| AdminHistory | Opened on part of the gardens of Exeter House, the Strand, as a room for exhibitions, concerts and entertainments, 1772; served many purposes in the ensuing years until it was converted into a small theatre by Dr Samuel Arnold in 1794; Arnold was unable to obtain a licence, so it was taken over by Handy's Circus and for time became known as the New Circus; by 1799 it was known as the Lyceum Theatre, giving mixed entertainment, including occasional plays; Arnold was able to obtain a licence in 1809 after the Theatre Royal, Drury Lane, was destroyed by fire, and it opened as the Theatre Royal, Lyceum; renamed the Theatre Royal, English Opera, 1815, and completely rebuilt; destroyed by fire, 1830; rebuilt and opened as the Royal Lyceum and English Opera House, generally known as the Royal Lyceum Theatre, 1834; Henry Irving took over the management, 1878, with Ellen Terry as his leading lady; taken over by a syndicate, 1899; the building was pulled down, 1903; a new building opened as a music hall, but this lasted only six months; a season of ballet followed, 1905, but the theatre again closed; in 1907 it again became a theatre, presenting popular drama; purchased by the London City Council for demolition in connection with a road improvement, later abandoned, 1939; leased to Mecca and re-opened as a dance hall, 1945; restored and re-opened as a theatre by the Theatres Trust, 1996. |