The Malt Cross Music Hall Information for Educational and Group Visits
Contents Page 4: Workshops and activities at the Malt Cross Page 5: Historical learning at the Malt Cross Page 6: Educational workshops at the Malt Cross Page 7: Educational outreach and activities off-site 2
About us The Malt Cross is a traditional Victorian music hall situated just off the Market Square in the heart of Nottingham. It is one of the last remaining music halls in the country and was built in 1877 for entrepreneur Charles Weldon. It became a vibrant social venue, mainly for the working classes, and featured many dramatic musical performers of the time including singers, dancers, comic performers, mime artists and impersonators. The music hall was closed at some point between 1911 and 1914 when the building was sold by Warwick and Richardson the brewers. It became a storage warehouse for H.G. Chapman & Watson, suppliers of ladies accessories and it was later used by Wain and Hancock, wholesale toy dealers, who remained in the building until 1956. The Malt Cross reopened as a live music venue in 1983 and it has since gone through a number of renovations, most recently in 2014 when an extensive renovation of the site took place thanks to a 1.38m grant from the Heritage Lottery Fund. As part of this redevelopment there has been extensive work conducted to the two floors below the music hall which have been redeveloped to create a dedicated educational space for Heritage, Music and Arts workshops as well as study sessions and community projects. We are also able to offer full access to the sandstone caves beneath the Malt Cross which provide a fantastic opportunity to explore the history of Nottingham s caves. We support local musicians and artists to provide an evolving programme of events that showcase the contemporary uses of the music hall alongside its fascinating history. The educational programme at the Malt Cross provides a valuable overview of the social and cultural heritage of the music hall. It explores the changes that occurred during the Industrial Revolution which led to the growth of Victorian musical entertainment and the role that our site has played within Nottingham s wider local history. 3
Workshops and Activities at the Malt Cross What educational workshops do we offer? The Malt Cross presents cross-curricular learning opportunities for both primary and secondary schools. Our learning activities and workshops have been designed to support the National Curriculum and focus on developing literacy and performance skills as well as creativity and historic understanding. Schools preparing to visit the Malt Cross will be able to access our online learning resources, which include photographic images, film clips, historical documents, lesson plans and worksheets. Our on-site facilities include: The Victorian music hall dating from 1877 The Heritage and Arts Workshop Space The sound-proofed music studio The Henderson Art Gallery The historic sandstone cave, including a well We have an extensive programme of events for visiting school Workshops for history and heritage Local history studies Site tours around the music hall and heritage walks around Nottingham Music and performance skills Arts and crafts activity sessions What size groups can take part? The Malt Cross can accommodate groups of up to 45 students per visit. During the visit your group will be given a guided tour of the music hall and then be divided into rotational activity groups that will focus on independent tasks. Due to the size restrictions of the caves we can only allow access to groups of 15 at a time. How will your visit be structured? Session Times Group 1 Group 2 Group 3 10.00-10.30 10.30-11.30 11.30-12.30 CAVES HERITAGE WORKSHOP Tour of the Malt Cross MUSIC HALL CAVES HERITAGE WORKSHOP MUSIC HALL 12.30-13.00 LUNCH LUNCH LUNCH 13.00-14.00 MUSIC HALL HERITAGE WORKSHOP CAVES 4
Historical learning at the Malt Cross Which historical topics do we cover? The Malt Cross is situated on St James s Street, which is one of the oldest recorded streets in Nottingham and therefore has many fascinating stories to offer. Our educational programme examines the history of entertainment, trade and crime that occurred here and establishes how events at the music hall relate to Nottingham s wider history. 1068 The first castle in Nottingham is built and St James s Street becomes one of the main medieval thoroughfares to the market place 1271 The Carmelite monks establish their Friary on the land adjacent to St James s Street which was named after the ancient chapel of St James which formerly stood there 1395 St James s Street is at this time known as Jamgate 1495 The first mention of the Malt Cross in the market place is recorded. It was a stone monument situated at the bottom of St James s Street where malt was sold 1572 St James s Street and the Carmelite Friary are rebuilt by the Earl of Rutland, Sir John Manners 1700 Nottingham experiences an industrial boom which has a dramatic impact on the growth of the working classes 1760 The first alehouse on the site of the Malt Cross is mentioned in the Borough records. It was known as The Roebuck Inn 1804 The Roebuck Inn is renamed The Old Malt Cross