Empire
Built in 1819 by Sir Skears Rew, owner of extensive surrounding land, it was a typical ‘pit, boxes and gallery’ circuit theatre with a manager’s house alongside. Substantial alterations were made in 1857 to give the tiers a U-shaped form. It was again altered in 1865, as a music hall, but later returned to drama. After a long series of varyingly successful and unsuccessful managements it became a permanent variety house (the Empire) in 1889. It finally closed in 1895. In 1898 a proposal to build a new Assembly Rooms on the site, to plans by Owen & Ward, failed to proceed. The theatre was later demolished.
Built / Converted
1819
Dates of use
- 1819 - 1895
Current state
Demolished
Current use
Demolished
Address
Smithford Street, Coventry, West Midlands, England
Website-
Further details
Other names
Theatre
,
Theatre Royal
,
Empire
,
Thomas’s Empire
,
Old Theatre Royal & Empire
Events
- 1819 Owner/Management: Sir Skears Rew, owner; Samson Penley, lessee
- 1819 Design/Construction:Unknown- Architect
- 1819 - 1895 Use:
- 1821 Owner/Management: R W Elliston, lessee
- 1829 Alteration: alterations to tiersUnknown- Architect
- 1830 Owner/Management: Henry Bennett, lessee
- 1851 Owner/Management: H Hall & T S Pitt, lessees
- 1854 Owner/Management: J Harris, lessee
- 1855 Owner/Management: John Coleman, lessee
- 1857 Owner/Management: Henry Chart, lessee
- 1857 Alteration: internal alterations and enlargement of stage houseThomas Pratt- Architect
- 1858 Owner/Management: Henry Powell, lessee
- 1861 Owner/Management: John Mosley, lessee
- 1862 Owner/Management: J C Chute, lessee
- 1862 Owner/Management: J H Doyle & F Mailland, lessees
- 1863 Owner/Management: Dolman, lessee
- 1864 Owner/Management: R S Thorne, lessee
- 1865 Owner/Management: John Dell, lessee
- 1865 Alteration: altered (as music hall) and extra dressing rooms addedUnknown- Architect
- 1866 Owner/Management: Fred Allford, manager
- 1868 Owner/Management: Alfred Walmisley, lessee
- 1869 Owner/Management: G B Wright, lessee
- 1870 Owner/Management: Frank G Venimore, lessee
- 1872 Design/Construction:Mander (Coventry)- Consultantdecorations
- 1872 Alteration: alterations to auditoriumUnknown- Architect
- 1873 Owner/Management: J G Taylor, lessee
- 1874 Owner/Management: Fred Cooke, lessee
- 1876 Owner/Management: Ed Bell, lessee
- 1878 Owner/Management: James Walton, lessee
- 1879 Owner/Management: J Eaves, lessee
- 1880 Owner/Management: W Bennett, lessee
- 1880 Alteration: alterationsUnknown- Architect
- 1886 Alteration: alterations to upper boxes, etcUnknown- Architect
- 1889 Owner/Management: Gus Levaine, lessee
- 1892 Design/Construction:Jesse Lee- Consultantdecorated proscenium arch
- 1892 Owner/Management: Henry William Thomas, lessee
- 1892 Alteration: stage relaid; new act drop and sceneryUnknown- Architect
- 1893 Alteration: benches replaced with redundant seating from Days Music Hall, BirminghamUnknown- Architect
- 1895 Owner/Management: Albert Edmands, lessee
Capacities
-
Listings
- ListingNot listed
Stage type
-
Building dimensions: 96ft x 34ft; frontage 23ft 6in
Stage dimensions: -
Proscenium width: -
Height to grid: -
Inside proscenium: -
Orchestra pit: -