Spanish City

The original Spanish City Fairground opened on 30th May 1908. Thousands gathered outside the gates waiting for the fairground to open and to pay their 2d entrance fee. In 1909, the Whitley Pleasure Gardens Company Ltd took over and began work to develop the Spanish City site into large pleasure gardens.

The iconic Dome of the Spanish City, designed by Newcastle architects Cackett, Burns-Dick, measured 73 feet in height with a 52 feet diameter, second only in size to the dome of St. Paul’s Cathedral. The complex which included a promenade, the Dome, a 1400-seat theatre, restaurant, cafes, kiosks and a roof garden was opened on 14th May, 1910. Until 1913 new fairground rides were added and early reports mention 11,000 people passing through in one day. By the 1920s Whitley Bay was frequently advertised as the Blackpool of the North East. The theatre had become the Empress Ballroom with space for 750 dancers. Like Blackpool it was felt that the complex needed a Winter Garden as an extra attraction. The first floor Empress Rotunda was converted in to the Winter Garden and opened in 1935 as a place where good music could be heard uninterrupted by weather conditions.

During the Second World War Spanish City closed down but, as one of the most iconic features on the North East Coast, steps were taken to camouflage it from aerial attack. The Rotunda was used to accommodate soldiers whilst The Empress was used as their dining hall. After the war and into the 1950s dancing continued at The Empress. Their reputation as a dance venue grew, attracting top-line dance bands and orchestras. The ballroom became a bingo hall in 1961 and was still used for that purpose until very recently.

Many changes of use occurred between the 60s and 1999 but all focused on current, popular seaside entertainment. In the 1990s the Rotunda’s ground-floor arcade was refurbished and a Lazer Quest facility installed in the first floor nightclub space. A BMX track was installed in the Rotunda. The Spanish City Amusement Park was immortalised in the 1981 Dire Straits song Tunnel of Love but its demolition was announced in 1999.

North Tyneside Council bought the Dome buildings in 2001 and between 2008 and 2010 significant structural and restoration works were carried out to bring the building back to its former glory. Where does the name ‘Spanish City’ come from? Charles Elderton, of Hebburn Theatre Royal, first brought his Toreadors concert party to Whitley Bay in 1907. The audience was protected from the elements by awnings painted to look like a Spanish village. Proving extremely popular it returned each summer and Elderton saw that there was demand for more permanent amusements and dance halls. Elderton began Whitley Amusements Ltd and the company steadily built up a fairground inside the painted fences.