Rio Rita : souvenir programme : Ashton-Under-Lyne Operatic Society : 11 March 1935 : advert issued by Gartsides (Brookside Brewery) Ltd., Ashton-Under-Lyne
Never has the Lancashire mill town of Ashton-under-Lyne looked so London Transport! More of that later. For six nights, commemcing Monday 11 March 1935 the town's active Operatic Society staged their annual production; Rio Rita at the New Empire Theatre. As well as information as to the Society, the cast and plot the souvenir programme includes a number of adverts for local concerns who were supporting the event. The Society's first production had been in 1901 and, war years apart, a production had become an annual event.
The programme itself had a cover designed by John Albinson if neighbouring Oldham and the programme was also printed at the company's Chapel Street Works in the town. Albinson's had obviously availed themselves of typefaces from the Sheffield based Stephenson, Blake as many of the adverts are set in or use Granby typeface and indeed a few use the less common Granby Inlined. I mentioned London Transport and that is because of the link between the capital's transport undertaking, their Johnston typeface and SB's Granby; Granby was an effective copy of Johnston that was only available for LT's use in wood block. The availablility of an effective Johnston 'look-a-like' as a metal typeface was useful for LT and it was also available commercially. It was probably this utility for LT that allowed SB to issue it. It is also true that when issued in 1930 Granby was a useful competitor for SB to the new Gill Sans typeface.
The local brewery Gartsides dated back to 1830 and had moved to the Brookside Brewery on Pottinger Street in 1847. They were acquired in 1939 by Bent's Breweries of Liverpool and Stone but production in Ashton continued until 1970. The advert is for their "Old Tom" Emerald Stout.
Rio Rita : souvenir programme : Ashton-Under-Lyne Operatic Society : 11 March 1935 : advert issued by Gartsides (Brookside Brewery) Ltd., Ashton-Under-Lyne
Never has the Lancashire mill town of Ashton-under-Lyne looked so London Transport! More of that later. For six nights, commemcing Monday 11 March 1935 the town's active Operatic Society staged their annual production; Rio Rita at the New Empire Theatre. As well as information as to the Society, the cast and plot the souvenir programme includes a number of adverts for local concerns who were supporting the event. The Society's first production had been in 1901 and, war years apart, a production had become an annual event.
The programme itself had a cover designed by John Albinson if neighbouring Oldham and the programme was also printed at the company's Chapel Street Works in the town. Albinson's had obviously availed themselves of typefaces from the Sheffield based Stephenson, Blake as many of the adverts are set in or use Granby typeface and indeed a few use the less common Granby Inlined. I mentioned London Transport and that is because of the link between the capital's transport undertaking, their Johnston typeface and SB's Granby; Granby was an effective copy of Johnston that was only available for LT's use in wood block. The availablility of an effective Johnston 'look-a-like' as a metal typeface was useful for LT and it was also available commercially. It was probably this utility for LT that allowed SB to issue it. It is also true that when issued in 1930 Granby was a useful competitor for SB to the new Gill Sans typeface.
The local brewery Gartsides dated back to 1830 and had moved to the Brookside Brewery on Pottinger Street in 1847. They were acquired in 1939 by Bent's Breweries of Liverpool and Stone but production in Ashton continued until 1970. The advert is for their "Old Tom" Emerald Stout.