after the Malt Cross monument is removed 1831 Rapid population growth leads to poor living conditions and residents of Nottingham riot against the horrific slum conditions of the city and burn down the castle 1843 The Theatre s Act is established which changes the way Theatres are licensed and generates a new entertainment culture through music halls 1876 Nottingham has eleven music halls including the Royal Alhambra, The Crown and Cushion, and The Talbot Palace of Varieties 1877 Entrepreneur Charles Weldon rebuilds the Malt Cross as a music hall which reopens in time for the Goose Fair on 2nd October 1890 The music hall is a vibrant and successful venue for music, dancing and comedy and attracts performers such as Leo Dryden, George Lashwood and Sam Torr 1900 Standards begin to slip at the Malt Cross and it attracts thieves, villains and hawkers. 1911 The Malt Cross music hall is closed due to poor standards and immoral behaviour 1940 The abandoned music hall is used as a storage warehouse by textile wholesalers H.G. Chapman and Watson 1983 The Malt Cross is reopened as a live music venue 2014 The Malt Cross undergoes a major renovation through investment from the Heritage Lottery Fund 5
Educational workshops at the Malt Cross What sessions are available? The educational programme at the Malt Cross offers a range of specialised workshops that allow school groups to engage creatively with the history of the Malt Cross. HERITAGE Our history sessions examine a number of topics including the architecture of the building and how music hall entertainment emerged during the Victorian era. We place specific emphasis on our social heritage, looking at the people that played a part in the development of the Malt Cross and how this links to the wider history of Nottingham. We also have a Handling Collection which includes postcards, documents and historical ephemera that the children will use to develop research skills and search for historical clues. MUSIC Our music sessions allow the students to experience different types of sound, both through listening to recorded music and through creating their own. We offer sessions that look at both the history of musical performance and more contemporary approaches to music making through which the students are able to produce their own sounds, instruments and write their own songs. ARTS AND CRAFTS Our heritage arts and crafts sessions encourage student creativity through practical making and exploring traditional craft techniques, such as printmaking. The students will be able to explore the architecture of the music hall through drawing and painting workshops and they will examine the relationship between heritage crafts and modern art through exploring the exhibitions held in our new art gallery. To support musical or dramatic performance conducted on-site or back at school the students will be able to create masks, puppets or costumes that can be used as part of a group performance. They can then advertise their events by designing Victorian-style posters. PERFORMANCE Our performance sessions have been designed to enhance literacy skills through playwriting, poetry and storytelling. The children will also have the opportunity to create their own music hall characters which will be used alongside the history of the Malt Cross to inspire creative writing sessions. They can also invent their own newspaper headlines to capture stories. 6
Educational Outreach and Activities Off-site What can the Malt Cross offer in schools? The Malt Cross offers an Educational Outreach programme to enable schools to enjoy the heritage and creativity of the old music hall in a way that best suits their needs. We offer sessions which include: a whole school talk, a detailed children s performance workshop, a film show and artefact analysis How much will it cost to organise an educational session with the Malt Cross? Full day of workshops on-site at the Malt Cross (10am-2pm): 5 per head Half day of workshops on-site at the Malt Cross (10am-12noon): 3 per head Fee for Educational Outreach visit in school: 300 per day The Malt Cross Trust is a Christian charity run by a consortium of Nottingham churches, St John s College and the University Chaplains (registered charity no.1058559). We aim to support and serve the people of Nottingham through the charitable outreach work of Street Pastors, Safe Space and historic preservation. The music hall is home to our much-loved café bar, which is a place where relationships and community are built as we host a diverse and vibrant programme of arts, events, artistic communities and live music. To further discuss arrangements for your visit please contact: Dr. Rebekah Wood Heritage Engagement Worker for Education and Outreach Email: rebekah.wood@maltcross.com Tel: 0115 941 1048 Please be aware The Malt Cross is licensed to sell alcohol after 11am in the café bar. We are committed to promoting responsible alcohol consumption in addition to ensuring that children on site will be chaperoned at all times. Student safety is of paramount importance to us and therefore we will endeavour to provide a safe environment for all visitors. 7
The Malt Cross Music Hall 16 St James s Street, Nottingham, NG1 6FG