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Theatre Royal

2676

The Broughton Street site had a long performance history, starting with a circus in 1788 which was followed by a theatre in 1793 and concert hall in 1812. The Royal Patent of the Shakespeare Square theatre was transferred to this site in 1809; between 1811 and 1815 it was mainly a concert hall. A succession of managements and changes of name was interrupted by a fire in 1853. Reopened in 1855 it was completely replaced by the Queen’s Theatre & Opera House in 1857.

The Queen’s was a fine building by David Bryce. It had its entrance in a curved corner with a balustraded balcony at second floor level and a giant Corinthian order rising through the upper two storeys to support a full entablature broken by a small niche which rose into an elaborate attic feature with terms and a crowning sculptural group. In the auditorium, the three tiers of boxes formed a semicircle rather than horseshoe, with ‘an ogee curve outwards’.

The theatre was rebuilt in 1865 after another fire and again, in the same circumstances, to the designs of C J Phipps in 1876. Phipps again rebuilt in 1844, following yet another fire which destroyed the stage. The final reconstruction occurred in 1935 and the last of the theatre’s many fires in 1946. Post-war restrictions on building ensured that it was never rebuilt.

Built / Converted
1788
Dates of use
  • 1793 - 1946
Current state
Demolished
Current use
Demolished
Address
Broughton Street (corner of Leith Walk), Edinburgh, Lothian, Scotland
Website-
Further details
Other names
Jones & Parkers Circus , Theatre; Sadler’s Wells , New Theatre Royal , Corri’s Rooms , Pantheon , (Royal) Caledonian , Adelphi , Queen’s Theatres & Opera House , Theatre Royal
Events
  • 1788 Design/Construction: as a circus
    Unknown
    - Architect
  • 1793 Owner/Management: S Kemble
  • 1793 Owner/Management: Corri
  • 1793 - 1946 Use:
  • 1809 Owner/Management: H Siddons
  • 1809 Alteration: converted to theatre
    Unknown
    - Architect
  • 1815 Owner/Management: W H Murray
  • 1817 Owner/Management: Mr Bannister
  • 1836 Alteration: improvements, wider proscenium
    Unknown
    - Architect
  • 1853 Owner/Management: R H Wyndham
  • 1855 Owner/Management: James Black
  • 1855 Alteration: reopened after fire
    Unknown
    - Architect
  • 1857 Design/Construction:
    D R Hay
    - Consultant
    painting
    Potts
    - Consultant
    Cairnie & Ray ‘fitting up’ (? furnishing)
    Grieve
    - Consultant
    proscenium & act drop
  • 1857 Owner/Management: John Brown
  • 1857 Alteration: new theatre & opera house
    D Bryce
    - Architect
  • 1865 Design/Construction:
    More & Rutherford
    - Consultant
    plumbing
    Mr Slater
    - Consultant
    roofing etc
    Sanderson & Muirhead
    - Consultant
    joinery
    D Cassie
    - Consultant
    gas engineering
    Purdie
    - Consultant
    Bonnar & Carfrae decorative painting & gilding
  • 1865 Owner/Management: Mr & Mrs Wyndham
  • 1865 Alteration: rebuilt after fire
    David McGibbon
    - Architect
  • 1874 Owner/Management: W H Logan
  • 1875 Owner/Management: Howard & Logan, lessees
  • 1876 Alteration: rebuilt after fire
    C J Phipps
    - Architect
  • 1883 Owner/Management: John Heslop
  • 1883 Owner/Management: Logan & Heslop
  • 1884 Alteration: again rebuilt after fire on stage
    C J Phipps
    - Architect
  • 1935 Alteration: reconstruction
    Unknown
    - Architect
Capacities
  • Capacity
    Later
    Description
    1857: 1700
    1865: 2590
Listings
  • Listing
    Not listed
Stage type
-
Building dimensions: -
Stage dimensions: d: 58ft w: 62ft
Proscenium width: 1857: 24ft wide
Height to grid: -
Inside proscenium: -
Orchestra pit: -