The Haunted Grand Theatre, Blackpool

The Grand Theatre

The Grand Theatre in Blackpool would have been one of the most popular venues in England during the late 19th century. However it has had its share of tragedy, just recently a young boy of 18 fell from the rafters and he has been seen walking through the rows. But there is also something mischievous here, scaring people or tapping them on the shoulder when no one else is there. Home to a rather active poltergeist.

The Grand Theatre,
Blackpool,
United Kingdom

Ghost Hunting at the Grand Theatre

Ghost Hunting at the Grand Theatre.

The Grand Theatre in Blackpool has been investigated time and time again by a ton of different teams. They have got some pretty awesome evidence. Flipping chairs, running footsteps and even a ghostly applause !

The Auditorium.

The auditorium seems to be the most active part of the building. Throughout the years it has been home to something of a prankster. There are alot of reports of people being tapped on the shoulder from behind. When they turn around the person behind swears they didn’t do it, or there is just simply no one there at all. Sometimes the tapping happens up to three times in a row, which normally leads to the afflicted to investigate and either find no one there or blame the person behind.

Obviously with all of the bustle in the auditorium during show time alot of the activity will go missed, however the majority of reports come from the staff. When cleaning up at night staff report to see shadows darting in and out of the rows and feel random cold spots throughout. Also the seats have been seen flipping down, staying down and a pressure being pout on the pillow looking as if someone is sitting down ! The chairs have a mechanism so the flip up automatically.

The Stage and Platform Above.

The stage itself has been home to many aspiring actors and theatre performers. People who loved what they did would have had some of the happiest moments of there life up there. So the residual activity is expected. Singing has been heard coming from the stage when there is no one there apart from a poor lonely cleaner in the dead of night, im guessing they go through alot of that kind of employee. Aswell as footsteps and shadows like the auditorium.

The Platform above however is a different story, there are alot of reports of seeing the shape of a man, who seems to be watching. People who have been up here have sometimes had to come down due to sudden dizziness or sickness. It is believed there is a portal up there EMF readings go nuts.

Recently a young employee fell from the platform and nearly died, he hit the floor with a sickening thud mid show. But still no one knows what happened. A similar story happened in the 1980’s apart from the fact that the boy died. But what happened did he jump or fall, or was he pushed …

The Media Room.

A former employee who killed himself is regularly seen here and identified by the staff who knew him in life ! He has been seen just wandering around in the room. There still are not enough reports however to confirm if this is intelligent or just residual.

`Recommended Ghost Hunt Kit

Ghost Hunting at the Grand Theatre.

The Auditorium.

The Stage and Platform Above.

The Media Room.

`Recommended Ghost Hunt Kit

Ghosts of the Grand Theatre

Ghosts of the Grand Theatre.

. Charlie the Poltergeist

. The Former Manager

. Boy in the Media Room

Charlie.

Charlie is the mischievous ghost who likes to play pranks on spectators and performers alike. Charlie was a former audience member who threw himself from the theater balcony after he was humiliated by an actress he had fell in love with.

After his death however he seems to have taken a more mischievous turn, and why not ! he is held responsible for the moving of objects, fluttering of the chairs and pranks like tapping people on the back etc. Charlie is by far the most active spirit in the place.

The Former Manager.

The ghost of Thomas Sargentson is a well known entity here also. He was a former manager who died after retirement but he loved the place. He was known for being very strict but caring. He is thought to be the man seen around the building and upon the platform watching over things.

But he is most well known for following members of staff around, as if he is still inspecting them, and mostly the managers ! The managers always feel something following them and like they are under pressure to do a good job, this is awesome. This shows that spirits can still intelligently respond to situations in the present not only that but the Blackpool theater has perfect motivation to make its employees work hard, because if they muck up they get haunted !

The Boy in the Media Room

The young boy who recently died here is a sad story. He is seen walking around up in the media room, but perhaps this is residual or perhaps he simply does not know he is dead yet.

Objects in the media room move constantly, as if hes still trying to do his job and people have reported that the room can suddenly drop into a deadly cold. Hopefully the other spirits there can help him out,but nothing threatening here.

Ghosts of the Grand Theatre.

