Theatre Royal, Manchester
Theatre Royal front façade
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| Address |
Manchester England |
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| Coordinates | 53°28′40″N 2°14′47″W / 53.4777°N 2.2465°W |
| Owner | Edwardian London |
| Designation | Grade II |
| Type | Victorian variety theatre |
| Construction | |
| Opened | 1845 |
| Reopened | 1875, 1921, 1963, 1972, 1990 |
| Years active | 1845–1921 (as a theatre) |
| Architect |
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The Theatre Royal in Manchester, England, opened in 1845. Situated next to the Free Trade Hall, it is the oldest surviving theatre in Manchester. It was commissioned by Mancunian businessman John Knowles who wanted a theatre venue in the city.
The Theatre Royal operated as a theatre from 1845 until 1921, when it closed in the face of growing competition from the Palace Theatre and Opera House. The building has since been converted numerous times for use as a cinema, bingo hall and nightclub. It has been unoccupied since 2009.
The theatre, which stands on an island site on the south side of Peter Street, is constructed in sandstone ashlar. It is in two storeys, with an attic, and is in Neoclassical style. Around the building, between the upper storey and the attic, is a modillioned cornice. Its entrance front facing Peter Street is symmetrical with three bays, the central bay being wider than the lateral bays. The central bay is in the form of a portico, with Corinthian columns and pilasters. Its entablature contains a central semicircular arch breaking through to the gable. Steps lead up to entrances in each bay. Above the central entrance is a pedimented niche containing a statue of William Shakespeare, which is based on the statue by Peter Scheemakers in Westminster Abbey. The lateral bays contain windows with balconies in the upper storey. Along the sides of the theatre are alternating rectangular windows and panels, with a blank semicircular arch above each window. The interior of the theatre has been altered, but retains its 1875 gallery. The theatre was designated as a Grade II listed building on 3 October 1974. The authors of the Buildings of England series describe it as a "splendid classical composition in stone, one of the best examples of theatre architecture surviving anywhere in England from the first half of the 19th century". The Theatres Trust described it as "unique and architecturally significant", with the façade being "one of the finest examples of theatre architecture to have survived in Britain from the first half of the nineteenth century", stating that it influenced the design of the Royal Opera House, London.
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