Spanish City - History

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 Hebburn'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, on the evening of 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.

The funfair was extremely popular, with fairground rides and amusements, including a "corkscrew" roller coaster – which was at Flamingoland in Yorkshire from 1983 to 2011, and is now in Luna Park in France – ghost train and waltzers, 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 used as a classroom for pupils of Whitley Bay High School during a caretakers' strike in the 1980s, and later became a live music venue playing host to several bands, including an appearance by Ash in 2001.