[11], Poster advertising the variety show at which the children died, "Children's deaths that shocked the world", "Remembrances of the Victoria Hall Disaster 1883", "Victoria Hall Disaster Toy Rocking Horse", "183 Children Died in a Stampede for Toys in 1883", "Sunderland falls silent to remember 183 children killed at Victoria Hall disaster", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Victoria_Hall_disaster&oldid=1135337151, This page was last edited on 24 January 2023, at 01:42. \"On the 16th of June 1883 a childrens magic show began at Victoria Hall, a theatre in Sunderland, England. The heap became higher and higher, until it became a mass of dying children over six feet in height.. [6], Donations sent from all over Britain totalled 5,000 (equivalent to 535,758 in 2021) and were used for the children's funerals and a memorial in Mowbray Park. The children in the stalls ran to the stage but there were over 1000 in the gallery who stampeded down the stairs to two partially locked doors. The story of Alexander Fay, the magician performing on the day of the Victoria Hall disaster in Sunderland. Victim of the Victoria Hall Disaster. Collect, curate and comment on your files. Only one child at a time could pass through. On 9 February, 1912, the WSPU leader, Emmeline Pankhust, was guest speaker at such an event. The Victoria Hall disaster, as its now known, was the worst tragedy of its kind in the history of Britain. That day, about 2,000 children were crammed into the hall to see The Fays, a group of traveling entertainers. It was no use, I passed slowly over and onwards with the mass and before long I passed over others without emotion. By Chris Cordner 16th Jun 2020, 5:23pm - 3 min read Local newspapers reported the presence of anti-suffrage hecklers, and the police were called to remove two of these in the course of Mrs Pankhursts speech. Memorial Transfer Successful. When it was announced that presents would be given out on stage, children in the upper balcony rushed down the stairs but became caught on a door which opened inward onto the staircase and was bolted so only one child could get through at a time. Lights in the background are from the artificial ice rink which is in place over Christmas. In the mid 1800s, Edward Backhouse was famous in Sunderland for his philanthropy. Caretaker Frederick Graham tried in vain to disentangle the pile-up, then ran up another staircase and diverted approximately 600 children to safety by another exit. The programme featured Elgars own compositions, including Nimrod, Enigma Variations, and Pomp and Circumstance Marches. Learn more about managing a memorial . Treasury Solicitor considered inquests in two respective wards inadvisable. There are plenty of other technologies birthed by similar events, and retrospectively we can put a human price on those innovations. Kids began pouring down the aisles to get the toys, blocking the exits and piling on top of one another. Improved stadium design required the loss of 96 lives at Hillsborough and 56 at Valley Parade. At the same time, entertainers began distributing gifts from the stage to the children in the stalls. The yells of delight soon turned to screams of terror as more and more children found themselves trapped. On a Saturday afternoon, 16 June 1883, 2,000 children attend a matinee variety show, performed by the Fays from Tynemouth Aquarium. List entry 1207911. But unlike most Black Friday stampedes, Victoria Hall had at least one good. The children in the stalls ran to the stage but there were over 1000 in the gallery who stampeded down the stairs to two partially locked doors. On June 16, 1883, the Victoria Hall in Sunderland, England hosted what was billed as the greatest treat for children ever given. The Fays of Tynemouthconjurer Alexander Fay and his sister Annie the enchantresshad come to town to perform their variety show, featuring magic tricks, waxworks, living marionettes and their Great Ghost Illusion. Some 2000 tickets had been sold, and most of the seats were filled with children. Only one person could get through at a time; the door might have been jammed this way to control movement into the lower level and make ticket-checking easier. In the end, 183 children between the ages of 3 and 14 died from being crushed and asphyxiated. The following 5 files are in this category, out of 5 total. Some adults ran up another staircase into the gallery to try and get the children still on the stairs to come back up. These types of incidents, where a rush for goods can turn into tragedy, arent anything new. Advertising Notice The Victoria Hall Disaster 1883 The Victoria Hall The Victoria Hall used to stand at the junction of Toward Road and Laura Street, facing Mowbray Park. . Grow your brand authentically by sharing brand content with the internets creators. Queen Victoria sent condolences to all the families and made her own donation to the funeral costs. The Northern Echo's report of Sunderland's 1883 Victoria Hall theatre disaster, before the exact number of deaths was known Two days earlier, more than 180 lives were lost in - and every . Their tickets promised the greatest treat ever given, and the chance of presents, too. Boards are the best place to save images and video clips. Streamline your workflow with our best-in-class digital asset management system. Theres someone down, Codling remembered. Suddenly I felt that I was treading upon someone lying on the stairs and I cried in horror to those behind, Keep