The Metropole Theatre, built in 1862, was a theatre situated at 116, Stockwell Street, Glasgow, Scotland. Built to the designs of architect Robert Black for James Baylis, who later built the Theatre Royal in the Cowcaddens area of the city, it opened as the Scotia Hall, holding over 3000 people, with stalls and two galleries, reputed to be the first purpose built commercial music-hall in Scotland. Due to fire in 1875 it was rebuilt and renamed The Scotia Variety Theatre, claiming to be the largest and best variety company in Scotland.[1]
The Baylis family continued to run it until the 1890s, selling it to Moss Empires who changed its name in 1897 to The Metropole, a name it would retain under the next owners the Frutin family, until fire destroyed the building on 28 October 1961. Thereafter the Frutins bought the former Empress Theatre building in St George`s Cross in south Maryhill and gave it the name Metropole.
In 1964 Jimmy Logan bought the theatre, renaming it Jimmy Logan's Metropole. Despite showing popular musicals such as Hair, the venture was not a financial success and the theatre closed in 1972. It lay derelict for many years before finally being demolished for a new housing development in 1990.[2]
When Arthur Jefferson took over the management of the Metropole in 1906 he employed his son Arthur Stanley Jefferson (then aged 15 or 16) to collect tickets at the box office. In 1917, Arthur Stanley changed his name to Stan Laurel, going on to become one half of the famous double act, Laurel and Hardy.[3][4]
5 The Theatre Royal: Entertaining a Nation by Graeme Smith published 2008 ISBN 978-0-955-94200-6
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