Old Orchard Street Theatre
Encyclopedia
The Old Orchard Street Theatre in Bath, Somerset
, England was built as a provincial theatre before becoming a Roman Catholic Church and since 1865 has been a Masonic Hall
. It is a Grade II listed building.
. A New Theatre opened in Kingsmead Street in 1723 and operated until 1751.
The site for a new theatre was chosen by John Wood, the Elder
, who laid out much of the city, on the site of the old orchard of Bath Abbey
. Construction work for the theatre in Old Orchard Street began in 1747, to designs by the architects Hippesley and Watts, with the work being completed by John Powell in 1750. The theatre was 60 feet (18.3 m) long and 40 feet (12.2 m) board. It opened on 27 October, under the management of John Palmer, with a performance of William Shakespeare
’s Henry IV, Part 2
.
Palmer obtained a royal patent in 1768 which enabled the use of the title ‘Theatre Royal’; the first to achieve this outside London. He handed control to his son, also John Palmer
who worked as his father's London agent, frequently travelling between London and Bath. Palmer also owned the Theatre Royal, King Street, in Bristol
, which now houses the Bristol Old Vic
. The two theatres shared one acting company, so Palmer had to move his actors, stagehands and props quickly between Bristol and Bath, he set up a coach service which provided safe, quick and efficient transport for his actors and materials. Later, when Palmer became involved in the Post Office, he believed that the coach service he had previously run between theatres could be utilised for a countrywide mail delivery service. He continued to manage the theatre until 1785 when he was appointed as Comptroller-General of the Post Office
, and handed control to two existing members of the company, William Keasberry
and William Wyatt Dimond. Keasberry (1726–1797) was associated with the theatre as actor and manager from 1757 to 1795, first acting as manager during the season of 1760.
Sarah Siddons
joined the company between 1778 and 1782 and was amongst many leading actors of the day who performed at the theatre. During these years, the theatre performed an increasing number of plays written by women, and it has been suggested that this was due chiefly to the presence of Siddons in the company, as well as being related to the retirement of David Garrick
.
The building was used as a theatre until 1805, when the present Theatre Royal
opened. In the early years of the 19th century, Jane Austen
was familiar with the theatre in Orchard Street, which is believed to be the original of that described in chapter 12 of Northanger Abbey
.
and Downside Abbey
and consecrated in 1809. The conversion involved the removal of the stage, gallery and boxes.
After the Roman Catholic Relief Act 1829 removed many of the restrictions on Roman Catholics which had been introduced by the Act of Uniformity
, the chapel became a church and was a site for the ordination of bishops, including Peter Augustine Baines
. The vaults which had been used to store scenery was used to create stone tombs with 286 bodies being interred.
The congregation grew and in the 1850s and early 1860s a new St John's Church
was designed and built by Charles Francis Hansom
. In 1863 the congregation transferred to St John's Church and most of the bodies which had been in the vaults moved to a new churchyard.
Royal Cumberland Lodge No. 53 for £636, to become their meeting hall.
The building was damaged during the Baedeker Blitz
of 1942.
The hall is now the meeting place of eight Craft Lodges and 15 other Degrees.
Somerset
The ceremonial and non-metropolitan county of Somerset in South West England borders Bristol and Gloucestershire to the north, Wiltshire to the east, Dorset to the south-east, and Devon to the south-west. It is partly bounded to the north and west by the Bristol Channel and the estuary of the...
, England was built as a provincial theatre before becoming a Roman Catholic Church and since 1865 has been a Masonic Hall
Masonic Temple
Masonic Temple is a term commonly used in Freemasonry with multiple but related meanings. It is used to describe an abstract spiritual goal, the conceptual ritualistic space formed when a Masonic Lodge meets, and the physical rooms and structures in which a Lodge meets...
. It is a Grade II listed building.
Theatre
In 1705 the first theatre opened in Bath. It was on a site which The building by George Trim was small and cramped and made little profit in the years before its demolition in 1738. The site it was on is now the Royal National Hospital for Rheumatic DiseasesRoyal National Hospital for Rheumatic Diseases
The Royal National Hospital for Rheumatic Diseases NHS Foundation Trust is an NHS hospital trust of the National Health Service in England. It is a small, specialist Trust in the centre of Bath....