back, keep back! By The Newsroom 25th Jan 2017, 11:04am - 1 min read Those at the front became trapped and were crushed to death by the weight of the crowd behind them. Select from premium Victoria Hall Disaster of the highest quality. When the adults in the theater realized what was happening, they tried to pull the door open all the way, but the bolt was on the childrens side. However, this attractive urban setting hides a terrible secret, for here, at the junction of Toward Road and Laura Street, stood the Victoria Hall which was the scene of what was arguably the countrys worst ever tragedy, a tragedy which moved the whole country in a way only matched by the outpouring of grief following the terrible events at Aberfan in 1966 and the recent death of Princess Diana. Their advertisement promised The Greatest Treat for Children Ever Given. Streamline your workflow with our best-in-class digital asset management system. Flickr photos, groups, and tags related to the "victoriahalldisaster" Flickr tag. The Victoria Hall disaster occurred on 16 June 1883 at the Victoria Hall in Sunderland, England, when a stampede for free toys caused 183 children to be crushed to death due to compressive asphyxia. At the end of the performance, a special announcement was made: children holding certain numbered tickets would receive a free toy when they exited the hall, the Fays would distribute toys to other children from the stage and another man would take toys to the upper seating gallery. Lines to Sir Cuthbert Sharp by Sir Walter Scott. Rose Eveleth [5], The compressive asphyxia as a result of the stampede killed 183 children between 3 and 14 years of age. Streamline your workflow with our best-in-class digital asset management system. One of the most infamousa stampede for toys in 19th century Englandleft 183 children dead. Meg Hartford has put the spotlight on a magician whose links with Sunderland are embedded in history. Cookie Settings. Someone might even get killed. Created for free using WordPress and. The Getty Images design is a trademark of Getty Images. Tap into Getty Images' global scale, data-driven insights, and network of more than 340,000 creators to create content exclusively for your brand. The Victoria Hall disaster, as its now known, was the worst tragedy of its kind in the history of Britain. Boards are the best place to save images and video clips. Soon we were most uncomfortably packed but still going down.. To wit, the push-bar emergency exit cost 183 dead children. In the ensuing confusion no less than 183 young children were crushed to death. Rather more radically, the hall was also the venue for events organised by the Sunderland branch of the Womens Social and Political Union (WSPU). The hall stood after the disaster for 58 years, eventually destroyed by the Germans during an air raid in 1941. Your Privacy Rights The hall had cost 9,500 to build, but it looked as though money or time had run out". There was no staff at the door to organize a line, though, and the mass of kids coming from the gallery were flooding down the stairs and rushing the door. 2023 Getty Images. List entry 1207911. Frank Swain notes that disasters often prompt invention: There was nothing to prevent the development of the push-bar exit in 1882, but of course it took a national tragedy to catalyse the public and political will to make it happen. But while the crash bar may have been invented in the wake of the Victoria Hall disaster, it wasnt implemented widely outside of the UK in time to save everybody. Fay. On 16 June 1883, some 2000 children aged mostlybetween 7 and 11, crowded in to the hall. [10], The disaster inspired a poem by Scottish poet William McGonagall entitled "The Sunderland Calamity". A statue was erected in their memory, although it was vandalized and then moved in 2000 to a new location. [1][2] The travelling magic show, consisting of a variety of conjuring tricks and illusions, passed without incident, except when a puff of smoke from one of the tricks "disagreed" with some of those in the front row, and caused a few children to be sick. Through the entire week that the funerals were held, businesses in Sunderland stayed closed as a sign of respect and mourning. He specialised in disaster poems and commemorated the tragedy soon afterwards in The Sunderland Calamity. Find Victoria Hall Disaster stock photos and editorial news pictures from Getty Images. "THE VICTORIA HALL DISASTER JUNE 16, 1883 sweets were thrown to the children & the presents started being distributed. Victoria Hall Disaster Toy Rocking Horse Hide image caption This was one of the toys given out as prizes at the end of Mr Fay's magic show at the Victoria Hall in Sunderland on June 16 1883.. It was established in the 1870s by the banker, Quaker minister, and philanthropist Edward Backhouse and used for social, political, and religious meetings and performances. The tragedy did result in some good, though; the government issued new laws that required places of public entertainment to have a sufficient number of exits with doors that could easily open outward, leading to the development of the push-bar emergency exit. Image courtesy of Sunderland Antiquarian Society. Millions of high-quality images, video, and music options are waiting for you. Access the best of Getty Images with our simple subscription plan. The Victoria Hall Disaster 1883 sunderland.gov.uk On 16 June 1883, some 2000 children aged mostly between 7 and 11, crowded in to the hall.