The Entertainment Tour
Join Judith Bowers on a walking tour which ends at the Britannia Panopticon Music Hall and discover some of Glasgow's unique and often hilarious history including tales of ghostly pipers, dancing bears, executions (once the only permitted entertainment in the city), Penny Geggies, the first theatres of Glasgow and some of the celebrities who have visited the city throughout its 850-year history.
The tour starts at the front entrance of the St Enoch Subway Station facing Buchanan Street and ends in the Britannia Panopticon, the World’s oldest surviving music hall where Stan Laurel made his stage debut in 1906. The visit to the music hall includes a walk around the stalls, exhibition of artefacts found in the building, a chance to step on the stage for a photo opportunity and a 40-minute talk about the incredible history of this unique survivor by Judith Bowers, who began the campaign for the building in 1997.
The tour takes approximately 2 hours including the visit to the Britannia Panopticon.
Difficulty level: Easy. There are no hills involved. Just the steps up to the music hall.
Price: £12 for adults £10 for children under 16
Please see the BOOKING WEBSITE. for dates and times.
If you don't have time to visit the music hall or join Judith on one of her tours, why not download the book about Britannia Panopticon, "Glasgow's Lost Theatre The Story of the Britannia Music Hall"
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"What a dazzling place! With an eye for detail, Bowers recounts the story of the Britannia... its numerous gaudy & bawdy forms of entertainment, and its fortunes, from smelly ‘vice’ to near-respectability... The numerous shows once staged here must have been outrageous, fun and wildly entertaining. Time to rediscover."
Cinema Heritage Group
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You can also find the The Magic Lantern and The Lantern of Terror, the first two books in a time travelling mystery adventure trilogy set in the Panopticon and based on real events, places and people.
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"Excellently well written. Research, characterisations, and plot, all add up to a real page turner. It certainly has all the ingredients for a belter of a trilogy."
Tony Roper, Actor and Author.
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Discover Judith's books on Amazon
