Theatre Royal And Undercroft

Theatre Royal and Undercroft

The Theatre Royal is a theatre incorporating part of an undercroft of the former St Leonard's Hospital in its basement, located on St Leonard's Place in York. The undercroft dates from the 12th century. A theatre has occupied this site since 1744, with the present building constructed in 1879-80 to designs by G Styan, City Engineer. The interior was remodelled in 1901-2 by FA Tugwell of Scarborough. An extension was added in 1967 by Patrick Gwynne and RA Sefton, and the building was refurbished in the late 20th century. The theatre was granted the Royal patent in 1769 when Tate Wilkinson was manager and lessee.

The exterior is constructed of rock-faced sandstone with slate roofs, in the Gothic Revival style. The main front is three storeys tall with an attic storey. A three-bay gabled section projects over a five-bay buttressed arcade, with a set-back three-storey bay to the left and two similar two-storey bays to the right. A further two-storey extension sits to the left. The main entrance is located in the extension, which features full-height curtain walls of glass carried on hexagonal concrete columns rising into vaulted canopies.

The arcade consists of two-centred arches of two orders with chamfered inner orders, carried on responds and shafts with stiff-leaf capitals. The arches sit beneath hoodmoulds on head or foliate stops, with spandrels containing roundels, some carved in low relief with female heads. Above runs a corbel cornice and parapet incorporating a band of heraldic shields set in sunk panels, which are blank except for one at each end carved with the cross of St George.

The centre of the first floor contains a canted oriel window with four two-centred arched lights between clustered shafts, surmounted by a steeply pitched half-hexagonal roof with gargoyles and a blind trefoiled band at its base. Flanking the oriel on the first and second floors are narrow paired single-pane sash windows. On the first floor these sit in two-centred arches of two orders with sunk quatrefoils in the tympana; on the second floor they are beneath lintels carved in relief with stiff leaf foliage. Foliate capitals on the first floor extend to form a full-width carved impost band returned at both ends; the second floor windows have a sillstring. The attic window comprises two square-headed louvred lights in blind two-centred arches on coupled shafts within a single two-centred arch with a blind sunk quatrefoil in the tympanum.

The gable is edged with a blind trefoiled band over corbelled eaves string, and is flanked by a bartizan at each side. Steeply gabled dormers with plain bargeboards are set on each side, with windows of paired trefoil-headed lights—single-pane sashes to the left and louvred to the right. The gable is crowned with a standing figure in a cross-gabled niche with crockets and finials.

The left end bay has two blind window arches on the first floor, a blank second floor, and a pierced parapet. The right end bays have two square-headed sash windows in two-centred arches of two orders with waterleaf capitals on the ground floor, with blind tympana containing sunk quatrefoils and hoodmoulds on head or grotesque stops. First-floor windows repeat those of the gabled front. A coved impost band on the ground floor returns at the right end, carved with stiff leaf.

The 1967 extension is constructed of reinforced concrete and glass, featuring full-height curtain walls on hexagonal columns with vaulted canopies.

Internally, the rear of the stage is formed by a length of medieval wall incorporating towards its left end the springing of a four-centred gate arch of voussoirs. Above this is a flat cornice and a high wall pierced by two cruciform arrow slits. At the right end of the building, a semi-basement is located within two visible bays of a vaulted undercroft. The undercroft features groined semicircular arches springing from squat cylindrical columns and square piers or responds with scalloped capitals.

The 1901-2 auditorium includes stalls, dress circle, upper circle and gallery levels. A proscenium arch with a shield motif is flanked by three tiers of bowed boxes set beneath segmental arches. Columns on the dress circle box fronts feature scallop and shell decoration, whilst those on other tiers also display similar ornament.

The 1967 foyer is formed of two storeys of mushroom columns, with those on the upper floor oversailing to permit full-height glazing. The concrete has an exposed aggregate finish. A serpentine cantilevered staircase with marble edging and metal handrail rises through the space. The rear wall is of slate, and the upper floors feature mosaic walling. A workshop was added behind the foyer.

The first theatre on this site opened in 1744. The present structure is one of York's finest Gothic Revival buildings and retains substantial evidence of its medieval predecessor within the fabric of its undercroft and stage wall.