Promoters' Principal Venues

Interesting thing about Polar Baths as they ended up run by Matsport in the 50s and 60s. First shows I can see there were in 1931 which predates Morrell's involvement.

Yay! I was dead on with 1948!

The promoters of course had editorial control over, and published, all the magazines. What is interesting is how the graphics of 1948 are those as used unchanged in The Wrestler over a decade later.

Can someone please untangle Wryton for me? Riley, Bartelli, Atherton, Best, Rylands, maybe even Woodhouse .... I need an organogram.

I see you, Powerlock: "Sunderland has always had a lack of venues..." In this context my comment was that Norman seemed stumped, but also persistent in wanting to promote there.

I checked and that graphic came from the back cover of Mat magazine, published towards the end of 1948. Bear in mind that Morrell was involved in publishing Mat magazine.

I can post some similar venue listings for his promotion from later years for comparison.

Anglo Italian:

This tells me he already had some kind of arrangement with Wryton and Billy Riley.

Very likely Anglo Italian. In 1949 Morrell was secretary of the British Wrestlers Promoters Association and the other members were:

• Norman Morrell

• George De Relwyskow

• Ted Beresford (Globe Promotions)

• Dale Martin Promotions

• Wryton Promotions

In 1946 Morrell had imposed a closed shop of wrestlers working for him prevented working for other promoters within a 10 mile limit of his halls. I don't see how he could have done this in isolation. If he was doing it others would be doing it too.

I singled out Aberdeen because of the Relwyskow angle.

Now I can add that Norman seemed much more cautious about crossing the Pennines, albeit much closer to home. He's got Blackburn but that is relatively near Bradford; but he doesn't touch the cities or the coast. This tells me he already had some kind of arrangement with Wryton and Billy Riley.

Do they have cats and pigeons in NZ Ostie? Because you've thrown a few amongst them here. Morrell in Aberdeen? That's quite a claim. Even for a Yorkshireman. Can you be more specific with the year?

OMG that is fantastic, wrestling GOLD. Lucky boy, The Ost.

Even cliffs!

I'd love to spot the year and will take a stab at 1948. So much to examine. Top left is fascinating: it tells us that he was out on a limb at Lime Grove as well as at Poplar Baths. And he was stepping on other toes in Aberdeen. What's more, the format of his list is exactly that as later printed in The Wrestler.

Only one mention, and humbly bracketed, of the key word "professional."

He wanted to conquer Sunderland but didn't have a hall.

Those London encroachments can help us understand why Jack Dale would have been keen to come to a truce.

I'd like to know what the leopard-like spots mean, but in any case, Wales was well served.

I can hear Ron revving up for Poplar .....

Morrell advertisement from the late 1940's:

Here's a couple of old Farrar/Farrer Street posters from my collection:

angloItalian: "I have never noticed or heard of Farrer Street, Hack. Should I be hanging my head in shame?"

Only if you insist but Northerners are very forgiving. Farrer Street staged wrestling for at least 27 years, starting out as a George Relwyskow venue pre war and then Morrell. Lou Thesz wrestled Norman Walsh there so it has good credentials. A few years back there was a phone in programme on local radio with memories of wrestling at Farrer Street

https://www.thefreelibrary.com/When+Saturday+wrestling+had+a+regular+hold+on+us;+Glory+days+of...-a0240861640

Thanks Ron.

Like all the lists we compile for fun, the criteria need to be pinned down. Often they aren't, and so we discuss .... and even squabble sometimes ☺

In my opening post I talked about the quality of the bills and even championship bouts. I referred to quantity only regarding how many bouts per bill; so Brighton having five bouts elevated it above Bognor, Bournemouth and Bedworth. I had thought about mentioning whether it was a televised venue but decided against.

You seem to have compiled your lists based on the frequency of bills.

One of my inclusions was Seymour Hall which had four or five bills a year. Frequency wasn't what I was focused on. Some places like Weymouth were twice-weekly in the summer but for me still don't cut the mustard as a principal venue. This all started because Sheffield had such high-quality bills.

The three added lists certainly are helping my overview of how things operated. Nonetheless I remain shocked that there is no room so far for Blackpool, Leeds or Edinburgh. I have seen super bills at Eldorado. No Blackpool but Southport - maybe poshness has been used as a criterion?

In fairness, Edinburgh and Blackpool have been mentioned; maybe these will be included on another promoter's list?

