When I was a child, going to the movies was not a part of my Saturday routine. I spent my mornings at the Children's Library on Queen Street. My husband, on the other hand, lived in Hamilton and spent his Saturdays attending movies at the Colonial Opera House.

He lived within walking distance of the theatre and in the early 1950s went with his two older brothers. He describes lines so long that they stretched past what was commonly called “Crisson’s Hill” where the Victoria Street Clinic is now located and around the corner on to Court Street.

There was a booth at the entrance with a window from which Grace Dill sold tickets. If the movie was to be in 3D, you received a pair of cardboard glasses with red and green plastic lenses. In the lobby area, there was a glassed-in showcase selling a variety of snacks, including Cadbury’s chocolates, Butterfingers, Baby Ruth and Bermuda rock candy. To the left, there was a popcorn machine.

Venita Caesar-Smith, who is now in her nineties, recalls around the age of 12 being allowed to take the train from Somerset with her friends to attend movies and talent shows at the Colonial Opera House. They disembarked at the Cenotaph and walked uphill along Court Street to what was considered a suitable theatre for young girls to attend.

The theatre itself was slightly darkened with lighting down the side walls and on the seats. There were women ushers, who stood with flashlights to direct latecomers to a seat. When the lights dimmed and the curtains were drawn back, there were shouts of excitement as everyone awaited the next part of the weekly series which preceded the movie. If the movie was in 3D, it gave the appearance of characters jumping off the screen into the audience — and this did cause even more shouts than before.

The Colonial Opera House was built and owned by The Loyal Flower of the Day Lodge established in 1899. They historically had a non-racial policy. It was the largest theatre in Bermuda, seating 850, and frequently rented to White organisations whose functions were segregated. However, this was not an unusual occurrence at that time.

The Colonial Opera House was an important part of Black history that visually no longer remains in North Hamilton. It is gone — not unlike the Aeolian Hall — except in the memory of the few who enjoyed the entertainment they provided in our segregated past.

In 1993, Vernon Jackson writing in his book Paradise Found, Almost! stated that “The Colonial Opera House was the brainchild and the creation of one man, William Augustus ‘Syke’ Smith, whose ideas, plans and expertise resulted in the design and construction of a massive building with a front so imposing, unique and attractive that it drew plaudits from locals and foreigners alike”.

In The Story of Bermuda and Her People, William S. Zuill writes from the observation of a notable American author William Dean Howells: “The two most beautiful buildings in Hamilton are the Cathedral designed by an eminent Scottish architect and the Colonial Opera House, built by Bermudian Negroes, with labour and materials they gave without cost, and fashioned after the plans of a Coloured carpenter and mason (“Syke” Smith). The Cathedral is a very good modern Gothic, but the Opera House is like a bit of 16th-century Rome, the unpolished coral rock like travertine — greyish yellow and endearingly soft to the eye. The contractor and mason had read some books about Greek and Roman architecture, but he had never been off the island, and he had felt the beauty tenderly and delicately with his head and his heart, so that it is a pleasure to look at it.”

William Augustus “Syke” Smith was the son of Syke Smith. In the Bermuda National Trust book on Hamilton Town and City, it states that his father was said to be one of five American-Indian children freed from the slave ship Enterprise, which during a storm in 1835 was blown off course into Bermuda waters.

Syke the son received his early education at the Lane School located on East Broadway across from Lane Hill on the waterside. In 1847, Joseph Henry Thomas, the principal, was one of the founding members of The Industrious Men’s Library, one of two libraries established by prominent Black men to improve the social conditions and raise literacy among Black Bermudians. One was in St George’s; the other at the Lane School. It is entirely possible that he read and studied the books available, thus exposing him to the architecture of foreign lands, which inspired him to create locally what he had seen. He was still a boy in his early teens when he completed his schooling and apprenticed to a master mason until he, too, was considered a master mason.

In 1903, the members of the Loyal Flower of the Day Lodge 6347 attempted to purchase two vacant lots on Victoria Street owned by William Henry and Edgar Campbell Wilkinson. There was resistance in selling to this group, and so Clarence Orester Darrell, a prominent Black businessman, purchased it and resold it at no additional cost to the trustees of Loyal Flower of the Day Lodge, whose members were committed to building a theatre for cultural events and movies. Syke Smith, a prominent figure in the lodge, was considered the most capable of managing the project. His sketches and architectural drawings surpassed all expectation, and after much planning and many meetings with the master tradesmen, the project began.

The leading group of tradesmen were William Stowe, Adolphus D. Dickinson, Henry Heard and William F. Wilson II, who was the youngest yet the lead mason of the group. The biggest challenge for the construction of the three-storey, baroque-style buildings was the massive roof and the local building materials available to complete it. Nevertheless, the project got under way in 1905 and Syke Smith devoted three years of his life to nothing but the completion of this beautiful building described as his masterpiece.

In his book, Mr Jackson goes on to describe the facilities. “There were indoor toilets for men and women that were considered very modern at the time, as they had overhead tanks with a pull chain to flush; there was a cloak room in the lobby and there were similar facilities below the stage for performers. There was a projection booth for movie pictures located on the top level of the balcony. The stage was described as wide and deep with a giant screen suspended from the rafters above the stage. There were curtains with side drops and there were some innovative devices that had never been seen before in a theatre in Bermuda. This was Bermuda’s newest theatre and the builders probably thought it would last for ever.” It was completed in 1908.

