Well Hall Open Theatre, Eltham

[pomme homme]

I'm not entirely sure where, in Eltham, Well Hall Open Theatre was (is?)(cue members with actual knowledge of the area!). However it seems that it may have been in Well Hall Pleasaunce, Well Hall Road, Eltham, a public park which was the location of Well Hall, a now demolished medieval moated manor house and grounds. Nor do I know whether an open air theatre was formally laid out there or whether events were simply staged in the park, erecting a stage and leaving the audience to sit on the grass. If it was the former, then I can find no indication of such a theatre being extant today. And whilst Greenwich Borough Council seems to stage events in the park, these do not appear to be of the calibre of those staged there in the seventies. Whoever promoted and staged those events seems to have had a penchant for contemporary folk music, as some of the major acts of that genre played there on a Saturday evening in the summer of 1972. These included:

- Pentangle (15 July)(supported by Wizz Jones)
- Ralph McTell (22 July)
- Al Stewart (29 July)
- Sandy Denny (5 August)
- Magna Carta (12 August)
- Peter Sarstedt (19 August)(I accept that I'm probably stretching a point to describe his music as contemporary folk)
- Julie Felix (26 August)

There seems to have been a similar summer season of outdoor folk music concerts in 1973. On the bill for that year were:

- Bert Jansch (21 July)(supported by Natural Acoustic Band)
- Claire Hamill (28 July)(supported by Tir Na Nog)
- Roy Harper (4 August)
- Linda Lewis (11 August)(a fantastic voice but not really folk)
- Gallagher & Lyle (18 August)(well, the folky side of pop)
- John Martyn (25 August)

Then things changed. In 1974, the only similar concert to take place at the Well Hall Open Theatre was by Jack the Lad (the Lindisfarne spin-off group), supported by Decameron, on 20 July 1974. The following year, 1975, saw only two such concerts, those being by Malicorne (a French folk rock group) on 3 August and by Magna Carta  on 10 August. And then it stopped! I can find no record, be it contemporary folk, folk rock or other music, of any more concerts at the Well Hall Open Theatre. Did the theatre close in or subsequent to 1975 or just stop hosting live music events?

Addendum: the bill for the 1973 season gives the address of the venue as Well Hall Open Theatre, Well Hall Pleasaunce, Well Hall Road, London SE9 (near Well Hall Station, SR).

[PNK]

I lived in New Eltham, a few miles south, up until the early eighties but I don't recall the open air theatre. The only venue I can think of would be the Tudor Barn at Well Hall.

Well Hall House stood nearby and was the one time home of Edith Nesbit.

Out of interest, Well Hall Station was closed and replaced by a new station further east called Eltham in 1985 Nearby Eltham Park station was also closed.

[pomme homme]

Assuming that it was an outdoors theatre, rather than a stage in the park, I failed to find, online, any pictures of it or any other reference to it.

The John Martyn website says that the 1973 concerts were arranged by Greenwich Entertainment Services (presumably part of the local authority). Attached is a copy of the posters for the 1972 and 1973 seasons.

[pomme homme]

It appears that on 5 August 1972 Sandy Denny was backed by Richard & Linda Thompson, amongst others, and the concert was recorded by a member of the audience and is available as a bootleg CD. The songs that she performed that evening were:

- For Nobody To Hear
- Bushes & Briars
- Love's Made A Fool Of You
- The Music Weaver
- Crazy Lady Blues
- Reynard The Fox
- Sweet Rosemary
- Matty Groves
- It'll Take A Long Time
- The Lady
- John The Gun
- Down In The Flood
- When Will I Be Loved
- Rigs Of Time (encore)

[pomme homme]

I have come across an undated Greenwich Entertainment Service press release, which details another, different summer season of Sunday evening folk music at the Well Hall Open Theatre. It refers to the ticket price for each concert being 50p which, unless there was a post-1973 ticket price reduction, suggests that this season was prior to 1972 (maybe 1971?). Whatever year it was, those appearing that year were:

- The McCalmans (3 July)
- Boys of the Lough (10 July)
- Harvey Andrews (17 July)
- Fred Wedlock (24 July)
- Jeremy Taylor (31 July)
- Ewan McColl & Peggy Seeger (7 August)
- Richard Digance (14 August)

[Pete]

It appears that on 5 August 1972 Sandy Denny was backed by Richard & Linda Thompson, amongst others, and the concert was recorded by a member of the audience and is available as a bootleg CD.

Also on youtube. Well Hall Open Theatre was built 1933  and "redeveloped" 1975. no mention of any detail on numerous websites and what is the significance of "open" , surely not open air?

[pomme homme]

I'd assumed that it was an open air theatre, a view which is, I think, lent some support by background in the youtube clip of Sandy Denny singing 'Rigs of Time' there in 1972.

[Anthems in Eden]

I attended four shows in 1972 (Pentangle, McTell, Stewart & Denny). Living in Bexleyheath, it was a short hop by train to Eltham Well Hall. Cannot clearly recall where the events were but i think it was a fairly short walk from the station. It was proper seating rather than on the grass. The seats, i am pretty sure, were on concrete or stone and were fold-away metal/wood contraptions. The shows were excellent, as was the weather, although i think that Sandy Denny was late and the support band (Natural Acoustic Band - maybe) had to do a longer set. Or maybe that was another show at another venue!! 50 plus years is a long time. Moved away in 1973 so did not see the following year's shows. Good memories

[pomme homme]

Thank you for your useful 'eye witness' contribution, AiE, and welcome to the forum. I have to confess that I thought that your first post might be on the Shirley & Dolly Collins topic! 

[PNK]

I think the "Theatre" marked on the map in the link below is the one discussed here.

https://maps.nls.uk/view/102910699

I have fond memories of Eltham Well Hall Station and also the Bus Station as I changed for the 61 bus there to get me to New Eltham.  I went to school at Shooters Hill Grammar so caught the 161 from the Academy.

I don't recall the theatre, despite using The Pleasaunce and adjacent footpath on numerous occasions when visiting friends in the area.