Subject

The theatre was opened by Herbert Beerbohm Tree and it originally produced plays and melodrama. By the 1920s it had become a venue for touring companies. Sarah Bernhardt and Sir Henry Irving were guest performers and 'Man of Destiny' by George Bernard Shaw had its premier here. It closed during the blitz and reopened after the war with long seasons of repertory and an annual pantomime. In spite of strong local opposition it was eventually demolished and replaced by a nondescript block of offices and shops.