What Is This Thing That Comes Each Night - 55 Years NHS 3 Years Care Homes Pandemic Army Assembly Hall Theatre Curtain Mural
Updated: Sep 4
Curtain mural on stage curtain - Assembly Hall Theatre Tunbridge Wells - comedy & tragedy masks with Hamlet quote "What is this thing that comes each night for thy safety's sake".
This photo I took before COVID. The curtain was still there during the pandemic when the theatre became a COVID testing centre in 2021.
THE THEATRE BECOMES A TESTING CENTRE
The Assembly Hall Theatre, Crescent Road, Tunbridge Wells TN1 2LU (built 1939) was repurposed as a symptom-free lateral flow testing centre.
* Bookings opened from Monday 4 January 2021
* Open daily 9am-7pm from Thursday 7 January 2021
* Part of Kent County Council's rolling programme to find people without symptoms
* Capacity: testing around 900 people a day
KentLive reported on 14 January 2021: "We took the lateral flow coronavirus test at the Assembly Hall in Tunbridge Wells - The Army is running the site in west Kent - where they are testing around 900 people a day. The coronavirus testing at the Assembly Hall Theatre in Tunbridge Wells is being run with military precision - because the British Army is in control."
There were 22 soldiers based at the Assembly Hall who are from the Royal Engineers' 35 Engineer Regiment (Explosive Ordnance Disposal and Search) based in Essex. They were all staying locally in their own bubble.
Photos in the KentLive article show the soldier in camouflage testing with our curtain mural still visible behind - the comedy & tragedy masks and the Hamlet quote "What is this thing that comes each night".
THE ARMY TRAINED US CIVILIANS - THEN MOVED OUT
The Army first did the testing, then the Army trained us civilians.
Once civilians were trained, the Army moved out.
We took over. Seating folded in the auditorium, testing staff in the auditorium, public via entrance through to the auditorium.
Dave & Patricia - Tonbridge, Kent. 55 years NHS between us, 3 years care homes in Kent. Kent COVID Warrior medal.
I worked in care homes during COVID, Patricia worked in NHS.
Full archive for The Amelia, Tunbridge Wells.
Photo: Curtain mural Assembly Hall Theatre Tunbridge Wells
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