The Spanish City
Encyclopedia
The Spanish City was a permanent funfair
in Whitley Bay
, a seaside town in the North East of England. Erected as a smaller version of Blackpool's Pleasure Beach
, it was formally opened in 1910 as a concert hall, restaurant, roof garden, and tearoom. A ballroom was added in 1920, then the funfair.
Just yards from the seafront, the Spanish City had a 180 ft-long (54.86m) Renaissance-style frontage, and became known for its distinctive dome, believed to have been the second-largest unsupported concrete dome in the UK when it was built, now a Grade 2 listed building. There are towers on either side of the entrance, each of which carries a half-life-size female bacchanalian
figure in lead, one holding cymbals, the other a tambourine. The building's architects were Robert Burns Dick, Charles T. Marshall, and James Cackett.
The band Dire Straits
immortalized the Spanish City in their 1980 song, "Tunnel of Love," which was thereafter played every morning when the park opened. By the late 1990s, the building had fallen into disrepair and was closed to the public in the early 2000s. In June 2011, ADP Architects won a commission to regenerate it, with a plan that includes a 50-bed four-star boutique hotel, 20 apartments, a 1950s diner, and a pleasure garden. The completion date is 2014.
's Theatre Royal, brought his Toreadors concert party troupe to perform there.
The new pleasure palace was formally opened by Robert Mason, chair of the local council, at 7:30 in the evening on Saturday, 7 May 1910, and was called The Spanish City and Whitley Bay Pleasure Gardens. The Union Jack was flown at half mast because King Edward VII had died the previous day. The new building housed the 1400-capacity Empress theatre with a seating capacity of 1,400 on the floor and 400 on the balcony. There were also shops, cafes, and roof gardens. The Empress Ballroom was added in 1920, and the Rotunda in 1921. In 1979, the Rotunda was converted into the starlight rooms for live entertainment.
Its funfair was extremely popular with fairground rides and amusements, including a 'Corkscrew' roller coaster
—which is now at Flamingoland in Yorkshire—ghost train
and waltzer
s, the House that Jack Built, and the Fun House. The Dome also housed an amusement arcade
and later a Laser Quest
Laser Tag
arena. It was also used as a classroom for pupils of Whitley Bay High School
during a caretakers' strike in the 1980s. Most recently it became a live music venue playing host to several bands, including an appearance by Ash
in 2001.
Fair
A fair or fayre is a gathering of people to display or trade produce or other goods, to parade or display animals and often to enjoy associated carnival or funfair entertainment. It is normally of the essence of a fair that it is temporary; some last only an afternoon while others may ten weeks. ...
in Whitley Bay
Whitley Bay
Whitley Bay is a town in North Tyneside, in Tyne and Wear, England. It is on the North Sea coast and has a fine stretch of golden sandy beach forming a bay stretching from St. Mary's Island in the north to Cullercoats in the south...
, a seaside town in the North East of England. Erected as a smaller version of Blackpool's Pleasure Beach
Pleasure Beach Blackpool
Pleasure Beach Blackpool is a family owned amusement park and resort situated along the Fylde coast in Blackpool, England. It is the most visited amusement park in the United Kingdom, and one of the top twenty most-visited amusement parks in the world with an estimate of 5.5 million visitors in...
, it was formally opened in 1910 as a concert hall, restaurant, roof garden, and tearoom. A ballroom was added in 1920, then the funfair.
Just yards from the seafront, the Spanish City had a 180 ft-long (54.86m) Renaissance-style frontage, and became known for its distinctive dome, believed to have been the second-largest unsupported concrete dome in the UK when it was built, now a Grade 2 listed building. There are towers on either side of the entrance, each of which carries a half-life-size female bacchanalian
Bacchanalia
The bacchanalia were wild and mystic festivals of the Greco-Roman god Bacchus , the wine god. The term has since come to describe any form of drunken revelry.-History:...
figure in lead, one holding cymbals, the other a tambourine. The building's architects were Robert Burns Dick, Charles T. Marshall, and James Cackett.