. A New Theatre opened in Kingsmead Street in 1723 and operated until 1751.
The site for a new theatre was chosen by John Wood, the Elder
John Wood, the Elder
John Wood, the Elder, , was an English architect. Born in Twerton England, a village near Bath, now a suburb, he went to school in Bath. He came back to Bath after working in Yorkshire, and it is believed, in London, in his early 20s...
, who laid out much of the city, on the site of the old orchard of Bath Abbey
Bath Abbey
The Abbey Church of Saint Peter and Saint Paul, Bath, commonly known as Bath Abbey, is an Anglican parish church and a former Benedictine monastery in Bath, Somerset, England...
. Construction work for the theatre in Old Orchard Street began in 1747, to designs by the architects Hippesley and Watts, with the work being completed by John Powell in 1750. The theatre was 60 feet (18.3 m) long and 40 feet (12.2 m) board. It opened on 27 October, under the management of John Palmer, with a performance of William Shakespeare
William Shakespeare
William Shakespeare was an English poet and playwright, widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's national poet and the "Bard of Avon"...
’s Henry IV, Part 2
Henry IV, Part 2
Henry IV, Part 2 is a history play by William Shakespeare, believed written between 1596 and 1599. It is the third part of a tetralogy, preceded by Richard II and Henry IV, Part 1 and succeeded by Henry V.-Sources:...
.
Palmer obtained a royal patent in 1768 which enabled the use of the title ‘Theatre Royal’; the first to achieve this outside London. He handed control to his son, also John Palmer
John Palmer (postal innovator)
John Palmer of Bath was a theatre owner and instigator of the British system of mail coaches that was the beginning of the great British post office reforms with the introduction of an efficient mail coach delivery service in Great Britain during the late 18th century...
who worked as his father's London agent, frequently travelling between London and Bath. Palmer also owned the Theatre Royal, King Street, in Bristol
Bristol
Bristol is a city, unitary authority area and ceremonial county in South West England, with an estimated population of 433,100 for the unitary authority in 2009, and a surrounding Larger Urban Zone with an estimated 1,070,000 residents in 2007...
, which now houses the Bristol Old Vic
Bristol Old Vic
The Bristol Old Vic is a theatre company based at the Theatre Royal, King Street, in Bristol, England. The theatre complex includes the 1766 Theatre Royal, which claims to be the oldest continually-operating theatre in England, along with a 1970s studio theatre , offices and backstage facilities...
. The two theatres shared one acting company, so Palmer had to move his actors, stagehands and props quickly between Bristol and Bath, he set up a coach service which provided safe, quick and efficient transport for his actors and materials. Later, when Palmer became involved in the Post Office, he believed that the coach service he had previously run between theatres could be utilised for a countrywide mail delivery service. He continued to manage the theatre until 1785 when he was appointed as Comptroller-General of the Post Office
Post office
A post office is a facility forming part of a postal system for the posting, receipt, sorting, handling, transmission or delivery of mail.Post offices offer mail-related services such as post office boxes, postage and packaging supplies...
, and handed control to two existing members of the company, William Keasberry
William Keasberry
William Keasberry , sometimes spelt Keasbury, was an English actor and theatre manager of the 18th century whose career was chiefly in Bath, Somerset....
and William Wyatt Dimond. Keasberry (1726–1797) was associated with the theatre as actor and manager from 1757 to 1795, first acting as manager during the season of 1760.
Sarah Siddons
Sarah Siddons
Sarah Siddons was a Welsh actress, the best-known tragedienne of the 18th century. She was the elder sister of John Philip Kemble, Charles Kemble, Stephen Kemble, Ann Hatton and Elizabeth Whitlock, and the aunt of Fanny Kemble. She was most famous for her portrayal of the Shakespearean character,...
joined the company between 1778 and 1782 and was amongst many leading actors of the day who performed at the theatre. During these years, the theatre performed an increasing number of plays written by women, and it has been suggested that this was due chiefly to the presence of Siddons in the company, as well as being related to the retirement of David Garrick
David Garrick
David Garrick was an English actor, playwright, theatre manager and producer who influenced nearly all aspects of theatrical practice throughout the 18th century and was a pupil and friend of Dr Samuel Johnson...
