This large, elegant, and central Theatre, has
been erected on part of the Strand, part of Exeter
Street, part of Catherine Street, and part of Wellington Street, and the site of the Strand Musick Hall -
a building that has been entirely pulled down for the
lobbies of the new house. The site possesses the very
marked advantage of approach from the four main
thoroughfares before named, and occupies a much
larger area than any similar property situated on that
great stream of through traffic - the Strand.
A portion of the Strand frontage, lately known as
that of the Strand Musick Hall, remains almost as
formerly; a few modifications, however, have necessarily been made on the ground storey by the erection
of the new entrance, which will form the approach
to the principal tiers of the Theatre. The rooms over
this entrance, and the new building extending along
the Strand, forming the angle of Catherine Street will
form the Restaurant' entirely distinct from the
Theatre, but with a corridor of access from every
tier of the Theatre.
As mentioned above, the principal entrance is in
the Strand, leading by a few steps to the level of the
stalls, and by a spacious octangular staircase to the
balcony or grand tier and the upper boxes. Another
entrance, also on this level, is in Exeter Street, on
the other side of the stalls, which, though designed
specially as a private entrance for the Royal Family,
is available as an exit-way in case of sudden panic,
there being a stone staircase from the entrance to the
highest floor of the Theatre, with communication on
every level. There is also a corridor running under
the back of the pit, solely for the use of the stalls'
audience, thus giving access on both sides of the
house, and obviating the unpleasantness of having to
cross the audience when the performance has commenced.
The entrances to pit and gallery are in Catherine
Street, and the stage entrance is in Wellington
Street.
The plan of the auditory is quite new to London.
It consists of a balcony, the front forming a semicircle, opening out by arms of a contrary flexure to
the proscenium column; behind this is a tier of
private boxes, with the restu of which the front of
the upper boxes radiates; and a gallery above, the
front of which form a complete circle. The columns
supporting the various tiers are carried up to a
sufficient height above the gallery, and from the cap
spring a series of arches supporting an elaborate
cornice and coved ceiling.
The proscenium pillars are all of solid stone, enriched with carved capitals.
There are five rows of arm-chairs in stalls; a commodious pit; three rows of arm-chair stalls in balcony; four rows of upper box seats, with considerable
standing room; twenty-eight private boxes; and a
spacious gallery. In all, the capacity of this house is
above the average of the London Theatres, and will
hold upwards of 2,000 persons.
Every department or division of the audience has
its own approach separate from the others; and all
the tiers have enclosed corridors at back; one special
feature of the arrangements being that there are
staircases on both sides of the dress circle, upper
boxes, and gallery, with external doors at the bottom
of each, and all fireproof. In fact, the whole construction of the building is as nearly as possible
fireproof, for not only are all staircases, passages, and
corridors of stone or cement, and separated in every
case by brick walls, but the several tiers - balcony,
upper boxes, and gallery - have no wood in their
construction, except the flooring boards; they are
entirely built of an iron framework, embedded in
and filled between with a solid mass of cement con-
crete, much on the principle adopted at the Grand
Opera and the New Vaudeville Theatre at Paris,
which system was adopted there as being the most
perfect that could be devised, as by diminishing the
amount of inflammable material in a building the
risk of its even taking fire is rendered almost impossible, while the prevention of a fire spreading is
insured. With the exception of the two Theatres at
Paris before mentioned, the Gaiety' will be the only
Theatre in Europe so constructed.
The ironwork necessary for this construction has
been manufactured by Messrs. W. and T. Phillips of
the Coal Exchange, at their works in Belgium, and
constructed by them at the Theatre, in a very
satisfactory manner.
The very elaborate box-fronts, together with the
arches and cornices, are executed in patent plaster
on canvas, and manufactured and fixed by the
patentees, Messrs. George Jackson and Sons, of
Rathbone Place, from the architect's designs.
The iron balcony-front was executed by Messrs.
Hart, of Wych Street.
The lighting of the auditory is by a powerful
sunburner, which will act as an efficient ventilator,
manufactured by Messrs. Strode and Co., who have
also executed the float-lights. These are of peculiar
as well as novel construction, and have only been
used before in England at the Queen's Theatre
and at Brighton, by the same architect. In the
present instance, many modifications have been
introduced. The float consists of a series of argand
burners reversed, and burning downwards, the
products of the combustion being taken away in a
large iron cylinder running parallel with the front
of the, stage, and carried up inside the brickwork
behind the proscenium columns. One great advantage gained by this invention is, that the unpleasant
vapour screen, which in the old manner was constantly rising between the audience and the scene, is
entirely removed, and the performers can now
approach the foot-lights without the risk of getting
burnt, as a piece of gauze may be placed over the
burner without ignition. By an ingenious contrivance,
should any of the glasses break, that particular
burner falls down and shuts off the gas. The coloured
glasses, called mediums, are worked on levers in
front of the lights, on the same principle as the
switch-lights on railways.