The band Dire Straits
Dire Straits
Dire Straits were a British rock band active from 1977 to 1995, composed of Mark Knopfler , his younger brother David Knopfler , John Illsley , and Pick Withers .Dire Straits' sound drew from a variety of musical influences, including jazz, folk, blues, and came closest...
immortalized the Spanish City in their 1980 song, "Tunnel of Love," which was thereafter played every morning when the park opened. By the late 1990s, the building had fallen into disrepair and was closed to the public in the early 2000s. In June 2011, ADP Architects won a commission to regenerate it, with a plan that includes a 50-bed four-star boutique hotel, 20 apartments, a 1950s diner, and a pleasure garden. The completion date is 2014.
History
The resort located in the area before the building was erected became known informally as the Spanish City in 1904, when Charles Elderton, who ran HebburnHebburn
Hebburn is a small town situated on the south bank of the River Tyne in North East England, sandwiched between the towns of Jarrow and Bill Quay...
's Theatre Royal, brought his Toreadors concert party troupe to perform there.
The new pleasure palace was formally opened by Robert Mason, chair of the local council, at 7:30 in the evening on Saturday, 7 May 1910, and was called The Spanish City and Whitley Bay Pleasure Gardens. The Union Jack was flown at half mast because King Edward VII had died the previous day. The new building housed the 1400-capacity Empress theatre with a seating capacity of 1,400 on the floor and 400 on the balcony. There were also shops, cafes, and roof gardens. The Empress Ballroom was added in 1920, and the Rotunda in 1921. In 1979, the Rotunda was converted into the starlight rooms for live entertainment.
Its funfair was extremely popular with fairground rides and amusements, including a 'Corkscrew' roller coaster
Roller coaster
The roller coaster is a popular amusement ride developed for amusement parks and modern theme parks. LaMarcus Adna Thompson patented the first coasters on January 20, 1885...
—which is now at Flamingoland in Yorkshire—ghost train
Dark ride
A dark ride or ghost train is an indoor amusement ride where riders in guided vehicles travel through specially lit scenes that typically contain animation, sound, music, and special effects....
and waltzer
Waltzer
A waltzer is a fairground ride that consists of a number of cars which are free to spin individually while rotating around a central point like a carousel. The floor of the ride is not flat and the cars rise and fall gently as the ride spins, the weight of the riders causing each car to rotate...
s, the House that Jack Built, and the Fun House. The Dome also housed an amusement arcade
Amusement arcade
An amusement arcade or video arcade is a venue where people play arcade games such as video games, pinball machines, electro-mechanical games, redemption games, merchandisers , or coin-operated billiards or air hockey tables...
and later a Laser Quest
Laser Quest
Laser Quest is the name of a Canadian-based indoor lasertag game based around infrared hand held units and vests, as well as the name of the company which operates each game center. There are over 140 Laser Quest centers worldwide, including ones in Canada, the United States, the UK, France,...
Laser Tag
Laser tag
Laser tag is a team or individual sport or recreational activity where players attempt to score points by tagging targets, typically with a hand-held infrared-emitting targeting device. Infrared-sensitive targets are commonly worn by each player and are sometimes integrated within the arena in...
arena. It was also used as a classroom for pupils of Whitley Bay High School
Whitley Bay High School
Whitley Bay High School is a foundation state school in Whitley Bay, North Tyneside, England.-Admissions:It is a mixed school with around 1600 pupils, 500 of these being in the school's Sixth Form. In 2006 the school was awarded Specialist College Status in Science & Humanities. The school has...
during a caretakers' strike in the 1980s. Most recently it became a live music venue playing host to several bands, including an appearance by Ash
Ash (band)
Ash are an alternative rock band that formed in Downpatrick, Northern Ireland in 1992. The band has sold 8 million albums worldwide.-Band beginning, Trailer and 1977 :...
in 2001.