.
The building was used as a theatre until 1805, when the present Theatre Royal
Theatre Royal, Bath
The Theatre Royal in Bath, England, is over 200 years old. It is one of the more important theatres in the United Kingdom outside London, with capacity for an audience of around 900....
opened. In the early years of the 19th century, Jane Austen
Jane Austen
Jane Austen was an English novelist whose works of romantic fiction, set among the landed gentry, earned her a place as one of the most widely read writers in English literature, her realism and biting social commentary cementing her historical importance among scholars and critics.Austen lived...
was familiar with the theatre in Orchard Street, which is believed to be the original of that described in chapter 12 of Northanger Abbey
Northanger Abbey
Northanger Abbey was the first of Jane Austen's novels to be completed for publication, though she had previously made a start on Sense and Sensibility and Pride and Prejudice. According to Cassandra Austen's Memorandum, Susan was written approximately during 1798–99...
.
Catholic church
After four years standing empty the building was converted into a Roman Catholic chapel by the authorities of Prior ParkPrior Park College
Prior Park College is a Roman Catholic co-educational independent school for both day and boarding pupils.It is situated on a hill overlooking the city of Bath, in Somerset, in south-west England...
and Downside Abbey
Downside Abbey
The Basilica of St Gregory the Great at Downside, commonly known as Downside Abbey, is a Roman Catholic Benedictine monastery and the Senior House of the English Benedictine Congregation. One of its main apostolates is a school for children aged nine to eighteen...
and consecrated in 1809. The conversion involved the removal of the stage, gallery and boxes.
After the Roman Catholic Relief Act 1829 removed many of the restrictions on Roman Catholics which had been introduced by the Act of Uniformity
Act of Uniformity
Over the course of English parliamentary history there were a number of acts of uniformity. All had the basic object of establishing some sort of religious orthodoxy within the English church....
, the chapel became a church and was a site for the ordination of bishops, including Peter Augustine Baines
Peter Augustine Baines
Peter Augustine Baines was an English Benedictine, Titular Bishop of Siga and Vicar Apostolic of the Western District of England.-Life:...
. The vaults which had been used to store scenery was used to create stone tombs with 286 bodies being interred.
The congregation grew and in the 1850s and early 1860s a new St John's Church
St John's Church, Bath
St. John the Evangelist R.C. Church is located on the South Parade in the southeast section of Bath City Centre, in the old Ham District where Georgian architect John Wood the Elder had originally planned his forum...
was designed and built by Charles Francis Hansom
Charles Francis Hansom
Charles Francis Hansom was a prominent Roman Catholic Victorian architect who primarily designed in the Gothic Revival style.-Career:...
. In 1863 the congregation transferred to St John's Church and most of the bodies which had been in the vaults moved to a new churchyard.
Masonic Hall
The building stood empty until 1866 when it was acquired, along with adjacent buildings by the MasonicFreemasonry
Freemasonry is a fraternal organisation that arose from obscure origins in the late 16th to early 17th century. Freemasonry now exists in various forms all over the world, with a membership estimated at around six million, including approximately 150,000 under the jurisdictions of the Grand Lodge...
Royal Cumberland Lodge No. 53 for £636, to become their meeting hall.
The building was damaged during the Baedeker Blitz
Baedeker Blitz
The Baedeker Blitz or Baedeker raids were a series of Vergeltungsangriffe by the German air force on English cities in response to the bombing of the erstwhile Hanseatic League city of Lübeck during the night from 28 to 29 March 1942 during World War II.-Background:Lübeck was bombed on the night...
of 1942.
The hall is now the meeting place of eight Craft Lodges and 15 other Degrees.
Further reading
- Heather Bryant, Theatre Royal, Bath: a calendar of performances at the Orchard Street Theatre, 1750-1805 (Kingsmead Press, 1977)