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91-457: The Angles Theatre is a theatre and historic Georgian playhouse in the market town of Wisbech , Isle of Ely , Cambridgeshire, England. It is among the oldest of Britain's theatres. The current premises consists of the original theatre building and a former library, originally an "infant" school built in 1837, both of which are Grade II listed . The patrons are Sir Derek Jacobi , Jo Brand , Claire Tomalin and Dame Cleo Laine . The theatre

182-399: A balustrade or the top of a pediment . Columns or pilasters , often topped by a pediment, were popular for ornament inside and out, and other ornament was generally geometrical or plant-based, rather than using the human figure. Inside ornament was far more generous, and could sometimes be overwhelming. The chimneypiece continued to be the usual main focus of rooms, and was now given

273-420: A suburban compromise between the terraced houses of the city and the detached "villas" further out, where land was cheaper. There had been occasional examples in town centres going back to medieval times. Most early suburban examples are large, and in what are now the outer fringes of Central London, but were then in areas being built up for the first time. Blackheath , Chalk Farm and St John's Wood are among

364-647: A building; such arrangements were only typical in England when housing groups of batchelors, as in Oxbridge colleges, the lawyers in the Inns of Court or the Albany after it was converted in 1802. In the period in question, only in Edinburgh were working-class purpose-built tenements common, though lodgers were common in other cities. A curving crescent , often looking out at gardens or

455-442: A classical treatment, and increasingly topped by a painting or a mirror. Plasterwork ceilings, carved wood, and bold schemes of wallpaint formed a backdrop to increasingly rich collections of furniture, paintings, porcelain , mirrors, and objets d'art of all kinds. Wood-panelling, very common since about 1500, fell from favour around the mid-century, and wallpaper included very expensive imports from China. Smaller houses in

546-487: A distance. The height was usually highest in the centre, and the Baroque emphasis on corner pavilions often found on the continent generally avoided. In grand houses, an entrance hall led to steps up to a piano nobile or mezzanine floor where the main reception rooms were. Typically the basement area or "rustic", with kitchens, offices and service areas, as well as male guests with muddy boots, came some way above ground, and

637-651: A lecture in January 1837. The five-week 1837 season opened in February with The Stranger followed by the farce Love, Law, and Physics . The theatre was described as having a ceiling "designed from the celebrated Painting by Rubens , in the Louvre ; the Fronts of the two tiers of Boxes are formed in compartments of Groups of Figures from the Mythology: the space between each Panel finished by

728-623: A letter of introduction he took out he is described as a fellow of Queen's College. In 1813 Holman and Miss Holman played at the Chestnut Street Theatre, Philadelphia . He undertook the management of the Walnut Street Theatre in the city, and failed there. Holman then (1815) managed Charleston Theatre in Charleston, South Carolina , he went to England for additional performers, returned and married Mary Sarah Latimer (1797-1859),

819-409: A park, was popular for terraces where space allowed. In early and central schemes of development, plots were sold and built on individually, though there was often an attempt to enforce some uniformity, but as development reached further out schemes were increasingly built as a uniform scheme and then sold. The late Georgian period saw the birth of the semi-detached house, planned systematically, as

910-652: A sign of their fealty to Britain, and the Georgian style was dominant in the country for most of the first half of the 19th century. The Grange , for example, is a Georgian manor built in Toronto in 1817. In Montreal , English-born architect John Ostell worked on a significant number of remarkable constructions in the Georgian style such as the Old Montreal Custom House and the Grand séminaire de Montréal . In Australia ,

1001-497: A singer in 1817. He died, according to one account, of apoplexy at Rockaway on Long Island , on 24 August 1817, and, according to another, of yellow fever. His dramatic works consist of: Holman only acted in one of his own plays. In 1798 Holman married Jane, youngest daughter of the Hon. and Rev. Frederick Hamilton, a direct descendant of the Duke of Hamilton . She died June 11, 1810. He

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1092-636: A splendid Drapery of Green and Gold, in imitation of the Ornamental arrangement of the Italian Opera in 1831, the whole forming a coup d'oeil of elegant embellishment never before attempted in Wisbech". Hill was also the owner of the newspaper The Star in the East , in which he promoted the theatre's productions, such as the four day engagement of vocalist Harriet Waylett . He built a progressive infant school in front of

