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In September 1914, the proprietor of the
Victoria Theatre, Mr Puls, applied to the
local council to use the Victoria Theatre as a
public hall. There appeared to be issues with
The Horsham Town Hall c. 2005 the Health Department, and the application
was not granted. No further advertisements
modern fruit palace. The dining room proper Horsham Town Hall on Wednesday nights for the Victoria Theatre are evident after
will be on the ground floor, but at the top of over six months for picture shows. This 11 September 1914. (Horsham Times, 4 & 11
an ornamental staircase there is a special appeared to start in February 1914. Victoria Sep 1914)
supper room which affords greater privacy. Pictures was now screening at the Victoria
Theatre on Tuesday and Saturdays nights, Victoria Pictures, now operating only at the
The buildings were designed by Mr L S Smith and at the Town Hall on Wednesday nights. Town Hall, came under new management in
of Horsham, and were erected by Messrs Stahl (Horsham Times, 10 Oct 1913 & 3 Feb 1914) November 1914. The last mention of the
Bros., contractors of Melbourne. Messrs Sides Victoria Picture Company in the Horsham
and Co. carried out the whole of the electrical Melba Pictures opened in opposition to Times occurred in February 1915.
installation. Victoria Pictures in April 1914 at the Town
Hall on Tuesday evenings, but only lasted Since that time, and up to this day, the
The hall was well filled last night on the until May. Victoria Pictures was still Victoria Buildings appear to be used as retail
occasion of the first performance. The Mayor, operating at the Town Hall, but only premises. ¬
Cr Gerlach, formally opened the sometimes at the Victoria Theatre. By the
proceedings.” middle of the year, Victoria Pictures was only Acknowledgements:
screening at the Town Hall, with only The Horsham Times newspaper 1913/1915
Later that same year, the manager of the sporadic advertisements for movies at the Images:
Victoria Picture Theatre, Mr Tarnowski, Victoria Theatre (I could only find one in Keith Davies
applied to the local council for the use of the August and one, the last, in September 1914). CATHS’ archive

Below: The Horsham Theatre, now the Horsham Entertainment Centre. The building at left (partially obscured) is the former Mechanics’ Institute, which
now forms part of the complex.

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