Weymouth in old postcards and photographs
  
The Ritz Theatre c. 1950
The Pavilion Theatre of 1908 has been renamed as The Ritz and in this view from the early 1950s the wooden construction is clearly visible.
Although little else appears to have changed in the 40 years since it opened, to the rear of the building is the ballroom which became the principal dance hall when the Regent Hall in St. Thomas' St. closed.
The lady posting this card is obviously appearing in a show here as she describes writing to a friend 'during the performance' and that the show moves on to Kidderminster, Cheltenham and Hastings.
Some six months after this card was posted the scene was one of flames and destruction as the wonderful wooden building was reduced to ashes in less than two hours.
The white monument is the Clark-Endicott memorial. John Endicott sailed from Weymouth in June 1682 with an expedition aboard The Abigail to found a new settlement at Naumking(Salem). Similar groups from Dorset followed and the colony of Massachusetts was founded. Captain Richard Clark, who was born in Weymouth sailed with Sir Humphrey Gilbert to Newfoundland was shipwrecked but survived.