1183-603: A tenant. The Licensing Act 1737 was modified by the Theatres Act 1843 so that spoken drama could be performed in any theatre. In August 1843 the theatre was used for a concert by the Ely Cathedral choir. In November 1843 the Wisbech Theatre was again put up for auction "in an excellent condition". In 1845 Joseph Richardson 's Rock Band gave morning and evening concerts with their lithophone . Star appearances at Wisbech and

1274-463: A theatre on Deadman's Lane (later Great Church Street and now Alexandra Road) is a benefit performance, for Mr and Mrs James Edward Miller, of the play The Battle of Hexham , on 20 May 1791, which was the last performance of the 1791 season. The Stamford Mercury of 24 February 1792 stated, "A correspondent from Wisbech informs us, that a very elegant theatre is just fitted up in the compleatest stile (sic), and will be opened on Saturday, March 3d, with

1365-399: Is also normally in the classical tradition, but typically restrained, and sometimes almost completely absent on the exterior. The period brought the vocabulary of classical architecture to smaller and more modest buildings than had been the case before, replacing English vernacular architecture (or becoming the new vernacular style) for almost all new middle-class homes and public buildings by

1456-567: Is generally used to describe all buildings from the period, regardless of style; in Britain it is generally restricted to buildings that are "architectural in intention", and have stylistic characteristics that are typical of the period, though that covers a wide range. The Georgian style is highly variable, but marked by symmetry and proportion based on the classical architecture of Greece and Rome , as revived in Renaissance architecture . Ornament

1547-456: Is wanted for ordinary purposes in a short time. The Stamford Mercury reported, in 1842: "A Travelling fair known as The Mart arrives in Wisbech each March for 'Mart Week'. ... [B]oth travelling performers and the local theatre sought to benefit from the large crowds attending the fair and race weeks." Other travelling exhibitions used the theatre as a venue; in November 1842 a Grand Moving Panorama

1638-978: The Angles Theatre ) run by Thomas Shaftoe Robertson in April, 1812. On 8th he played Rolla in Kotzebue 's Pizarro , on 10th Othello in Shakespeare's play and on 11th (their last night) Macbeth in Macbeth, King of Scotland . The handbills for these plays are amongst the hundreds held in the collection of the Wisbech & Fenland Museum . Holman went to America in 1812, and took with him Amelia, his daughter, who played in New York, Lady Townly in The Provoked Husband to his Lord Townly, and supported him throughout his American career. In

1729-610: The Old Colonial Georgian residential and non-residential styles were developed in the period from c.  1810  – c.  1840 . After about 1840, Georgian conventions were slowly abandoned as a number of revival styles, including Gothic Revival , that had originated in the Georgian period, developed and contested in Victorian architecture , and in the case of Gothic became better researched, and closer to their originals. Neoclassical architecture remained popular, and

1820-621: The Robber's Wife ; a full house was reported. In May 1847 Mr Davenport, manager of several Norfolk theatres, took a season at the Wisbech theatre, which commenced with Richard III . In August the Distin family performed a well attended concert. The following year, the composer Henry Russell gave a concert at the theatre in May. In August Robertson had a portable theatre erected in Pickard's Lane in Wisbech. Whereas

1911-555: The Venetian Giacomo Leoni , who spent most of his career in England. Other prominent architects of the early Georgian period include James Paine , Robert Taylor , and John Wood, the Elder . The European Grand Tour became very common for wealthy patrons in the period, and Italian influence remained dominant, though at the start of the period Hanover Square, Westminster (1713 on), developed and occupied by Whig supporters of

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2002-579: The Villa Pisani at Montagnana , Italy as depicted in Andrea Palladio 's I quattro libri dell'architettura ("The Four Books of Architecture"). After independence, in the former American colonies , Federal-style architecture represented the equivalent of Regency architecture, with which it had much in common. In Canada , the United Empire Loyalists embraced Georgian architecture as

2093-631: The suburbs , is known in the UK as mock-Georgian . Joseph George Holman Joseph George Holman (1764–1817) was an English actor, dramatist and actor-manager . Born in August 1764, he was son of John Major Holman of St. Giles's, Middlesex, an ensign and adjutant in the British service, who died when his son was two years of age. He was placed by an uncle at Barwis's school in Soho Square , where amateur acting

