Globe Theatre

The Globe Theatre stood in Westminster on the corner of Wych and Newcastle Streets. Built in 1868, it was a Victorian playhouse designed by its owner Sefton Parry. The site had once held Lyon’s Inn, an old legal building, but by the 1860s the area had fallen into decay. Parry constructed the theatre cheaply, hoping for compensation when the whole district was cleared. It seated 1,510 people with standing room for 290 more. The auditorium was richly decorated, and the act-drop curtain showed Anne Hathaway’s cottage. The theatre became famous for long-running shows. Charley’s Aunt by Brandon Thomas ran for 1,466 performances after transferring from the Royalty Theatre. The Private Secretary by Charles Hawtrey lasted 785 nights, and The Chimes of Normandy had 705 performances. Performers like Kate Terry and her daughter Mabel Terry-Lewis appeared there. The rebuilt theatre in the 1870s had a domed ceiling with a glass roof for natural light and ventilation. Visitors entered through Wych Street for the gallery or Newcastle Street for the stalls and boxes. The pit was many feet below street level, reached by steep steps. The Globe backed onto the Opera Comique, known as the ‘rickety twins’ because performers could hear each other through the thin walls. After 1900 the Strand Improvement Scheme led to its demolition in 1902, replaced by the Aldwych and Kingsway development.