| Performance Title | The Chelsea Arts Club Annual Ball - 'Golden Jubilation' (1908-1958) |
| Performance Date | 31 December 1958-1 January 1959 |
| Performance Day | Wednesday |
| Performance Time | 22:00 |
| Main Performers | Student performers from:
Twickenham School of Art,
Kingston School of Art,
Regent Street Polytechnic School of Art,
Wimbledon School of Art,
St. Martin's School of Art,
Bartlett School of Architecture |
| Orchestra or Band | Billy Ternent and His Orchestra,
Eric Delaney and His Band,
Eric Winstone and His Orchestra,
Dagenham Girl Pipers |
| Set List | Theme Tune - 'Scottish Medley', Debroy Somers,
Billy Ternent and His Orchestra,
Massed Bands,
Eric Delaney and His Band,
Eric Winstone and HIs Orchestra
Midnight,
Big Benm
The Dagenham Girl Pipers,
'Auld Lang Syne'
Students' Stunts:
'The Death of War' - 'Dam Busters March', Coates (Twickenham School of Art),
'Package Parade' - 'I've Got A Packetful of Dreams' (Kingston School of Art),
'Golden Bracelet' - 'String of Pearls', (Regent Street Polytechnic School of Art),
'The Zodiac' - 'Dance of The Comedians' (Wimbledon School of Art),
'50 Years of Jubilation' - 'Pink Elephants' (St. Martin's School of Art),
'Archifuture' - 'Skyliner' (Bartlett School of Architecture)
Eric Delaney and His Band,
Billy Ternent and His Orchestra,
Eric Winstone and His Orchestra,
The Dagenham Girl Pipers - Eightsone Reel,
Eric Winstone and HIs Orchestra,
Eric Delaney and His Band,
Massed Bands
'God Save the Queen' (National Anthem) |
| Performance Notes | The fiftiteth anniversary of the Chelsea Arts Ball and the last of the original Chelsea Arts Club Balls. It would be resurrected at the Hall in 1984, 1985 and 1992.
Film footage of this event is available from British Pathe (Film ID 1515.09) Running time 1min 24secs.
Associated Press Archives holds B&W British Movietone footage of the event (BM75923).
During the Ball of 1958 a student threw a smoke bomb setting off a panic and causing several revellers to need hospital treatment.
"Unfortunately there had been one incident involving the discharge of a service type smoke bomb on the floor between 1.30am and 2am during the Ball, which had resulted in the virtual blacking out of all the corridors on the west side of the Hall to the upmost discomfort of the revellers present in the building. By sheer good fortune, no panic had resulted although large numbers of the public, particularly the viewing public in the balcony, felt obliged to leave the building. 13 people were overcome by smoke and had to be treated in the Ambulance Room. The Police were called and an individual was detained for about 2 hours in connection with the incident, but it was impossible to prefer a charge against him
"
(Council of the Royal Albert Hall, 15 January 1959)
The giant backcloth in hung in front of the organ and a central arena feature were designed by Polish painter and draughtsman Feliks Topolski on the theme 'Woman from 1908-1958'. One of the floats was in the shape of a giant elephant.
"GREASED STAGE FOR ARTS BALL.
'RAIDERS' THWARTED.
By putting students' floats and set pieces on a stage 10 feet high, well out of reach of the dancers, the organisers of the 50th Chelsea Arts Ball at the Albert Hall last night thwarted any attempt by boisterous students to break them up. The crowd was the quietest and best behaved for many years.
"Strong arm" stewards recruited from London's rugby clubs had nothing to do as the procession of floats passed across the 15--foot long stage watched by more than 5,000 revellers. The theme of the ball was golden jubilation.
As the last sound of Big Ben's midnight chimes faded the Dagenham Girl pipers heralded in the New Year. On the special stage, which was greased to prevent students climbing up, floats varying from pink elephants to a giant bracelet with students in gold dresses providing the chain links, brought rounds of applause.
