The Victoria Hall disaster occurred on 16 June 1883 at the Victoria Hall in Sunderland, England, when a stampede for free toys caused 183 children (aged between 3 and 14 years old) to be crushed to death due to compressive asphyxia . But unlike most Black Friday stampedes, Victoria Hall had at least one good outcome: the invention of outward opening emergency exits and the invention of the push bar emergency door. For faster navigation, this Iframe is preloading the Wikiwand page for Victoria Hall disaster. The hall was opened in 1872. The tragedy did result in some good, though; the government issued new laws that required places of public entertainment to have a sufficient number of exits with doors that could easily open outward, leading to the development of the push-bar emergency exit. This led to national safety legislation for entertainment venues, later being recognised as one of the first examples of Health and Safety legislation. By Chris Cordner 16th Jun 2020, 5:23pm - 3 min read Find Victoria Hall Disaster stock photos and editorial news pictures from Getty Images. Daily Echo and Shipping Gazette - Saturday 23 June 1883. The Victoria Hall Disaster 1883 sunderland.gov.uk On 16 June 1883, some 2000 children aged mostly between 7 and 11, crowded in to the hall. Here the crowd was so compressed that there was no more racing but we moved forward together, shoulder to shoulder. On June 16, 1883, hundreds of children gathered at the Victoria Hall in Toward Road for a variety show billed as the 'Greatest Treat for Children Ever Given.' But 183 children would never. The Victoria Hall remained in use until 1941 when it was destroyed by a World War II parachute bomb. The restored Victoria Hall Disaster Memorial stands in Mowbray Park as a memorial of the tragedy. The worst was arguably the Victoria Hall Disaster of 1883. In fact, in 1883 thousands of children ran over one another for toys, killing 183 kids. Victoria Hall Disaster Toy Rocking Horse Hide image caption This was one of the toys given out as prizes at the end of Mr Fay's magic show at the Victoria Hall in Sunderland on June 16 1883.. Touch device users, explore by touch or with swipe gestures. Queen Victoria sent a message of condolence to the grieving families and contributed to the disaster fund. Every Black Friday Americans manage to hurt or even kill one another for the deals. Privacy Statement Kids began pouring down the aisles to get the toys, blocking the exits and piling on top of one another. CORONERS AND INQUESTS: Victoria Hall, Sunderland disaster causing death of 183 children. Victoria Hall Disaster for all those who don't know. The memorial, of a grieving mother holding a dead child, was later moved to Bishopwearmouth Cemetery where it gradually fell into disrepair and was vandalised. The Victoria Hall Disaster, June 16 1883. Find Victoria Hall Disaster stock photos and editorial news pictures from Getty Images. Soon we were most uncomfortably packed but still going down.. [2][7], Newspaper reports at the time triggered a mood of national outrage and the resulting inquiry led to legislation that public entertainment venues be fitted with a minimum number of outward opening emergency exits,[2] which led to the invention of "push bar" emergency doors. Queen Victoria sent condolences to all the families and made her own donation to the funeral costs. On 16 June 1883, a children's variety show was presented by travelling entertainers Mr. and Mrs. On a Saturday afternoon, 16 June 1883, 2,000 children attend a matinee variety show, performed by the Fays from Tynemouth Aquarium. Conjuring, Talking Waxworks, Living Marionettes, The Great Ghost Illusion , &c.. The Northern Echo's report of Sunderland's 1883 Victoria Hall theatre disaster, before the exact number of deaths was known Two days earlier, more than 180 lives were lost in - and every . Their deaths sparked the invention of the push bar emergency exit, also known as the crash bar. Events [ edit] Illustration of the disaster, from Le Journal illustr At last we came to a dead stop but still those behind came crowding on, Children tumbled head over heels, reported another witness. 2023 Getty Images. By The Newsroom 25th Jan 2017, 11:04am - 1 min read The marble statue of a mother holding her dead child was later moved to Bishopwearmouth Cemetery, but in 2002 it was restored and moved back to the park.. On June 16, 1883, the Victoria Hall in Sunderland, England hosted what was billed as the greatest treat for children ever given. The Fays of Tynemouthconjurer Alexander Fay and his sister Annie the enchantresshad come to town to perform their variety show, featuring magic tricks, waxworks, living marionettes and their Great Ghost Illusion. Some 2000 tickets had been sold, and most of the seats were filled with children. Statue of Henry Havelock Some adults ran up another staircase into the gallery to try and get the children still on the stairs to come back up. Victoria Hall 2.jpg.opt399x248o0,0s399x248.jpg 399 248; 28 KB. Caretaker Frederick Graham tried in vain to disentangle the pile-up, then ran up another staircase and diverted approximately 600 children to safety by another exit. People will get hurt. The Victoria Hall Disaster 1883 The Victoria Hall The Victoria Hall used to stand at the junction of Toward Road and Laura Street, facing Mowbray Park. The story of Alexander Fay, the magician performing on the day of the Victoria Hall disaster in Sunderland. On 9 February, 1912, the WSPU leader, Emmeline Pankhust, was guest speaker at such an event. [4] With few accompanying adults to maintain order, the children surged down the stairs toward the door. When the adults in the theater realized what was happening, they tried to pull the door open all the way, but the bolt was on the childrens side. The stampede didnt stop and as the kids in the back kept pushing forward, those at the bottom, unable to open the door any wider, were trapped underneath the weight of the crowd. Photo: Wearside Online. Worried about missing out on the treats, many of the estimated 1,100 children in the gallery surged toward the staircase leading downstairs. The Getty Images design is a trademark of Getty Images. [1][2] The travelling magic show, consisting of a variety of conjuring tricks and illusions, passed without incident, except when a puff of smoke from one of the tricks "disagreed" with some of those in the front row, and caused a few children to be sick. Organise, control, distribute, and measure all of your digital content. Have a look at what we have on the site. 202 Victoria Hall Disaster Premium High Res Photos Browse 202 victoria hall disaster stock photos and images available or start a new search to explore more stock photos and images. Terms of Use List entry 1207911. In the ensuing confusion no less than 183 young children were crushed to death. 