Bournemouth Winter Gardens
Bournemouth Winter Gardens was a theatre located in Bournemouth, England. It was first constructed in 1875 as an exhibition centre, but reopened in 1893 as a popular classical music venue. It was demolished and replaced just prior to World War II and became a popular rock music venue in the 1960s. The building was closed in 2002 and demolished in 2006. The site is currently awaiting redevelopment. History The original building was a glass-clad structure constructed in 1875, similar to the Crystal Palace in London. It was appropriately named the Crystal Palace of the Summer and Winter Gardens with a capacity of 4,000. An 1891 prospectus said "These delightful grounds lie in the very bull’s eye of alluring Bournemouth". The lease was transferred to Bournemouth Corporation two years later, with Dan Godfrey starting a new Bournemouth Band around this time. The initial exhibitions were not popular enough to keep the business afloat, and after several closures and re-openings it was decided to try and make it a dedicated music venue. It was first used as a concert hall in 1893, and meant that Bournemouth was the first municipal town to regularly provide music. Visiting conductors included Edward Elgar, Hubert Parry,