Archifdy Ceredigion Archives
King's Hall Aberystwyth

Acc. 325, 333

Ref: ABM/KH

Reference: [GB 0212] ABM/KH
Title: Records of the King's Hall, Aberystwyth
Date(s): 1926-1962
Level: Sub-Fonds
Extent:

Source of Acquisition: Deposited in the Cardiganshire Record Office by the manager of the King's Hall, Aberystwyth, 22 September 1981 and 4 April 1982.

Administrative History:
The King's Hall, Aberystwyth, formerly known as the Municipal Hall or Municipal Pavilion, was built at a cost of £20,000and officially opened on 27 June 1934. Its aim was to provide for Aberystwyth's growing number of tourists a dance hall, theatre, concert hall, and the other amenities of a seaside resort in the 1930's. Just prior to the official opening of the hall it was resolved by a meeting of the Borough Council that the publicity manager of the Corporation also be manager of the new hall. Accordingly, Mr. W. Jones Edwards who since November 1930 had held the post of bureau manager, or publicity manager, of the Corporation, assumed the management of the Municipal Hall. The name was changed to the King's Hall by resolution of the Council on 8 January 1937. W. Jones Edwards remained manager of the King's Hall and publicity manager of the Corporation until 18 September 1948. It was decided by the Council that his successor, Mr. C.M. Wade, should be known as the publicity and entertainments manager, and the department ceased to be known as the Publicity Bureau, being styled instead the Publicity and Entertainments Department of the Borough. C.M. Wade retired on 16 January 1963, and it was his successor, Mr. Robert F. Howse, who proposed that the administrative offices of the Entertainments and Publicity Department be moved to the Town Hall.
This present collection covers the period from the opening of the King's Hall until 1962, that is, the period in which W. Jones Edwards and C.M. Wade were managers of the King's Hall, although there are some items pertaining to the Publicity Bureau of the Corporation before 1934.

Scope and Content:
The first section of this collection (ABM/KH/1) comprises the correspondence and related files. Although not all the material in this section falls within the scope of 'correspondence' this material has been preserved together since the numbering on the files indicates that this sequence formed part of the original filing system of the office. Some of the files have had their numbers erased or detached: others have two, or duplicate numbers, suggesting that at one or more stages the filing system was revised. The files have been renumbered, although on the following list a note is made of the original file number, and where appropriate, the original title of the file (t.). The un-numbered files have been listed after the numbered ones in rough subject order, corresponding to the divisions in the rest of the collection, and the un-numbered files are followed by the postage and stamp books. Sometimes it is not clear whether certain records pertain to the general administration of the King's Hall, or whether they are connected specifically with one of its many activities such as publicity and advertising. Indeed, as these activities all fell within the province of the one office, it is doubtful if such distinctions were consistently recognized. However, for convenience, the following divisions have been made:

ABM/KH/2 - Material relating to the activities of the Publicity Bureau. Much of this comprises material concerned with the production of the Aberystwyth guide books arid with advertising.
AMB/KH/3 - General administrative material, mostly financial records.
ABM/KH/4 - Records relating to the management of the King's Hall in its function as municipal hall.
AMB/KH/5 - Records of, and relating to, the Little Theatre.
AMB/KH/6 - Records of, and relating to, the King's Hall cafe and kiosks.
ABM/KH/7 - Miscellaneous items

Note: Certain categories of material have been sampled. Such categories include order books, towel requisition books, records of deck chair stocks etc. Care has been taken to ensure that a representative example has been retained.


Associated Material:
For other material in the Ceredigion Archives relating to the King's Hall, see:

Acc. 5, D/LO/30, 32
Acc. 14 ABM/HI/4/56-59, Surveyor’s Department Files.
Acc. 14, ABM/HI/5/40-56, plans of proposed pavilions, 1932
Acc. 101, ABM/HI/5/58, plan of King's Hall, 1937
Acc. 14, ABM/TR/2/73, accounts of revenue from King's Hall etc.