IT has been just shy of 60 years since The Playhouse in Weston was destroyed in a devastating fire.

In the early hours of August 22, 1964, people living in flats above The Playhouse escaped just as flames burst through and destroyed their homes.

Speaking at the time, assistant divisional fire officer D Faulkner said: “One moment the flats were intact, the next they were an inferno.”

The heat was described as being so intense the windows in neighbouring buildings cracked.

Weston Mercury: The charred, debris strewn interior of the theatre.The charred, debris strewn interior of the theatre. (Image: NQ staff archives)

The Playhouse was originally called The Market Hall where poultry, fish and bread were all available.

In 1946, it was converted into a theatre using £3,000 from the Government to replace the Grove Park Pavilion which was destroyed during a World War Two air raid.

The theatre was insured for £100,000 and Weston Borough Council was told it could claim £16,500 for catering equipment, £13,750 to cover the cost of food and cigarettes, and £36,000 for a loss of profits.

The Charles Vance Repertory Company, one of many production companies which used the theatre at that time, lost £2,500 in scenery, wardrobe and personal possessions.

The borough council found temporary accommodation for those who lived in the flats.

Weston Mercury: The charred, debris strewn interior of the theatre.The charred, debris strewn interior of the theatre. (Image: NQ staff archives)

One tenant, William Smith, spoke about his experience shortly after: “As I was coming out, the flames burst through the glass and the kitchen caught fire.

“We lost everything and all we have got is what we stand in.”

Many of those tenants owed their lives to police constable Herbert John Poole who first noticed the smoke.

He said at the time: “I happened to look up towards the theatre and saw smoke curling up. It was not a great volume rather like a garden bonfire. I judged it to be in the Market Lane area.

“There was no glow or any sign of a fire but I had got only half way across the road when the roof at the back caved in and there was one big sheet of flame belching up.”

Despite the loss, the show went on for the Charles Vance Repertory Company when it played to a packed house at the Town Hall Assembly Rooms just four days later.