The stage has been constructed by Mr. G. R.
Tasker, the Clerk of Works, and is a most elaborate
piece of mechanism, admirably contrived and executed, fitted up with several novelties in the way of
machinery. There is a depth of some twenty feet
under the stage floor, for sinking large scenes, and a
height above of fifty feet. All the departments of the
stage are very complete. There are green-rooms,
managers' rooms, and more than twenty other
rooms, for the numerous requirements of a large
dramatic company, with wardrobes, propertyrooms, carpenters' shops, etc.
The whole of the coloured decoration of the auditory and the lobbies has been executed by Mr.
George Gordon, late of the Bristol and Bath Theatres. It partakes somewhat of the early Romanesque
character, thus carrying out the architecture of the
house with some of the most beautiful- and varied
of the Greek forms of ornament introduced. The
same gentleman has also painted the act drop,
which, unlike that at most Theatres, is intended not
as a scene or a picture, but as a part of the decoration
of the Theatre. The design is extremely chaste and
elegant; and the small vignette in the centre, representing a villa on one of the Italian lakes, is broadly,
and at the same time delicately painted.
Perhaps the most noticeable feature of the decoration is the frieze over the proscenium, designed and
painted by Mr. H. S. Marks - 30 feet long by 4 feet
6 inches deep. It represents a king and queen of
mediaeval times, with surrounding courtiers, watching a masque whicji is being performed before them.
On either side this frieze, over the proscenium boxes,
are lunettes in the arches - the one on the left represents lyric, and the other epic poetry - designed by
the same artist. It is satisfactory to find that these
pictures, which are really fine works of art, have been
painted by Mr. Marks in no narrow spirit as easel
pictures, but as forming a part of, and in a measure
subservient to, the general scheme of decoration.
The arm-chairs in stalls and balcony are those
designed by the architect, and manufactured by
Wadman Brothers, Bath. The chairs for private
boxes were made by Mr. Church, of Bath. The curtains have been supplied by Messrs. Hampton, of
Pall Mall, and the carpets by Messrs. Tyler, of Long
Acre.
The general builder's work has been done by Mr.
Simpson; and the gas work (except as mentioned
above) by Messrs. J. Jones and Son, of Bow Street.
The Era, 13 December, 1868
[ ... back to main menu for this book]
Gaiety Theatre,
Strand, near Wellington-street. — A good-sized house, handsomely decorated,
and conducted upon unusually liberal principles. No fees are allowed in any part
of the establishment; programmes being supplied gratis. In a little recess on
the right-hand side of the box-corridor will be found the evening papers, and
some comfortable divans whereon to lounge and read them during the intervals of
the performance. Like the Criterion, this theatre was originally built in
connection with a restaurant; the intention being to allow any one who wished an
evenings amusement to get comfortably from his dinner to his stall without the
trouble of donning great coat and hat, or the risk of getting wet or muddy. The
doors of communication, however, were closed by order of the Lord Chamberlain,
and the theatre and the restaurant are now two separate establishments. As at
the Criterion, however, a sort of compromise has been effected, and a door just
inside the theatre entrance gives admission to the restaurant without actually
turning out into the rain. The specialty of the Gaiety has varied from time to
time. At present it may be said to be comedy and burlesque. The entrance is
lighted by the Lontin electric light. NEAREST Railway
Station, Temple; Omnibus Routes, St.
Martins-lane, Strand, Chancery-lane, and Waterloo-bridge.
Charles Dickens (Jr.), Dickens's Dictionary of London, 1879
Upon the north side of the Strand is the Gaiety Theatre and Restaurant, built on the site of old Exeter Change, in 1868, by Mr. C.J.Phipps, for Mr. J. Hollingshead. The performances consist of comedy, farce, operetta, burlesque and extravaganza. The chief entrance is in the Strand, but there is a side approach in Catherine Street.
Herbert Fry, London, 1889
Anon., The Premier Photographic View Album of London, 1907