FRANK MATCHAM
Theatre Architect
1854 - 1920
Arguably the greatest and most prolific of British theatre architects, Matcham and his contemporaries, C.J.Phipps; William G.R. Sprague; Bertie Crewe; Frank T.Verity; Walter Emden; Alfred Darbyshire; Ernest Runtz and W. & T.R. Milburn amongst others, were responsible for approximately 400 odd theatres and places of entertainment during the Late Victorian and Edwardian eras in the United Kingdom.
Born in Devon, Matcham worked for a time in the Torquay area before eventually moving to London and joining the practice of Jethro Robinson - one of the foremost theatre architects of the day. During the following years Matcham became responsible for building or reconstructing/renovating over 80 theatres - many of which have subsequently disappeared. Towards the end of his life he was also involved in the designs for several cinemas. His designs, never the same twice, range from Georgian style through Italian Gothic to ornate Oriental style and richly decorated opulence. He was as equally at home with large auditoria as with more intimate spaces.
Matcham also designed the County Arcade in Leeds and the Tower Circus and Tower Ballroom in Blackpool.
LIST OF THEATRES DESIGNED OR REFURBISHED/RECONSTRUCTED IN WHOLE OR IN PART BY FRANK MATCHAM.
Those marked in RED are still being used as theatres, those in GREEN now have been put to other use, eg cinema or bingo - the remainder, (like so many theatres in Britain), have subsequently been demolished. Links in BLUE are provided to those working theatres currently having a full database entry on this website.
NORTHERN IRELAND
BELFAST :
Grand Opera House
REPUBLIC OF IRELAND
DUBLIN :
2nd Theatre Royal
(See also: Lost Theatres in Ireland in EUROPE Section)
WALES
CARDIFF :
Empire Palace
NEWPORT :
Palace Theatre
ISLE OF MAN
DOUGLAS :
Gaiety Theatre
Grand Theatre
SCOTLAND
ABERDEEN :
His Majesty's Theatre
Tivoli Theatre
EDINBURGH :
Empire Palace Theatre
GLASGOW :
Hengler's Theatre
Gaiety Theatre
Coliseum Theatre
Empire Theatre
Royalty Theatre
King's Theatre
ENGLAND :
ASHTON-UNDER-LYNE :
Theatre Royal
BIRMINGHAM :
Empire Palace Theatre
Grand Theatre
Prince of Wales' Theatre
BLACKBURN :
Theatre Royal
BLACKPOOL :
1st Grand Theatre
Opera House
{Tower Ballroom}
{Tower Circus}
BOLTON :
Theatre Royal
Grand Theatre
BRIGHTON :
Eden Theatre
Alhambra Theatre
Hippodrome Theatre
BRISTOL :
Prince's Theatre
Hippodrome Theatre
BURY :
Theatre Royal & Opera House
BUXTON :
Opera House
CASTLEFORD :
Theatre Royal
CHELTENHAM :
Theatre Royal (Everyman Theatre)
COLCHESTER :
Grand Theatre
Hippodrome Theatre
DERBY :
Grand Theatre
EASTBOURNE :
Devonshire Park Theatre
GREAT YARMOUTH :
Theatre Royal
HALIFAX :
Grand Theatre
HANLEY :
Grand Theatre
Theatre Royal
HARROGATE :
Royal Hall
HULL :
Grand Theatre & Opera House
Palace Theatre
IPSWICH :
Hippodrome Theatre
KEIGHLY :
Queen's Theatre & Opera House
LEEDS :
Empire Palace Theatre
{County Arcade}
LEICESTER :
Palace Theatre of Varieties
LIVERPOOL :
Alexandra Theatre
Olympia Theatre
LONDON :
Alexandra Theatre, Stoke Newington
Alhambra Palace Theatre, Leicester Square
Brixton Theatre & Opera House, Brixton
Canterbury Music Hall, Lambeth
Chiswick Empire, Chiswick
Elephant & Castle Theatre, Southwark
Finsbury Park Empire, Finsbury Park
Grand Theatre, Islington
Granville Theatre, Waltham Green
Hackney Empire, Hackney
Hammersmith Palace Theatre, Hammersmith
Holborn Empire, Holborn
Ilford Hippodrome, Ilford
Lewisham Hippodrome, Catford
London Coliseum, Westminster
London Hippodrome, Westminster
London Palladium, Westminster
Lyric Opera House, Hammersmith
Marlborough Theatre, Islington
Metropolitan Music Hall, Edgeware Road
New Cross Empire, New Cross
New Middlesex Theatre, Holborn
Paragon Theatre, Stepney
Queen's Royal Opera House, Crouch End
Richmond Theatre, Richmond Upon Thames
Shepherd's Bush Empire, Shepherd's Bush
Shoreditch Empire, Shoreditch
Stratford Borough Theatre, Stratford East
Terry's Theatre, Westminster
Victoria Palace Theatre, Victoria
Willesden Empire, Willesden Wood Green
Empire, Wood Green
Woolwich Empire, Woolwich
LONGTON :
Empire Theatre
MANCHESTER :
Ardwick Empire
Hippodrome Theatre
Gaiety Theatre
MORECAMBE :
Royalty Theatre
NEWCASTLE-UPON-TYNE :
Empire Palace Theatre
Olympia Theatre
Theatre Royal
NOTTINGHAM :
Empire Palace Theatre
Theatre Royal
PORTSMOUTH :
Prince's Theatre
Theatre Royal
READING :
Royal County Theatre
ROCHDALE :
Theatre Royal
ST. HELEN'S :
Theatre Royal & Opera House
SALFORD :
Regent Theatre
SHEFFIELD :
Empire Theatre
Theatre Royal
SOUTHPORT :
Opera House
SOUTHSEA :
King's Theatre
SOUTH SHIELDS :
Empire Palace Theatre
STOCKPORT :
Theatre Royal
WAKEFIELD :
Theatre Royal & Opera House