2184-566: The Americas. Unlike the Baroque style that it replaced, which was mostly used for palaces and churches, and had little representation in the British colonies, simpler Georgian styles were widely used by the upper and middle classes. Perhaps the best remaining house is the pristine Hammond-Harwood House (1774) in Annapolis , Maryland , designed by the colonial architect William Buckland and modelled on

2275-599: The Angles Theatre Company staged She Stoops to Conquer . This was one of the most regularly staged plays in the theatre's heyday. This may be in part because its author, Oliver Goldsmith , stayed with the Lumpkin family at Park House, Leverington , and lampooned his friend Nicholas Lumpkin (1748–1825); Goldsmith may even have written part of the play while at Park House. After spending much of his wealth Lumpkin moved to Wisbech where he died in 1825. On 23 September 1979

2366-582: The British Isles were Edinburgh , Bath , pre-independence Dublin , and London , and to a lesser extent York and Bristol . The style was revived in the late 19th century in the United States as Colonial Revival architecture and in the early 20th century in Great Britain as Neo-Georgian architecture ; in both it is also called Georgian Revival architecture . In the United States, the term Georgian

2457-517: The Georgian period were very often constructed of wood with clapboards; even columns were made of timber, framed up, and turned on an oversized lathe. At the start of the period the difficulties of obtaining and transporting brick or stone made them a common alternative only in the larger cities, or where they were obtainable locally. Dartmouth College , Harvard University and the College of William and Mary offer leading examples of Georgian architecture in

2548-553: The High street by the company of James Augustus "Jemmy" Whitley (c. 1724–1781) for a season in 1779. Whitley announced, in 1779, an intention to build an elegant and extensive structure for the 1780 season. With Whitley's death, however, that theatre was never built, and the way was left open for the development of a theatre in Wisbech by others. The Theatrical Representations Act 1788 allowed local magistrates to license occasional performances for periods of up to 60 days. An early reference to

2639-617: The Robertson theatre company. T. W. Robertson , the son of her nephew, William Shaftoe Robertson , performed here, aged five, as Hamish, the son of the title character in Rob Roy . The banker James Hill (father of Octavia Hill and Miranda Hill ) bought the theatre and adjoining land in 1835 and started to invest money in the theatre and in further developing the site. The two Masters Grossmith (William and Benjamin) performed in December 1835. When

2730-507: The Sutton road were used as theatres in the 18th century. The Whitley and Herbert company of comedians performed in the town during Wisbech Race Week in June 1777. In 1778 or 1779 Italian writer Giuseppe Marc'Antonio Baretti attended a theatre performance here. Other early theatres in Wisbech, referred to in newspapers and other documents, appear to have been temporary structures such as that erected near

2821-673: The Ventidius of Thomas Potter Cooke . On 22 August 1812, as Jaffier in Thomas Otway 's Venice Preserved , he reappeared at the Haymarket after eleven years' absence; and played a few further parts. In 1812 Holman and his daughter Amelia performed at the Theatre-Royal, Covent Garden and then performed opposite each other in the provinces. Both were at the Georgian Theatre, Wisbech (now

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2912-420: The Wisbech theatre, which Mrs Robertson was then leasing. The theatre opened for the usual five-week season on 5 March 1841 with a new company and extensive internal alterations. The Cambridge Independent Press described the improvements: "[A] floor has been laid along the entire length from the stage to the boxes, and the space hitherto appropriated to the stage, tastefully embellished with variegated drapery;

3003-552: The admired comedy of As You Like It , and the Farce of No Song, No Supper ." The theatre was built by Miller, who managed it jointly with Thomas Shaftoe Robertson until 2 May 1796, when Robertson purchased Miller's rights in all the properties of the Lincoln theatre circuit. In 1793 The Millers advertised the last benefit of the 1793 season at Wisbech Theatre to be Everyone Has His Fault and Don Juan . When not in use for performances

3094-487: The apprenticeship system. But most buildings were still designed by builders and landlords together, and the wide spread of Georgian architecture, and the Georgian styles of design more generally, came from dissemination through pattern books and inexpensive suites of engravings . Authors such as the prolific William Halfpenny (active 1723–1755) had editions in America as well as Britain. A similar phenomenon can be seen in

