Parr Hall unrecognisable in photos shared from 128 years ago

The iconic town venue opened officially in September 1895, and the hall shared photographs from its opening to mark World Theatre Day, which was on Monday, March 27.

Hosting music legends like the Rolling Stones and the Stone Roses, to comedy gold such as Jimmy Carr and Peter Kay, the Parr Hall has seen it all in Warrington over more than a century.

Opening on Thursday, September 24, 1895, the venue was presented to Warrington by J. Charlton Parr, who was a member of a wealthy banking family, and it is the only surviving professional concert hall in the country.

The Grade II listed building hosted the Warrington Musical Society on its opening night, featuring performances of Mozart, Mendelssohn, and Wagner.

The original notice for the opening events gives an itinerary for the performances (Image: Culture Warrington)

According to the invitation dated for the 1895 opening, there were upwards of 230 performers involved on the opening night; the evening's lead tenor was Edward Lloyd, soprano was Anna Williams, bass was Andrew Black, and contralto was Clara Butt - who went on to perform more than 100 times at the Royal Albert Hall.

Clara Butt was just 23 when she performed at the opening of the Parr Hall (Image: Culture Warrington)

The opening performance was a matinee, held at 2.15pm, followed by an evening show that commenced at 7.45pm.

Details of the opening ceremony and performances were distributed by the Town Hall, and issued by the Mayor of Warrington at the time, James Fairclough.

According to the notice, tickets to attend both the opening matinee and the evening performance would have cost between six shillings - the equivalent of £29 today - and nine shillings - around £45 in today's money.

The hall is home to one of the few surviving organs in the country constructed by Aristide Cavaillé-Coll, a famed French organ builder; the instrument was moved into the hall in 1926, after being constructed in 1870 - at the time, it was reported to have cost £3,000 to build.

In today's money, that would be roughly £285,846.

More recently, the hall has been used as a venue for gigs, comedy performances, pantomimes, exhibits, council meetings, and even to kick off a charity bike ride.

The organ housed in the Parr Hall is more than 150 years old (Image: Culture Warrington)

It was also the location chosen to house the embossed plaque that has immortalised Viola Beach and the band's manager, who all tragically died in Sweden, in 2016.

Through the years there have been many changes made to the centre of Warrington, with retail coming and going, and new restaurants, bars, and pubs fading in and out; but one thing has stayed the same since 1895: Warrington's Parr Hall.

The building now has neighbours to both sides, but did not when it was first built (Image: Culture Warrington)

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