Thousands of balloons floated down. Three bands, Eric Delaney, Eric Winstone and Billy Ternent, provided non-stop music until 5am in front of a vast backcloth "Woman of 1908-1958." designed by Felix Topolski and enlarged on the huge canvas by students.
Elaborate precautions were taken to prevent "gatecrashers" getting on to the stage through the basement" where the floats were taken. Miss Jill Tabor, 20, an artist's model from Worcester, who was elected artist's model of the year, was presented with a gold statuette of Phryne, the fourth century Greek model noted for her beauty."
(The Daily Telegraph, 1 January 1959)
Founded in 1891 The Chelsea Arts Club is a members club for artists, which for 50 years from 1908 held an annual costumed New Year's Eve ball, which was an infamous part of London's social calendar. After two years at the Royal Opera House the extravagant ball proved so popular it moved to the Royal Albert Hall where it stayed until 1958. The balls attracted media attention with their lavish theatrical sets, multiple orchestras, raucous midnight carnivals and balloon drops and crowds of up to 10,000 socialites, bohemian artists, actors, and ordinary Londoners in elaborate and often scandalous fancy dress dancing until 5am.
Each year a theme was chosen such as Egyptian, Dazzle, Noah's Ark, Prehistoric and Sun Worship around which guests could create flamboyant costumes. London art schools participated by decorating huge carnival floats, which were driven around the auditorium floor and which, at the stroke of midnight, would be destroyed by revellers. The balls were well-known for reports of public nudity, drunken displays of affection, fighting and unadulterated fun. In the vastness of the Hall with its gas lit corridors, curtained boxes and dark staircases naughtiness was the order of the day.
Similarly to the annual Lady Malcolm's Servant's balls (1930-1938) these events were a safe space for the queer community to meet and express themselves with unbridled creativity and little inhibition. There were no scrutineers denying entry or undercover police. LGBTQ+ party goers could feel (relatively) free to be themselves without the scrutiny and surveillance they underwent in their daily lives. For many men especially they could wear drag, dress outrageously, and socialise unashamedly while never appearing to be anything out of the ordinary.
It was New Year's Eve 1958 that was to be the final Chelsea Arts Ball at the Royal Albert Hall. As well as minor damage to the building fabric, a partygoer dispatched a smoke bomb that exploded on the dance floor and ultimately became the straw that broke the camel's back. The Chelsea Arts Ball was asked to take out insurance indemnity against further damage to the Hall and they didn't return. The Ball has returned three times since - in 1984, 1985 and 1992 - although the elaborate costumes and floats didn't make the return trip. The extravagant, eccentric originals remain part of the history of the Capital's social calendar. |
| Related Archival Material | Programme (RAHE/1/1958/185-7),
Digital Photograph
Ticket (RAHE/8/5/1958/4) |
| URL | https://thirdlight.royalalberthall.com/pf.tlx/J9xJ9NUJCmxlC |
| https://thirdlight.royalalberthall.com/pf.tlx/x8xTOoxXfcPj |
| https://thirdlight.royalalberthall.com/pf.tlx/QNtQpsuQ1eZCP |
| Code | Name of Performer(s) |
| DS/UK/6892 | Ternent; Billy (1899-1977); British orchestra leader |
| DS/UK/9577 | Delaney; Eric (1924-2011); English drummer, bandleader |
| DS/UK/6874 | Winstone; Eric (1913-1974); English big band leader, composer |
| DS/UK/2818 | The Dagenham Girl Pipers; 1930-; English female bagpipe band |
| DS/UK/9139 | Kingston University; Kingston Universitys Faculty of Art, Design & Architecture; c1895-; English university faculty |
| DS/UK/9014 | Wimbledon College of Art; 1890-; English art school |
| DS/UK/3856 | St. Martin's School of Art; 1854-1989; English art and design school |
| DS/UK/9070 | The Bartlett; 1841-; English architectural school |
| DS/UK/11358 | Regent Street Polytechnic School of Art; 1881-1970 |