Tivoli Theatre, Duncombe Street, Grimsby; 1940 poster.

An original poster printed by Willsons of Nottingham. (A company that became the premier poster printers in pre-war England. In the 1960s, Willsons Leicester stayed with poster printing whilst Willsons Printers (Nottingham) Ltd. mostly integrated into Willsons Printers (Newark) and Willsons Printers (Grimsby). In the early 80s, production at Nottingham was moved to Newark. The “Former Willsons Printers” premises in Kent Street, Grimsby were listed for sale on 12th February 2026.)

The Tivoli Theatre was built and opened as a variety theatre in 1905. It was built by H. J. Curry who built the nearby Prince of Wales theatre. It seated over 2,000 people. The architect was Herbert Heap. A time capsule (bottle) was buried under the foundation stone.

The theatre was badly damaged by German bombs on 12th July 1943, and never re-opened. The remains of the building were demolished in 1955. Today the building on the site houses Jackson, Green & Preston auction house.

Note: Dick Henderson was the father of the entertainer Dickie Henderson.

Note: The manager of the theatre, Teddy Glanvill, died on 14th March 1943, less than four months before the theatre was destroyed. Edward Reginald Granvill had lived at 190 Hainton Avenue. His widow died in London where the couple were born.