Williamson Square, originally known as Willamson Field, has
been a place of entertainment from the 15th century. It was a gathering place
for troupes of itinerant jugglers, troubadours and orators. There were regular complaints to the City
Fathers that those entertaining were attracting an unruly element and causing
disorderly behaviour in the area.
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Georgian
houses in Williamson Square. A good painting of middle class homes
in the
city centre near Tarleton Street. 1868.
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Williamson square 1859
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| Front Elevation of the original Theatre Royal |
The original Theatre Royal was part of Williamson Square from 1771 but it was far
from an ideal location for the venue, theatre-goers would often complain not
only about the mud at the entrance to the theatre but the fights and loutish
behaviour of sailors and prostitutes in the immediate area.
In 1802, the building was demolished and in its place the
distinctive curved lines of the New
Theatre Royal graced Williamson Square attracting thespians from all over the
country.
.jpg) |
| The Theatre Royal with the curved frontage most people remember |
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| Theatre Royal Liverpool |
The great Shakespearean actor Edmund Kean appeared on-stage
in 1815 and two years later the world famous clown Grimaldi was the star. Grimaldi's clowning turned to tragedy when
his son was killed in a brawl outside the theatre and it was apparent that the
square's reputation for violence and disorder had not gone away. Some years later, a mediocre actor named
George Cook was barracked by the audience in the theatre and is remembered for
his acidic riposte which was all the more cutting for having more than a ring
of truth about it. The actors words have
remained memorable far more than any of his performances. Dripping with venom, Cook's reply to a stunned
audience concluded with the words "
Every brick in your dirty town is cemented with a Negro's blood !! "
During Victorian times, Charles Dickens, Irving, Paganini
and even Blondin, the famed tight-rope walker, all appeared at the New Theatre
Royal along with a certain player of the era called Junius Brutus Booth who was
famous for his serious acting roles.
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| Union Cold Storage |
In 1896, The New Theatre Royal closed down and the building
became the Union Cold Storage Company which ingeniously converted the old
building into a cold storage unit where for many years massive slabs of ice
could be seen by anyone who cared to peer into the Arctic- cold rooms.
The Liverpool Playhouse Theatre in Williamson Square
originates from 1866 when it was a music
hall, and in 1911 developed into a repertory theatre. As such it nurtured the
early careers of many actors and actresses, some of whom went on to achieve
national and international reputations. Architectural changes have been made to
the building over the years, the latest being in 1968 when a modern-style
extension was added to the north of the theatre. In 1999 a trust was formed,
joining the management of the Playhouse with that of the Everyman Theatre.
The theatre was designed by Edward Davies, and opened in
1866. It replaced an earlier theatre called the Star Concert Hall. The present
theatre was originally named the Star Music Hall. In 1895 its name was changed
to the Star Theatre of Varieties. The theatre was improved in 1898 by Harry
Percival with a new auditorium and foyer, and electricity was installed. In
1911 the Liverpool Repertory Theatre Limited was established, with Basil Dean
as its "controller and producer". The company could not afford to
build a new theatre, and bought the Star Theatre for £28,000 (£2,410,000 as of
2013). This made it the first repertory in Britain to own the freehold of a
theatre. The company spent a further £4,000 (£340,000 as of 2013) on
redesigning and modernising the theatre. The auditorium and the basement foyer
were redesigned by Stanley Adshead, the Professor of Civic Design at the
Liverpool School of Architecture. The theatre was renamed the Liverpool
Repertory Theatre, and in 1916 renamed again, as the Liverpool Playhouse. Minor
structural alterations were made to the theatre in 1961 and in 1966. In 1968 a
modern-style extension was added to the north of the theatre to accommodate new
foyers, bars, dressing rooms and a workshop. In the 1990s the theatre company
went into liquidation, but in 1999 the Liverpool and Merseyside Theatres Trust
Limited was established as a charity, and the theatre re-opened. It is managed
jointly with the Everyman Theatre by Liverpool City Council.
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| Playhouse Theatre 2013 |
On 14 March 1975 the theatre was designated by English
Heritage as a Grade II listed building. In its description, the National
Heritage List for England quotes the Architects' Journal of 1968 which says of
the older section that it is
"significant as an early and rare work by one of the
pioneers of the Liverpool School of Architecture, in the Grecian style favoured
by the school at that date",
and of the newer section that it is
"a brilliant concept, joyously realised, which exploits
asymmetrical volumes and ever varying spaces yet achieves unity and also
balance with the adjoining Victorian façade".
In the Buildings of England series the architectural
historians Richard Pollard and Nikolaus Pevsner say of the newer section that
it is "a spectacular composition" which creates an atmosphere of
excitement and anticipation, exactly right for a theatre foyer".
Links
Sources
Liverpool Central Library
Liverpool Records Office
Wikipedia
By Robert F Edwards