3185-519: The areas contesting being the original home of the semi. Sir John Summerson gave primacy to the Eyre Estate of St John's Wood. A plan for this exists dated 1794, where "the whole development consists of pairs of semi-detached houses , So far as I know, this is the first recorded scheme of the kind". In fact the French Wars put an end to this scheme, but when the development was finally built it retained

3276-535: The building was documented in 1980 by Richard Leacroft, who used the timbers and doorways to deduce the original design of the building. He noted that the size, shape and layout of the auditorium was similar to that of the Georgian Theatre Royal in Richmond, North Yorkshire, but the current design does not reflect the original form. In the 1980s the theatre's director was Rex Mountain. His first production in 1983

3367-512: The building was put up for auction as "The Old Theatre" by Johnson & Easter in July 1921 at the White Lion hotel. At this time it had a pedestrian entrance from Crescent Passage . The stable, coach house and yard were occupied by Dr C. H. Gunson. In 1978, the theatre building was "rediscovered" by drama enthusiasts looking for a space to rehearse their productions, and they renovated it, together with

3458-524: The character of Lady Eleanor Irwin, in Elizabeth Inchbald 's comedy Everyone has his Fault after which she delivered a very neat and appropriate address. There was a full house, but we are sorry to say the season has been productive of very few even tolerable houses." The recently redecorated theatre was offered for sale by auction at the White Hart Inn in May 1843. The Robertson company continued as

3549-479: The classical vocabulary. Where funds permitted, a classical temple portico with columns and a pediment might be used at the west front. Interior decoration was generally chaste; however, walls often became lined with plaques and monuments to the more prosperous members of the congregation. In the colonies new churches were certainly required, and generally repeated similar formulae. British Non-conformist churches were often more classical in mood, and tended not to feel

3640-480: The classically inspired. Public buildings generally varied between the extremes of plain boxes with grid windows and Italian Late Renaissance palaces, depending on budget. Somerset House in London, designed by Sir William Chambers in 1776 for government offices, was as magnificent as any country house, though never quite finished, as funds ran out. Barracks and other less prestigious buildings could be as functional as

3731-474: The commonality of housing designs in Canada and the United States (though of a wider variety of styles) from the 19th century through the 1950s, using pattern books drawn up by professional architects that were distributed by lumber companies and hardware stores to contractors and homebuilders. From the mid-18th century, Georgian styles were assimilated into an architectural vernacular that became part and parcel of

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3822-409: The core of cities such as London , Edinburgh , Dublin , Newcastle upon Tyne and Bristol . The period saw the growth of a distinct and trained architectural profession; before the mid-century "the high-sounding title, 'architect' was adopted by anyone who could get away with it". This contrasted with earlier styles, which were primarily disseminated among craftsmen through the direct experience of

3913-471: The country, such as vicarages, were simple regular blocks with visible raked roofs, and a central doorway, often the only ornamented area. Similar houses, often referred to as "villas" became common around the fringes of the larger cities, especially London, and detached houses in towns remained common, though only the very rich could afford them in central London. In towns even most better-off people lived in terraced houses, which typically opened straight onto

4004-707: The end of his third season Holman left Covent Garden on a question of terms. He acted in Dublin and in English and Scottish towns, but soon returned to Covent Garden. In the season of 1799–1800 a serious quarrel took place between the proprietors of Covent Garden and eight of the principal actors. A pamphlet A Statement of the Differences subsisting between the Proprietors and Performers of the Theatre Royal Covent Garden

4095-462: The end of the period. Georgian architecture is characterized by its proportion and balance; simple mathematical ratios were used to determine the height of a window in relation to its width or the shape of a room as a double cube. Regularity, as with ashlar (uniformly cut) stonework, was strongly approved, imbuing symmetry and adherence to classical rules: the lack of symmetry, where Georgian additions were added to earlier structures remaining visible,

4186-492: The ensemble forming an elegant saloon, adapted to public assemblies, lectures, &c., but easily convertible, we believe, to its original use." In October a newspaper reported that "Wisbech old workhouse is to be sold on the 30th inst., the building is of immense size, in a good situation, and at small expense might be converted into a theatre. The present theatre is much too small, and in a miserable situation, difficult of access in carriages." A later report gave further details of

4277-404: The extremely similar St. George's Church, Dublin . The 1818 Act allocated some public money for new churches required to reflect changes in population, and a commission to allocate it. Building of Commissioners' churches gathered pace in the 1820s, and continued until the 1850s. The early churches, falling into the Georgian period, show a high proportion of Gothic Revival buildings, along with

