Ahead of Bournemouth Pavilion’s centenary year, Winton resident Nigel Cox has generously donated an extraordinary family collection to the venue’s archives.

Nigel has gifted belongings from his mother, Mary Cox, and his grandmother, Grace Cox, who both spent many happy years working at Bournemouth Pavilion.

Grace worked at the venue from the 1960s through to the 1980s, first as an usherette and later in the cloakroom, now the café bar beside the Box Office. Mary followed suit in the early 1960s.

For Nigel, the Pavilion was practically a second home. As a small boy, he often spent weekends and school holidays watching matinée shows while his mother worked.

“My mum Mary was working here in 1964 when I was six,” he recalls. “I remember watching Bruce Forsyth in The Big Show. She told me to keep quiet and ‘whatever you do, don’t volunteer to go on stage!’”

Nigel remembers a childhood filled with variety shows, pantomimes and ballet productions.

“My sister and I were fortunate enough to go to lots of matinées. I remember watching The Nutcracker and Swan Lake. My grandmother loved those shows, though I didn’t always understand what was going on. Later, I watched shows on my own and remember seeing Larry Grayson perform.”

“All three generations of us lived together in Winton. I remember my gran coming home late from her shifts because of some of the famously long-running shows!

“The staff were always very friendly to me. I used to run around the auditorium when I was six or seven. I’m flooded with memories every time I go back.”

Nigel’s donation includes twenty signed postcards and photographs of well-known performers*, family photos of staff life at the Pavilion, and two autograph books filled with signatures from visiting stars. He has also donated a second autograph book believed to have belonged to a former member of staff named Diane Vickers.

As Bournemouth Pavilion approaches its centenary in 2029, its dedicated team of archive volunteers is inviting residents and visitors to search their attics, basements, cupboards and collections for items that could help piece together the theatre’s remarkable story.

Bournemouth Pavilion is operated by registered charity and social enterprise BH Live on behalf of BCP Council.

Christian Knighton, who has worked at Bournemouth Pavilion for more than 50 years and joined the theatre as a stagehand in 1975, now oversees the archive and its volunteer team. Together they are inviting residents and visitors to share their own photos, programmes and to help tell the venue’s story.

On behalf of BH Live, Christian said;

“We are incredibly grateful to Nigel for sharing this wonderful family collection. Donations like this help us preserve Bournemouth Pavilion’s unique story, build our archives, and celebrate the generations of local people who have been part of it.

“We would love to hear from anyone who has donations they would like to contribute to the archives.”

Every artefact adds to the story of a building that has entertained generations and continues to inspire pride in Bournemouth. By sharing your treasures, you can help ensure that Bournemouth Pavilion’s legacy is preserved for the next hundred years.

For more information, get in touch with the team at pavilion.archive@bhlive.org.uk.

*Performers featured in Grace Cox’s collection include:

Leslie Crowther, John Inman, Keith Harris, The Beverley Sisters, Paul Daniels, Vince Hill, Edmund Hockridge, Evelyn Laye, Val Doonican, Joan Regan, Tom O’Connor, Larry Grayson, and David Nixon.

Mary Cox’s autograph book includes signatures from:
Dora Bryan, Harry H. Corbett, Susannah York, Sally Barnes, Millicent Martin, Windsor Davies, and Bruce Forsyth, among others.