246-248 Whitley Road, Coliseum Theatre

The Coliseum, advertised as a new theatre and variety hall, was built in the garden of Whitley House, then the Unionist Club, by Mr William Smelt and opened on Whit Saturday in 1910. The Whitley Seaside Chronicle described it thus: "the interior is spacious, and the roof, pannelled and ornamental, is lofty, and well provided with ventilators. At either side of the stage a couple of boxes, roomy enough each to accommodate ten persons, are provided, and in common with the proscenium and the front of the side balconies, are finely ornamented with embossed Olsina and coloured in pink and cream. Altogether the effect of the interior is very pleasing". Plans to extend the Coliseum Theatre to take in the former Whitley House were proposed in 1919, and in 1930 the new entrance from the main street replaced the side entrance from The Arcade. In later years (from the 1970s?) the Coliseum served as a bingo hall. LOCAL LIST