Theatre Royal, Hanley

The Theatre Royal in Hanley stands in the heart of Stoke-on-Trent’s Potteries district. It began in 1852 as the Royal Pottery Theatre, converted from a Methodist chapel on Brunswick Street. The first building seated 1,400 after a major extension in 1857. A second theatre opened in 1870 with room for 3,600, designed by R. Twemlow. Its entrance arch still marks the Fiction nightclub today. James Elphinstone took charge in 1872 and his family ran the venue for many years. The third theatre, rebuilt in 1887 by Elphinstone with plans from Charles J. Phipps and Frank Matcham, seated 2,600. Matcham added an electric lighting system in 1894 and enlarged the auditorium. The theatre presented drama, opera and musical comedy until variety shows dominated in the 1920s. Local dancers known as the Hanley Babes became famous in annual pantomimes. A fire on 2 June 1949 destroyed the stage and auditorium during a Sadler’s Wells Ballet season. A new theatre opened in 1951 with three levels seating 1,800, designed by Edward Foresaw and George Greaves. Annie Get Your Gun launched the rebuilt venue. Owners Mecca turned it into a bingo hall in 1961, later adding a casino. After closure in 1981, a trust reopened it in 1982 with Babes in the Wood. Mike Lloyd bought the building in 1996 for refurbishment but it was sold and gutted in 2000. Today it houses two nightclubs in the shell of the former theatre.