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W.G.R. Sprague
William George Robert Sprague (1865 – 4 December 1933) was a theatre architect. Biography He was born in Australia in 1865, the son of actress Dolores Drummond, who returned with acclaim to London in 1874. Sprague was an articled clerk for Frank Matcham for four years, then in 1880 was an articled clerk for Walter Emden for three years. He was in a partnership with Bertie Crewe until 1895. He went on to design a large number of theatres and music halls, almost all of them in London. At the height of his career he showed a productivity worthy of mentor Matcham, producing six theatres in Westminster in less than four years. Unlike Matcham and Emden, Sprague studied architectural forms and conventions and used his knowledge in his designs, saying of himself that he "liked the Italian Renaissance" as a style for his frontages, but would take liberties when needed "to get the best effects" In 1902, the theatre newspaper ''The Era'' described him as "Britain's youngest the ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
The Sketch
''The Sketch'' was a British illustrated weekly journal. It ran for 2,989 issues between 1 February 1893 and 17 June 1959. It was published by the Illustrated London News, Illustrated London News Company and was primarily a society magazine with regular features on Monarchy, royalty, aristocracy and High society (group), high society, as well as theatre, Cinema of the United Kingdom, cinema and the arts. It had a high photographic content with many studies of socialite, society ladies and their children as well as regular layouts of Point to point (steeplechase), point to point racing meetings and similar events. Clement King Shorter, Clement Shorter and Sir William Ingram, 1st Baronet, William Ingram started ''The Sketch'' in 1893. Shorter was the first editor, from 1893 to 1900, succeeded by John Latey (journalist), John Latey (until his death in 1902) and then Keble Howard.Philip Waller, ''Writers, Readers, and Reputations: Literary Life in Britain 1870–1918'', pp. 351–2 ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Olympic Theatre (London)
The Olympic Theatre, sometimes known as the Royal Olympic Theatre, was a 19th-century London theatre, opened in 1806 and located at the junction of Drury Lane, Wych Street and Newcastle Street. The theatre specialised in comedies throughout much of its existence. Along with three other Victorian era, Victorian theatres (Opera Comique, Globe Theatre (Newcastle Street), Globe and Gaiety Theatre, London, Gaiety), the Olympic was eventually demolished in 1904 to make way for the development of the Aldwych. Newcastle and Wych streets also vanished. 1806-1849: Early days and Madame Vestris The first Olympic theatre was built in 1806 on the site of Drury House (later Craven House), for the impresario Philip Astley, a retired cavalry officer. The original name of the house was the Olympic Pavilion. It was said to be built from the timbers of the French warship ''French ship Ville de Paris (1764), Ville de Paris''. It opened on 1 December 1806 [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Camden Town
Camden Town () is an area in the London Borough of Camden, around north-northwest of Charing Cross. Historically in Middlesex, it is identified in the London Plan as one of 34 major centres in Greater London. Laid out as a residential district from 1791 and originally part of the manor of Kentish Town, Camden Town became an important location during the early development of the railways, which reinforced its position on the Blue Ribbon Network, London canal network. The area's industrial economic base has been replaced by service industries such as retail, tourism and entertainment. The area now hosts street markets and music venues associated with alternative culture. History Toponymy Camden Town is named after Charles Pratt, 1st Earl Camden. His earldom was styled after his estate, Chislehurst#Camden Place, Camden Place near Chislehurst in Kent (now in the London Borough of Bromley), formerly owned by historian William Camden. The name, which appears on the Ordnance Surve ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
KOKO (music Venue)
Koko (stylised as KOKO, previously called The Music Machine and Camden Palace) is a concert venue and former theatre in Camden Town, London. The building was known as Camden Palace from 1982 until its 2004 purchase and extensive restoration, led by Oliver Bengough and Mint Entertainment. Following the restoration, the venue was renamed as Koko, and is one of the premier live music venues in London. The venue is a fixture for many music, fashion and art partygoers and notoriously famous for its London nightlife scene. On the evening of 6 January 2020, a large fire broke out in the building. History 1900–1945: Theatre and cinema The Camden Theatre opened on Boxing Day 1900. With a capacity of 2,434 it was one of the largest theatres in London outside the West End theatre, West End. The theatre was designed by the theatre architect W. G. R. Sprague. Ellen Terry opened the theatre, then the most celebrated actress in England, who had lived in nearby Stanhope Street as a ch ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Edward Moss (impresario)
Sir Horace Edward Moss (12 April 1852 – 25 November 1912) was a British theatre impresario and the founder chairman and joint managing director of the Moss Empires Ltd theatre combine which he created in 1899, and floated on the Stock Exchange, after first joining forces with Richard Thornton of Newcastle and later with Oswald Stoll then operating in Wales. From its start and during the 20th century, Moss Empires remained the largest group of variety theatres in Britain, with over 50 venues at its height, and was regarded as the largest in the world. It was he who, in 1904, introduced a "four shows a day" system at some of his theatres; he was also the first to allow advance booking of seats in a music hall. Career and management H. E. Moss, known as Ted to family and friends, was born in Droylsden, Lancashire, the son of James and Martha Moss. His father James Moss was a fiddler and character singer in singing saloons. He was educated in Edinburgh and Glasgow, where he recei ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Oswald Stoll
