In my hometown of Toronto, there survives a little jewelbox theatre; remnant of the Edwardian era, and the last surviving stacked theatre in the world. The Elgin and Winter Garden Theatres were THE place to go for vaudeville until its demise in the late 20′s.
The Winter Garden theatre is above the Elgin, accessed via a very grand Edwardian staircase designed by Thomas Lamb, and if one is lucky enough to go as a child its something you never forget. Hand painted trellis walls and verdant green velvet curtains, illuminated by lanterns hung, set the stage. Indoor winter gardens were a veritable lifestyle in Edwardian England, so many now sadly extinct in the countryside.
THE thing though….is the ceiling. If you sit in the ‘cheap seats’ you find yourself nestled in a forest of dried leaves (real and fake)…all much more spellbinding in evening light than these photos can convey.
Cecil Beaton would have adored this!
Put it on your ‘to do’ list….is yours as long as mine?
- Category: Events, Inspiration, Interior Design, Travels
- 6 Comments
I remember my model days when we did the Daffodil Ball there once. We were outfitted with dogs and threw daffodils in the crowd at the end. That would be fine, however some dogs felt randy and the daffodils were fresh out of water buckets. LOL!
It is however a stunning place indeed. Hope you visit Toronto very soon. : )
That looks fantastic! in UK working on a project until April 1…love this post. xxpeggy
very Beatonesque!
& give me the cheap seats!
Peggy - let me know if you’re around the sloane square area…our number is on the website - lets have coffee.
Loulou - thats very funny indeed.
Pg - yes cheap seats and cheap gin all the way.
Hi Colette, this is stunning, next time I am in Toronto I’ll go see it. I really appreciate being in NH blogroll but would it be possible to change the name from Brillante Home Decor to my new domain Brillante Interiors (http://brillanteinteriors.blogspot.com) Many thanks from Vancouver, Canada!