4368-511: The floor above. Often, when a new street or set of streets was developed, the road and pavements were raised up, and the gardens or yards behind the houses remained at a lower level, usually representing the original one. Town terraced houses for all social classes remained resolutely tall and narrow, each dwelling occupying the whole height of the building. This contrasted with well-off continental dwellings, which had already begun to be formed of wide apartments occupying only one or two floors of

4459-540: The former school, under its old name, Angles Theatre. On 25 November 1978 a civic opening of the building was attended by the Mayor of Wisbech and chairman of Fenland District Council and presided over by Anton Rogers. Richard Leacroft, architect and theatre historian, gave a lecture on the development of regional theatre. Another speaker was Gregor MacGregor of the Georgian Theatre Royal in Richmond , North Yorkshire. Four days later

4550-468: The interior: [N]otice the splendid manner in which the spirited proprietor of the theatre has fitted it up, which renders it excellently adapted for a variety of purposes for which a spacious room is much wanted here. The pit has a temporary covering connected with the stage, the sides and back of which are surrounded folds of drapery, alternatively scarlet and green, and from the ceiling two splendid chandeliers are suspended. The whole can be removed when it

4641-586: The late 1950s, Bradshaw Gass & Hope 's Police Headquarters in Salford of 1958 being a good example. Architects such as Raymond Erith , and Donald McMorran were among the few architects who continued the neo-Georgian style into the 1960s. Both in the United States and Britain, the Georgian style is still employed by architects like Quinlan Terry , Julian Bicknell , Ben Pentreath , Robert Adam Architects , and Fairfax and Sammons for private residences. A debased form in commercial housing developments, especially in

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4732-504: The lease of the Wisbech Theatre would be £400, the temporary theatre cost him not more than £50. In December a political lecture at the theatre was given by J. Kingsley of the British Anti-State Church Association . At the beginning of 1849 the theatre yard was being used for auctions; the road was described as Great Church Lane. In 1850 the building ceased being used as a venue for regular theatrical performances and

4823-408: The main nave was generally wider and shorter than in medieval plans, and often there were no side-aisles. Galleries were common in new churches. Especially in country parishes, the external appearance generally retained the familiar signifiers of a Gothic church, with a tower or spire, a large west front with one or more doors, and very large windows along the nave, but all with any ornament drawn from

4914-473: The mid-1760s a range of Neoclassical modes were fashionable, associated with the British architects Robert Adam , James Gibbs, Sir William Chambers , James Wyatt , George Dance the Younger , Henry Holland and Sir John Soane . John Nash was one of the most prolific architects of the late Georgian era known as Regency style , he was responsible for designing large areas of London. Greek Revival architecture

5005-480: The mills and factories that were growing increasingly large by the end of the period. But as the period came to an end many commercial projects were becoming sufficiently large, and well-funded, to become "architectural in intention", rather than having their design left to the lesser class of "surveyors". Georgian architecture was widely disseminated in the English colonies during the Georgian era . American buildings of

5096-537: The musical Songbook was performed at the theatre after relocating from the Gielgud Theatre for the single performance. This event was arranged by cast member and president of the Angles Theatre Anton Rodgers . The Wisbech Players ' first production at the theatre was Pygmalion in 1979; they then used other venues until their production of The Unexpected Guest in 1988. The architecture of

5187-506: The need for a tower or steeple. The archetypal Georgian church is St Martin-in-the-Fields in London (1720), by Gibbs, who boldly added to the classical temple façade at the west end a large steeple on top of a tower, set back slightly from the main frontage. This formula shocked purists and foreigners, but became accepted and was very widely emulated, at home and in the colonies, for example at St Andrew's Church, Chennai in India. And in Dublin,

5278-415: The new dynasty, seems to have deliberately adopted German stylistic elements in their honour, especially vertical bands connecting the windows. The styles that resulted fall within several categories. In the mainstream of Georgian style were both Palladian architecture —and its whimsical alternatives, Gothic and Chinoiserie , which were the English-speaking world 's equivalent of European Rococo . From