Sir Oswald Stoll (né Gray; 20 January 1866 – 9 January 1942) was an Australian-born British theatre manager and the co-founder of the Stoll Moss Group theatre company. He also owned Cricklewood Studios and film production company Stoll Pictures, which was one of the leading British studios of the silent era. In 1912, he founded the Royal Variety Performance (originally Royal Command Performance) a now-annual charity show which benefits the Entertainment Artistes' Benevolent Fund. Biography Early life Born in Melbourne, Australia as Oswald Gray, he moved to England with his mother, Adelaide McConnell Gray after the death of his father James Oswald Gray. When his mother remarried, he took his stepfather's last name, Stoll. Entertainment career Theatre management At a young age, Stoll left school to help his mother, Adelaide, manage first the Parthenon music hall in Liverpool, and later a regional theatre company. The company was a success, and Stoll began to buy or build ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Holloway, London
Holloway is an area of North London in the London Borough of Islington, borough of Islington, north of Charing Cross, which follows the line of the Holloway Road (A1 road (Great Britain), A1). At the centre of Holloway is the Nag's Head, London, Nag's Head commercial area which sits between the more residential Upper Holloway and Lower Holloway neighbourhoods. Holloway has a multicultural population and includes the Emirates Stadium, home of Arsenal F.C. Until 2016, it was the site of Holloway Prison, the largest women's prison in Europe. Before 1965, it was in the historic counties of England, historic county of Middlesex. History The origins of the name are disputed; some believe that it derives from ''Valley#Hollows, Hollow'', or ''Sunken lane, Hollow way'', due to a dip in the road caused by the passage of animals and water erosion, as this was the main cattle driving route from the North into Smithfield, London, Smithfield. In Lower Holloway the former ''Back Road'', now Liv ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Wyndham's Theatre
Wyndham's Theatre is a West End theatre, one of two opened by actor/manager Charles Wyndham (the other is the Criterion Theatre). Located on Charing Cross Road in the City of Westminster, it was designed c. 1898 by W. G. R. Sprague, the architect of six other London theatres between then and 1916. It was designed to seat 759 patrons on three levels; later refurbishment increased this to four seating levels. The theatre was Grade II* listed by English Heritage in September 1960. History Wyndham had always dreamed of building a theatre of his own, and through the admiration of a patron and the financial confidence of friends, he was able to realise his dream. Wyndham's Theatre opened on 16 November 1899, in the presence of the Prince of Wales. The first play performed there was a revival of T. W. Robertson's ''David Garrick''. A number of successes followed, including Lena Ashwell playing the lead role in '' Mrs Dane's Defence'' in 1900, upon which Wyndham said that “''the ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Print Room (theatre)
The Coronet Theatre is a theatre located in Notting Hill, London. The building originated as an Off West End theatre in 1898. It became The Coronet Cinema in 1923. In 2014, it was acquired by The Print Room, a nearby theatre company (founded in Westbourne Grove in 2010), which made it its new home. It produces a programme of theatre, art, dance, poetry, film and music. The theatre is run by Artistic Director Anda Winters. The Coronet Theatre currently operates using the 195-seat main auditorium, and a smaller, 100-seat black box theatre and studio space called The Print Room. The Coronet Theatre stages lesser-known work by classic authors such as T.S Eliot, Arthur Miller and Harold Pinter, and new works by contemporary dramatists such as Brian Friel and Will Eno. History Building origins The Coronet Theatre was designed as a theatre by leading architect W. G. R. Sprague at a cost of £25,000 and opened in 1898. It was described in ''The Era'' as a "theatre of which the ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Sheffield
Sheffield is a city in South Yorkshire, England, situated south of Leeds and east of Manchester. The city is the administrative centre of the City of Sheffield. It is historically part of the West Riding of Yorkshire and some of its southern suburbs were transferred from Derbyshire to the city council. It is the largest settlement in South Yorkshire and the third largest of Northern England. The city is in the North Midlands, in the eastern foothills of the Pennines and the valleys of the River Don with its four tributaries: the Loxley, the Porter Brook, the Rivelin and the Sheaf. Sixty-one per cent of Sheffield's entire area is green space and a third of the city lies within the Peak District national park and is the fifth-largest city in England. There are more than 250 parks, woodlands and gardens in the city, which is estimated to contain around 4.5 million trees. Sheffield played a crucial role in the Industrial Revolution, developing many signifi ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Lyceum Theatre (Sheffield)
The Lyceum is a 1,068-seat theatre in the City of Sheffield, England. History There has been a theatre on the site since 1879 when the Grand Varieties Theatre was built. Made of wood and originally intended to be used as a circus, the theatre was managed by the parents of the music hall comedian Dan Leno in 1883, who regularly performed there in the early stages of his career. Leno's lease came to an end in 1884 and the theatre burnt down in 1893. This was replaced by City Theatre but this was demolished six years later to make way for what is now the Lyceum. Built to a traditional proscenium arch design, the Lyceum is the only surviving theatre outside London designed by the theatre architect W.G.R. Sprague and the last example of an Edwardian auditorium in Sheffield. The statue on top of the Lyceum Theatre is Mercury, son of Zeus and Maia. By the late 1950s, the Lyceum was experiencing financial difficulties and by 1966 bingo callers were keeping the rumoured threat of ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Newport, Wales
Newport ( ) is a city and Principal areas of Wales, county borough in Wales, situated on the River Usk close to its confluence with the Severn Estuary, northeast of Cardiff. The population grew considerably between the 2011 and the 2021 United Kingdom census, 2021 census, rising from 145,700 to 159,587, the largest growth of any unitary authority in Wales. Newport is the third-largest principal authority with City status in the United Kingdom, city status in Wales, and List of Welsh principal areas, sixth most populous overall. Newport became a unitary authority in 1996 and forms part of the Cardiff-Newport metropolitan area, and the Cardiff Capital Region. Newport has been a port since medieval times when the first Newport Castle was built by the Normans. The town outgrew the earlier Roman Britain, Roman town of Caerleon, immediately upstream and now part of the city. Newport gained its first Municipal charter, charter in 1314. It grew significantly in the 19th century when ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