. Charlie the Poltergeist

. The Former Manager

. Boy in the Media Room

Charlie.

The Former Manager.

The Boy in the Media Room

The young boy who recently died here is a sad story. He is seen walking around up in the media room, but perhaps this is residual or perhaps he simply does not know he is dead yet.

The Grand Theater Location

Brief History Of The Grand Theatre

The Grand was opened on July 23 1894 by Thomas Sergenson, Blackpool’s first successful theatrical manager.

Sergenson immediately dubbed the theatre ‘Matcham’s Masterpiece‘, a title that is even more merited now that there are few surviving examples of the work of Frank Matcham, the leading Victorian theatre architect.

The theatre took just nine months to build and cost Sergenson £20,000, part of which he had earned by operating two small rented theatres and from a circus that he staged for five summer seasons on the site of The Grand.

With his imposing new theatre, Sergenson surprised the resort with the quality of his stars and shows. The theatre opened with a performance of Hamlet by Wilson Barrett, a leading actor-manager who had often appeared in Blackpool. But a few weeks later, Sergenson brought a much bigger star to The Grand,Herbert Beerbohm Tree, who also gave Hamlet as part of a repertoire of plays.

In the first few weeks of the theatre’s existence, the owner-manager also presented the biggest musical hit of the London season, A Gaiety Girl; the comedy hit Charley’s Aunt; and a visit by the Carl Rosa Opera Company.

Sergenson made a valued arrangement with George Edwardes, the king of musical comedy production, to have the first choice in Blackpool of those famous musicals from the Gaiety Theatre and Daly’s Theatre, London.

During his fifteen years at The Grand, Sergenson presented great stars like Ellen Terry, Madge Kendal,Sarah Bernhardt, Lily Langtry, F R Benson and Dan Leno. In 1909 he sold the theatre for a handsome £47,500 to the Blackpool Tower Company, who ran The Grand for the next sixty-two years.

The Grand was the first Blackpool theatre to present the two big musical hits of World War One – The Maid of The Mountains and Chu Chin Chow – and in the 1920s become noted for staging big American musicals like Rose Marie, The Desert Song and No No Nanette.

Great stars like Evelyn Laye, Carl Brisson, Tallulah Bankhead, Olga Lindo, Matheson Lang and the husband and wife team of Jack Hulbert and Cicely Courtneidge appeared at The Grand in the 1920s.The theatre was used by top West End producers for British premieres and for forty years many plays and musicals were seen at The Grand ‘prior to London’.

After the success of Talking Pictures, The Grand in the 1930s was a cinema in the winter and staged ‘live’ shows during the holiday season. Stars included Sybil Thorndike, Marie Tempest, Jack Buchanan andLeslie Henson.

Most famous of the 1930s’ attractions was Gracie Fields, who made all her Blackpool Variety appearances from 1932 to 1938 at The Grand Theatre.

When the Tower Company began to build the new Blackpool Opera House in 1938, The Grand was returned to its role as an all-year playhouse. In 1939 the theatre’s list of stars included Sir John Gielgud,Edith Evans and Peggy Ashcroft in Oscar Wilde’s The Importance of Being Earnest; Rex Harrison, Diana Wynyard and Anton Walbrook in Noel Coward’s Design For Living; and Donald Wolfit in a Shakespeare week.

The first summer season show was held in 1940. It was a variety revue starring local comedian Harry Korris, who returned the following summer with a stage version of his famous Happidrome radio show.

During World War Two, Blackpool was a safe haven from German bombing and many great stars and shows came to The Grand. There were visits by Gielgud, Evans, Ashcroft, Harrison, Vivien Leigh, Flora Robson, Robert Donat, John Mills and Emlyn Williams.

In October, 1942, Noel Coward premiered and appeared in two of his plays – Present Laughter and This Happy Breed – and threw in Blithe Spirit for good measure!

The prestige of The Grand continued through the 1950s, which was a glittering decade in spite of the growing impact of television. Ralph Richardson, Michael Redgrave, Alistair Sim, George Cole, Evelyn Layeand Margaret Lockwood could be seen there, while the most frequent visitors were the husband and wife teams of Jack Hulbert and Cicely Courtneidge and Michael Denison and Dulcie Gray.