Shortly after the grand opening, the theatre was leased for a fundraising lecture delivered by Mark Twain for the Bermuda Biological Station and the Aquarium. The Governor, Lieutenant-General Josceline H. Wodehouse, and many dignitaries attended, including the Governor of Canada .

The new purpose-built theatre attracted many young Black men and women anxious to perform. An American visitor, a Mrs Hamilton who was trained in drama, met with them and encouraged the formation of the Little Theatre Group, which performed in several plays to packed audiences and financially supported The Sunshine League. There were many meetings, plays, dances, bazaars and speaking events to fill the facility at all times.

Eighteen years later on October 22, 1926, the entire rear of the building was severely damaged by the Havana-Bermuda hurricane. It caught Bermuda off-guard, as no one expected a hurricane so late in the season. It was described then as the deadliest hurricane in Bermuda’s history. At 8am, the meteorologist at Prospect Camp reported the winds at 28mph. By 10am, winds had increased to 95mph rising to 114mph with the eye passing at noon. The island took a direct hit, destroying 40 per cent of the buildings, sinking two Royal Navy warships and killing more than 100 people — mainly sailors on those ships. It was described as the navy’s worst peacetime disaster and the last hurricane to claim lives in Bermuda until Fabian 77 years later.

Many years ago, my husband’s aunt, Rita Simmons, recalled the frightening events of that morning when she lived on Union Street, not far from the Colonial Opera House. Her mother had gone off to work and she was at home alone when the window began to rattle and blinds suddenly slammed shut. The winds began to howl and shake the house, making it impossible for her to leave. How I wish I had taken the time to ask her more. Undaunted, the members of the lodge set about repairing and restoring the damaged building.

Towards the end of the 1930s, the Glossop-Harris Players from England arrived in Bermuda to perform at the theatre. The Clark-Urban Company of Dramatic Players from America visited every summer to perform for Bermudians and tourists alike. These were formal affairs with women in gowns and men in tuxedos.

In 1936, there were improvements to the theatre that were reported in The Royal Gazette.

Fifty per cent more light had been obtained for the projection of pictures at the Colonial Opera House through the use of a new snow-white screen and powerful lenses of German make bearing the name “Superlite”. Manager Harding worked with Harry Monks, chief projection engineer of Bermuda General Theatres Ltd, to produce pictures comparable to large theatres in America.

The Harem Scarem Troupe made regular use of the theatre in the Forties and Fifties. Billy Adderley, a remarkable pianist during the era of the silent movie, was one of the driving forces in the formation of this comedic group, which included the Cooper Brothers, “Curly” Astwood, Will Onions and many others.

By the mid-Fifties, Mr and Mrs Custodio, described as a Portuguese couple, held Youth for Christ meetings on Sunday evenings to provide “spiritual food” for young people of all races. There was singing and Bible studies so captivating that both upper and lower levels of the theatre were filled.

Everyone looked forward to either participating in or attending Gregory Gordon’s Easter productions. Claudette Cann remembers making and selling taffy to school friends to fund her attendance .

I first read of Gregory Gordon in Conchita Ming’s book, Dance Bermuda. He arrived in Bermuda as a teacher for Bermuda High School and Saltus Grammar School. In 1948, he began working with the Black community as he found “the Coloureds were so rhythmic and could easily snatch up his choreography”. He wrote and produced a musical fantasy called The Boat in the Bottle, in which Erma Butterfield played a leading role. It had a cast of 125 and a chorus of 30. There were ballet scenes choreographed by the late Trew Robinson, and the production was such a success that it played every night to sold-out audiences.

A report in The Royal Gazette of April 1953 stated that scores of people were turned away from Memories of G.I. Joe, a musical comedy with a touch of drama that was written and produced by Cedric Thomas, and featured Claxford Bancroft and Jeanne Pereira. It ran for three sold-out nights and a repeat had to be arranged.

By 1955, weekly talent shows were being held. The traffic on Victoria Street was partially blocked by people who arrived hours before the event and lined up three and four deep stretched on to Court Street. The Al Harris five-piece band played and well-known entertainer Foster “Speedy” Ming filled the roll of master of ceremonies. In 1968, the Bermuda Musical and Drama Society negotiated briefly for the use of the theatre.

Eventually, the popularity of the Colonial Opera House began to wane. Theatres and schools had been desegregated and entertainment options became more varied. Facing the reality of its future, the facility was rented in 1969 to the First Church of God under the leadership of the Right Reverend Goodwin Smith.

On the night of May 28, 1978, a fire of unknown origin broke out, destroying the building beyond repair. In December of the same year, a remaining retaining wall collapsed on to Victoria Street, drawing to an end the final portion of the Colonial Opera House era and the end of a dream.

• Cecille Snaith-Simmons is a retired nurse, historian, writer and author of The Bermuda Cookbook. Much of the information included in this article has been taken from the writings of the late Vernon Jackson, whose work I had always admired. Many years ago, he was delighted when I was elected the first president of the Friends of the Library and promptly made a donation of $500. His request was that it be put towards an elevator fund so that the Bermuda National Library could be accessible to all. With thanks to Keith Caesar, of the Bermuda Archives, Joy Wilson-Tucker, of the Heritage Museum, Conchita Ming and the persons named within the writing. This article would not be possible without the invaluable assistance of my research partners, Linda Abend and Lionel Simmons.

References not included in the article:

Mark Twain (The Royal Gazette, 11/04/08)

Heritage by Kenneth E. Robinson PhD 1979

Havana-Bermuda Hurricane (Bernews, June 2, 2013)

Hamilton Town and City (Bermuda National Trust 2015)