C O N T E X T 1 2 8 : M A R C H 2 0 1 3 1 Cover: The Newcastle Royal Theatre (Photo: Ian Grundy) See Mark Price’s article on conserving theatres (page 20). Editorial www.ihbc.org.uk Registered as a charity in England andWales number 1061593 and in Scotland number SC041945. Company Limited by Guarantee. Registered in England number 3333780. Registered Office: 3 Stafford Road,TunbridgeWells, Kent TN2 4QZ. 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Sometimes the building or place is special because it was made with thought and care by someone who may not have any idea that they were doing anything special at all. Sometimes it is special because of what happened there. The heritage of leisure is special because it relates to what we do in our free time. It expresses something about how we choose to enjoy other people’s company, and how we find fun and inspiration.The leisure heritage is especially vulnerable, though.Tastes change.Technology changes.Those who provide arts and entertainment find new ways to attract us. Breweries seek new ways of competing with alternatives to an evening in the pub. In Glasgow’s Lauriston Bar in the 1960s, formica-topped tables and bar counter, a curved suspended structure above the bar and the latest ceiling panelling seemed just the thing.Today, as Paul Ainsworth explains (page 16), the bar’s attraction is not that it has the latest design, but that it is perhaps the most intact 1960s pub still existing. It will survive if the customers and the brewery appreciate that. Theatres, too, have to compete with new forms of entertainment and leisure activity.The risk is that, even if a theatre building escapes destruction, it will become incapable of ever being returned to full working life. Mark Price (page 20) explains what needs to be done to make this possible and tells of some sleeping beauties that have been reawakened to exert their charms once more. Anya Chapman (page 24) describes a particularly strange and vulnerable type of leisure building: the seaside amusement arcade. Exhilaratingly tacky, they are a delightful manifestation of popular culture. But, Chapman writes, they have faced problems of a poor public image, with a reputation for antisocial behaviour and low-level criminality. ‘A number of studies within the UK portrayed seaside arcades as dangerous and unsafe, venues for immoral or illegal activities, and encouraging problem gambling behaviour among children and adolescents.’ Not surprisingly, this has deterred families from visiting seaside amusement arcades, depriving them of an important potential market. Many historic pubs and theatres are under threat, but the future of seaside amusement arcades seems even more precarious. No amusement arcade has listed status. Even the word ‘amusement’ seems to come from another era. If ever the last mechanical grab fails for a last time to pick up that pink fluffy bunny, and the last pile of pennies is saved at last from its imminent (but never-occurring) toppling into a chute, we will miss the arcades’ seedy, faded magic.
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