The Royalty Theatre, Corner of Sauchiehall Street and Renfield Street, Glasgow

Later - The Lyric Picture Palace / The Lyric Theatre

Glasgow Index

Above - The Royalty Theatre, Glasgow when in use as a Cinema showing silent films under the name of The Lyric Picture Palace, Circa 1914 - Courtesy Graeme Smith

The Royalty Theatre, on Sauchiehall Street at the corner of Renfield Street, came into existence in 1879 because, two blocks away, the Theatre Royal, Hope Street, Cowcaddens went on fire in February that year. The Central Halls Company was building its complex of offices, shops and a hall, all designed by the architect James Thomson, and got approval to include a Theatre, starting on the first floor, which opened on the 22nd of December 1879 with a production of Offenbach's operetta 'Madame Favart'. The Theatre was designed by James Thomson and a young Frank Matcham, one of his first commissions.

Right - A poster for a Benefit production of 'Our Party' with Horatio Lloyd, Arthur Lloyd, and Katty King, at the Royalty Theatre, Glasgow on October 24th 1884 - Click to Enlarge. Horatio Lloyd writes on this, his last appearance on any stage, in his autobiography here.

The first lessee, for six years, was Edward Knapp, former manager of the Theatre Royal, and the Royalty became famous for its comedies, plays and opera and thrived in contrast to the Theatre Royal, which reopened in 1880. The second lessees from December 1885 were Mr Howard and Mr Wyndham who ran the Edinburgh Royal Lyceum from 1883 and Newcastle Theatre Royal, also from 1883. The theatre switched to electricity in February 1888 a few years after the larger and luxurious Gaiety in Sauchiehall Street which competed with a quality fare of pantomimes, plays and opera.

Left - A programme cover for the Royalty Theatre in 1882 - Courtesy Graeme Smith.

The Royalty was one of the four founding theatres of Howard & Wyndham Ltd when the company was created by Michael Simons at the revived Theatre Royal in 1895.

The Royalty Theatre continued as the main Glasgow base of The D'Oyly Carte Opera, a Poster for one of their 1909 Seasons can be seen right.

Right - A Poster for the D'oyly Carte Company performing several Gilbert & Sullivan Operettas at the Royalty Theatre, Glasgow in December 1909 - Courtesy Simon Moss, stagememories from the John Cannon Collection.

From 1909 the Royalty also added to its fare fixed seasons each year of repertory plays performed by the newly formed Scottish Playgoers Ltd., led by Alfred Wareing.

Right - A cartoon of Alfred Wareing, the founder of the renowned Scottish Playgoers - Courtesy Graeme Smith.

When Howard & Wyndham's lease ended in 1913 the Central Halls Company showed silent films using the name Lyric Picture Palace.

During World War I the Glasgow United YMCA bought the whole Royalty complex, making it a Hostel for Soldiers and Sailors, and after the war restarted the Theatre as the Lyric Theatre, with its own Lyric Orchestra under the auspices of the YMCA.

Left - A Programme for the Phoenix Light Operatic Club's production of 'The Maid of The Mountains' at the Lyric Theatre, Glasgow in October 1952. See Cast details below.

Although small in size the Lyric Theatre was a favourite of professional and amateur companies until it was demolished at the end of the 1950s. A Programme for the Lyric Theatre's production of 'The Maid of the Mountains' in 1952 can be seen left and below.

The above text was written and kindly sent for inclusion on the site by Graeme Smith, and is from his book 'THE THEATRE ROYAL: Entertaining a Nation'.

Above - Cast Details from a Programme for the Phoenix Light Operatic Club's production of 'The Maid of The Mountains' at the Lyric Theatre, Glasgow in October 1952. See Cover above.