2023 Getty Images. CORONERS AND INQUESTS: Victoria Hall, Sunderland disaster causing death of 183 children. The following 5 files are in this category, out of 5 total. [5], The compressive asphyxia as a result of the stampede killed 183 children between 3 and 14 years of age. At the first landing we were met by some men and taken out of doors into the open airSoon men began to come down the steps bearing in their arms lifeless burdens, and from the crowd came a wail of grief. Truly a tragedy without equal. [citation needed], At the end of the show, an announcement was made that children with certain numbered tickets would be presented with a prize upon exit. At the same time, entertainers began distributing gifts from the stage to the children in the stalls. Inside, there was seating on the ground floor, as well as in a dress . A former Sunderland woman has held her own commemoration for the 183 children who died in the Victoria Hall disaster. Home News Random Article Install Wikiwand Then the pressure began to lessen, Codling said. Millions of high-quality images, video, and music options are waiting for you. Tap into Getty Images' global scale, data-driven insights, and network of more than 340,000 creators to create content exclusively for your brand. Image courtesy of Sunderland Antiquarian Society. When the kids in the upper gallery heard that, they obligingly rose en masse and went down the stairs to meet him, remembered William Codling, was six when he attended the show., I raced up the gallery as fast as I could, scrambled with the crowd through the doorway and jolted my way down two flights of stairs. [2][9], Annual memorial services were set up in 2010 by the Sunderland Old Township Heritage Society. Toward Road, Sunderland runs along the eastern edge of Mowbray Park, perhaps the most outstanding of the citys many impressive public amenities. Boards are the best place to save images and video clips. The 1000+ children tried to force themselves down a narrow staircase through a single door that opened inward. The Getty Images design is a trademark of Getty Images. The Victoria Hall and Temperance Institute was a Gothic-style building, which until it was destroyed by German bombers in 1941 stood on Toward Road, facing Mowbray Park. It promised to be "the greatest treat for children ever given" and offered every child the chance to win a prize 2. Improved stadium design required the loss of 96 lives at Hillsborough and 56 at Valley Parade. Frank Swain notes that disasters often prompt invention: There was nothing to prevent the development of the push-bar exit in 1882, but of course it took a national tragedy to catalyse the public and political will to make it happen. [8] This law still remains in force. Victim of the Victoria Hall Disaster. It is believed this was to ensure orderly checking of tickets. The disaster started when about 1,000 children in the audience of a variety show were told they could get free toys. The children in the stalls ran to the stage but there were over 1000 in the gallery who stampeded down the stairs to two partially locked doors. Select from premium Victoria Hall Disaster of the highest quality. Tap into Getty Images' global scale, data-driven insights, and network of more than 340,000 creators to create content exclusively for your brand. Advertising Notice Your Privacy Rights Access the best of Getty Images with our simple subscription plan. Rose Eveleth was a writer for Smart News and a producer/designer/ science writer/ animator based in Brooklyn. This page was last edited on 18 February 2022, at 05:37. Someone might even get killed. One such occasion was in 1910, when the Sunderland Philharmonic Society used this as the location of their Great Jubilee Concert to celebrate their 50th anniversary. Victoria hall 1.jpg 860 534; 232 KB. Fay. 183 children aged between 3 and 14 were dead, laid out in rows to be identified by distraught parents running there from all over the town. Workplace safety standards in New York cost 146 lives in the Triangle Shirtwaist factory fire. Their tickets promised the greatest treat ever given, and the chance of presents, too. Save up to 70% off with image packs On 16 June 1883, some 2000 children aged mostlybetween 7 and 11, crowded in to the hall. 114 boys and 69 girls lost their lives that day. [1] Meanwhile, other adults pulled the children one by one through the narrow gap, before one man wrenched the door off its hinges.[1]. Perhaps a hundred more were injured". 183 Children were crushed to death after rushing to get a prize at the end of a stage show. Victoria Hall continued to be used for concerts and other performances, right up to its destruction in 1941. Grow your brand authentically by sharing brand content with the internets creators. Access the best of Getty Images with our simple subscription plan. 'Twas in the town of Sunderland, and in the year of 1883, That about 200 children were launch'd into eternity. The programme featured Elgars own compositions, including Nimrod, Enigma Variations, and Pomp and Circumstance Marches. There are plenty of other technologies birthed by similar events, and retrospectively we can put a human price on those innovations. At the end, the group announced children with certain numbers on their tickets would be given prizes, and the ensuing stampede trapped children in the stairwells. In 1859, Met Office gale warnings were incepted following the loss of 325 ships and 748 lives in the space of two weeks. Around 2,000 childrenmost 7 to 11 years oldcrowded into Victoria Hall to see some traveling entertainers. Mowbray Park was the original site of the memorial for the Victoria Hall disaster of 1883 in which 183 children were trampled to death in the Victoria Hall, which overlooked Mowbray Park. In his 1894 account, survivor William Codling, Jr., described the crush and the realisation that people were dying: Soon we were most uncomfortably packed but still going down.