Some inclusions have made me sit up and take notice. I have never heard of Edgbaston in this context and its inclusion has really hit me for six.

Three informative lists, thank you Ron and Hack. I have learnt a great deal from your thoughts.

I am surprised at seeing Bridlington and Cleethorpes and Scunthorpe as I would equate these, as it were, to Dale Martin venues such as Eastbourne, Worthing and Tunbridge Wells respectively; none of which featured on my Dale Martin list and probably still wouldn't have featured had I been compiling a Top 50. So my question for Ron is: am I under-estimating Brid, Cleethorpes and Scunthorpe? Or did you include them simply because Relwyskow just didn't have so many venues?

I have never noticed or heard of Farrer Street, Hack. Should I be hanging my head in shame? Yet Farrer Street is there, above two important Georges, two important ice rinks, and a couple more famous Scottish venues. Do tell us more.

Other related aspects to this topic are then, from my Southern Jesse point of view - as I was called not quite lovingly when I lived in Solford - blurred lines surrounding Best, Wryton and Billy Riley; and where Beresford fits in.

I suppose we have now attacked the main four lists. Where can we go from here? Woodhouse? Devereaux?

And just think, and judging by bkendo's comments, Ron and Main Mask only just missed out on having Peter Szakacs v Robby Baron and Leon Fortuna v Dick Conlon handshakes-all-round matches packing the bills at Belle Vue every week! Are you full of regret?

MORRELL

New St James Hall, Newcastle

DeMontfort Hall, Leicester

Farrer Street Stadium, Middlesbrough

Kelvin Hall, Glasgow

Ice Rink, Paisley

Ice Rink, Ayr

Lime Grove Baths, London

King Georges Hall, Blackburn

St Georges Hall Bradford

Caird Hall, Dundee

As in everything in the game there were many grey areas and enigmas I certainly worked on morells bills in Morecambe.It would have all been so different if Dales had been successful in the proposed Wryton buy out. the grief that proposal caused was by nature of a name giving intel to Dales,one it certainly wasn't was Bartelli he was an honourable man as demonstrated by what he did after kendos finger loss.

Absolutely Lime Grove for Morrell.

He had other venues in London, briefly, including Caledonian Road Baths and the Prince of Wales Baths. Would love to know how it all evolved. Still piecing it together.

Fascinating to see Morecambe out on a limb in the west on your Relwyskow list, Ron.

In the same way, the Morrell list may include Lime Grove.

Whereas Dale Martin land was largely a monopoly south of the Fosse Way, with only Devereaux being a collaborator and Lincoln for a few short years a competitor, plus of course the anomalous Lime Grove, the northern territories are much more blurred. By which I mean overlapping.

By analysing these overlaps, as well as the Lime Groves and Morecambes, maybe we can gain a better understanding of how the business worked.

My effort for Relwyskow , very difficult because of so many arrangements. Rel had a lot of Scotland , but for example 20th Century Combat (Max) ran Edinburgh. Tons of these that I can't include.

In order of Certainty.I do think the last 4 could be displaced.

Aberdeen , Music hall

Dundee , Caird Hall

Hamilton , Town hall

Hull , Madeley St Baths

Morecambe , Winter gardens

Sheffield , City Hall after Somme Barracks.

Rotherham , Baths Hall

Cleethorpes , Pier Pavilion

Scunthorpe , Baths Hall

Bridlington , Spa Royal Hall

Think I might leave Morrell to someone else.

Really hard Anglo , good effort. Possibly Plymouth or Exeter to represent Devon but who knows.

I have had a stab at Wryton and again really hard.

BelleVue (shared over 3 weeks I think with Rel and Morrell)

Liverpool (Best/Wryton)

Birmingham Edgebaston

Bolton Wryton Stadium

Crewe Town hall

Hanley Victoria Hall

Wolverhampton Civic Hall

Willenhall Baths

Southport Floral Hall

Solihull Civic

But I am leaving out Parr Hall Warrington , Altrincham , Buxton , Worsley , and all of the North Wales Coast which I deem more seasonal. Was Willenhall alternated with Wolverhampton ?

Must be lots of others , but maybe not weekly's. No idea of Chester . Not sure of Wigan either Hindley maybe. For 1960's not sure on New Brighton. That could be Glaring omision.

All this based on 1960's as well because Wryton had so many Manchester venues in the 1950's that went.

Many of the ones I have picked were weekly.