910
Date
10 October 1910
Description
Promotional postcard of Lewis Waller, starring in 1910 touring production of Bardelys The Magnificent.
What's the story?
Lewis Waller starred in Bardelys The Magnificent at the Theatre Royal from 10 to 15 October 1910.
Set in France during the reign of Louis XIII, Bardelys the Magnificent is a stage adaptation of a 1906 historical novel by Rafael Sabatini.
Born in Spain, Lewis Waller was a hugely popular and famous actor, who in 1893 moved into theatre management and production with his own company, as well as maintaining his successful acting career, particularly in the regions.
A frequent visitor to the Theatre Royal Nottingham, in 1915 Waller was performing at the venue in the play Gamblers All by May Martindale, which had opened on 18 October. This was his second appearance in Nottingham during 1915, having appeared in March in The Three Musketeers and Monsieur Beaucaire.
He was taken ill during the run of Gamblers All and died during the morning of 1 November in his bed at the Rufford Hotel, next door to the theatre. His death was just two days short of his 55th birthday.
This postcard forms part of a large scrapbook collection donated to the Theatre Royal archive by Diane Meadwell from Sandiacre. Her great grandfather was Bernard Hill, the former landlord of The Sun Inn on Parliament Street and who later became the Stage Door Keeper at the Theatre Royal. Bernard’s daughter Edith also worked at the Theatre Royal as an usherette.
Whilst in his stage door job, Bernard collected a large number of postcards of the numerous artists who performed at the venue, many of which he got them to autograph, as well as writing the date and if necessary the show on the reverse, making the future archivist’s job that little bit easier. We have then been able to cross-reference this information with the list of Theatre Royal shows being compiled by volunteer researcher Lynn Whitley.
We are grateful to Diane for sharing her family memories with us and for donating such a valuable resource to the archive.
Set in France during the reign of Louis XIII, Bardelys the Magnificent is a stage adaptation of a 1906 historical novel by Rafael Sabatini.
Born in Spain, Lewis Waller was a hugely popular and famous actor, who in 1893 moved into theatre management and production with his own company, as well as maintaining his successful acting career, particularly in the regions.
A frequent visitor to the Theatre Royal Nottingham, in 1915 Waller was performing at the venue in the play Gamblers All by May Martindale, which had opened on 18 October. This was his second appearance in Nottingham during 1915, having appeared in March in The Three Musketeers and Monsieur Beaucaire.
He was taken ill during the run of Gamblers All and died during the morning of 1 November in his bed at the Rufford Hotel, next door to the theatre. His death was just two days short of his 55th birthday.
This postcard forms part of a large scrapbook collection donated to the Theatre Royal archive by Diane Meadwell from Sandiacre. Her great grandfather was Bernard Hill, the former landlord of The Sun Inn on Parliament Street and who later became the Stage Door Keeper at the Theatre Royal. Bernard’s daughter Edith also worked at the Theatre Royal as an usherette.
Whilst in his stage door job, Bernard collected a large number of postcards of the numerous artists who performed at the venue, many of which he got them to autograph, as well as writing the date and if necessary the show on the reverse, making the future archivist’s job that little bit easier. We have then been able to cross-reference this information with the list of Theatre Royal shows being compiled by volunteer researcher Lynn Whitley.
We are grateful to Diane for sharing her family memories with us and for donating such a valuable resource to the archive.
Type
Postcard
Location of item
Theatre Royal & Royal Concert Hall Nottingham
Rights
Theatre Royal & Royal Concert Hall Nottingham
Contributor
Researchers: David Longford / Lynn Whitley
