The Theatre Royal

The Theatre Royal is a theatre that has been converted into a bingo hall. It opened on December 29, 1898, and was designed by Walter Emden of London, with supervision by Herbert Crawshaw. The building is constructed from rock-faced stone with ashlar dressings and has three storeys in a classical style. Its near-symmetrical five-bay facade features rusticated ashlar quoins at the corners and a three-bay break on the first and second floors.

On the ground floor, there is a chamfered plinth with five round-arched entrances, which have alternately blocked quoins and voussoirs. The doors are designed with fielded panels, pediments, and fanlights, accompanied by two similar narrow lights. To the left, there is an elliptical-arched carriage entrance with a shaped, coped gable and ball finials. The first-floor windows are square-headed, with the windows in the first and fifth bays being tripartite and adorned with swagged friezes. The first, third, and fifth bays have triangular pediments, while the third and fourth bays feature segmental pediments. The second-floor windows are also square-headed and all windows have sash designs with sill bands. The building is topped with a deep frieze, a moulded eaves cornice, and a blocking course. The central break is crowned by a pediment, with the tympanum decorated with foliage, fruit, a cartouche, and the words "THEATRE ROYAL."

Inside, the theatre remains largely intact, except for some applied materials on the stage. It features two horseshoe galleries supported by cast-iron columns with superimposed orders. The pit, circle, and gallery were designed to accommodate 1,200 seats, with bench seating and standing room in the gallery. The gallery fronts are decorated with cartouches, and the building has a domed roof. The proscenium cover displays the Royal Arms, supported by life-size figures representing music.

Walter Emden also designed the Garrick Theatre ten years earlier.