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Theatre Royal, Wakefield

Culture in WakefieldGrade II* listed theatresListed buildings in WakefieldTheatres in West YorkshireUnited Kingdom theatre (structure) stubs
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Theatre Royal, Wakefield (17216645475)
Theatre Royal, Wakefield (17216645475)

The Theatre Royal Wakefield is a theatre in Wakefield, England, which dates back to 1894. The theatre was originally known as the Theatre Royal and Opera House and dates back to the 1770s.The theatre lies on the corner Westgate and Drury Lane. It was designed in 1894 as the Wakefield Opera House, by theatre architect Frank Matcham, and was built for a price of £13,000. The Theatre Royal Wakefield is the smallest remaining of Matcham's theatres.In the 1920s the theatre had to compete against cinemas and in the summer live shows were replaced by films. In 1954 the theatre closed and became a picture house, and a few years later, a bingo hall. However, in 1981 it reopened as the Wakefield Theatre Royal under chairman Sir Rodney Walker. Support was given to revitalise the theatre from city leaders and music and drama amateurs and professionals.Theatre Royal Wakefield operates as both a producing and a receiving house. In 2011 British playwright John Godber joined the Theatre as Creative Director, and the Theatre now plays a producing role for The John Godber Company.Theatre Royal Wakefield works with young people, with its Performance Academy operating across two sites in Wakefield and Pontefract. It runs dance, music and drama training for children aged from 5 to 18, as well as its youth company, Wakefield Youth Music Theatre.In 2012 the Theatre applied for funding from the Heritage Lottery Fund for a £2.6 million project to restore the theatre building.

Excerpt from the Wikipedia article Theatre Royal, Wakefield (License: CC BY-SA 3.0, Authors, Images).

Theatre Royal, Wakefield
Drury Lane, Wakefield Belle Isle

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N 53.682087 ° E -1.5027 °
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Theatre Royal Wakefield

Drury Lane
WF1 2TE Wakefield, Belle Isle
England, United Kingdom
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theatreroyalwakefield.co.uk

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Theatre Royal, Wakefield (17216645475)
Theatre Royal, Wakefield (17216645475)
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Nearby Places

Milnes' Orangery
Milnes' Orangery

Milnes' Orangery is a historic building in the city centre of Wakefield, in West Yorkshire, in England. In about 1752, the cloth manufacturer Pemberton Milnes built a house on Westgate, later known as Pemberton House. In 1795, his daughter, Mary Milnes, the Dowager Viscountess of Galway, inherited the house. She had an interest in horticulture, and constructed an orangery in the garden. Milnes died in 1835, and the orangery was then leased out. In 1839, it became a small zoo with a dancing bear, then in 1842 it became a public bath.In 1849, Daniel Gaskell inherited the house and orangery. The following year, he donated the garden to the trustees of the neighbouring Westgate Unitarian Chapel. The orangery briefly operated as a non-denominational school, but this was not successful, and it was then leased to a succession of private schools, while the gardens served as a graveyard. A lodge was constructed at the entrance to the garden.The last school closed in 1957, and the building served as a hall for the chapel until 1996, when it was purchased by the Public Arts charity, which ran events at the venue. It later passed to Wakefield Council, and the charity moved out in 2015.The single-storey building is in the style of Robert Adam. Its central section is five bays wide, and there are five bay wings either side. It is built of stone, partially covered in stucco. Part of the central section has large sash windows, added in the mid 19th century. The building has been Grade II* listed since 1971.

Wakefield Mechanics' Institute
Wakefield Mechanics' Institute

Wakefield Mechanics' Institute is a historic building in the city centre of Wakefield, in West Yorkshire, in England. The building was constructed between 1820 and 1821, to serve as public rooms, with a music saloon on the first floor. The saloon opened in 1823, and the building soon also housed a subscription library, a newsroom, a savings bank, and a public dispensary, which was in the basement. The dispensary closed in 1832 following the death of the apothecary, who was living in the damp basement. Public baths were instead installed in the basement. From 1828, the saloon housed the town's annual charity ball, its most prominent social event.In 1838, a corn exchange was opened on Westgate, and events were instead held in its assembly room. In 1842, the saloon became a mechanics' institute. In 1897, the National Federation of SubPostmasters was founded at a meeting at the institute. In 1910, the building was renamed as the Institute of Literature and Science, but it declined in popularity, and closed in 1935. It was taken over by Wakefield Council, which let rooms out to various organisations, while allowing the saloon to be used for events.In 1955, the building became Wakefield Museum, which remained there until 2012. It was Grade II* listed in 1971.The building is two storeys high and five bays wide. It is built of sandstone, with rustication on the ground floor; the roof is covered in Welsh slate. The upper floors feature Ionic order pilasters, sash windows, and above them a frieze in which is inscribed "MECHANICS' INSTITUTION". The rear elevation is stuccoed and includes windows to the basement. There are wrought iron railings, with some finials in the form of urns.