5369-424: The office of Examiner of Plays, whose responsibilities included censoring all plays in Britain. In 1778, John Larpent was appointed inspector of plays by the Marquis of Hertford , who was then Lord Chamberlain . He preserved manuscript copies of all the plays submitted to the inspector from 1737 to his death in 1824, including those produced at the theatre in Wisbech . Buildings in Wisbech in Pickard's Lane and on

5460-529: The other materials was more favourable. Raked roofs were mostly covered in earthenware tiles until Richard Pennant, 1st Baron Penrhyn led the development of the slate industry in Wales from the 1760s, which by the end of the century had become the usual material. Versions of revived Palladian architecture dominated English country house architecture. Houses were increasingly placed in grand landscaped settings, and large houses were generally made wide and relatively shallow, largely to look more impressive from

5551-544: The period in Great Britain. Some windows were subsequently bricked-in. Their height increasingly varied between the floors, and they increasingly began below waist-height in the main rooms, making a small balcony desirable. Before this the internal plan and function of the rooms can generally not be deduced from the outside. To open these large windows the sash window , already developed by the 1670s, became very widespread. Corridor plans became universal inside larger houses. Internal courtyards became more rare, except beside

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5642-538: The period, landowners turned into property developers , and rows of identical terraced houses became the norm. Even the wealthy were persuaded to live in these in town, especially if provided with a square of garden in front of the house. There was an enormous amount of building in the period, all over the English-speaking world, and the standards of construction were generally high. Where they have not been demolished, large numbers of Georgian buildings have survived two centuries or more, and they still form large parts of

5733-444: The rest of the Lincoln theatre circuit in spring 1845, for which the theatres charged premium prices, were Charles Kean and his wife Kate Terry ; her roles included Miss Halley in The Stranger and a role in The Honey Moon . By the mid-1840s the situation for suburban theatres was becoming more difficult financially, and the theatre companies sought subscriptions to keep going: "Mr. Robertson has announced his intention of opening

5824-407: The same period is usually referred to as Neo-Georgian ; the work of Edwin Lutyens and Vincent Harris includes some examples. The British town of Welwyn Garden City , established in the 1920s, is an example of pastiche or Neo-Georgian development of the early 20th century in Britain. Versions of the Neo-Georgian style were commonly used in Britain for certain types of urban architecture until

5915-475: The semi-detached form, "a revolution of striking significance and far-reaching effect". Until the Church Building Act 1818 , the period saw relatively few churches built in Britain, which was already well-supplied, although in the later years of the period the demand for Non-conformist and Roman Catholic places of worship greatly increased. Anglican churches that were built were designed internally to allow maximum audibility, and visibility, for preaching , so

6006-429: The stables, and the functional parts of the building were placed at the sides, or in separate buildings nearby hidden by trees. The views to and from the front and rear of the main block were concentrated on, with the side approaches usually much less important. The roof was typically invisible from the ground, though domes were sometimes visible in grander buildings. The roofline was generally clear of ornament except for

6097-402: The street, often with a few steps up to the door. There was often an open space, protected by iron railings, dropping down to the basement level, with a discreet entrance down steps off the street for servants and deliveries; this is known as the "area" . This meant that the ground floor front was now removed and protected from the street and encouraged the main reception rooms to move there from

6188-430: The theatre at Wisbech during the month of May, provided the inhabitants will at once engage 30 season tickets, at £1 each the subscription to extend over one year, for which Mr R guarantees twenty separate performances; the arrangement will include the engagement of all 'stars' introduced in the course of the year. ... [A] great many applications have already been made for season tickets." Henry Langdon Childe 's chromatrope

6279-433: The theatre in 1838. Mr Young performed the titles roles in Virginius and Hamlet and took the part of Quasimodo in Esmerelda in March 1838. Richard Owen returned that year to give three lectures. The Wisbech Dramatic Society gave their first performances, The Castle Spectre and Hunting a Turtle , in December 1838 and January 1839. They performed The Honeymoon and The Haunted Inn in June. The theatre pit

6370-429: The theatre opened in February 1836 for a one-month season, it was advertised as the "New Theatre", with the scenic department and every other arrangement on a scale of expensive improvement never before attempted in Wisbech. The improvements did not go unnoticed; in May a Georgina Gooch was charged with stealing the theatre's gas fittings. William Macready performed here in June 1836, and social reformer Robert Owen gave

6461-587: The theatre regularly held auctions, the most prominent of which was the sale of household furniture, linen and china from Wisbech Castle , belonging to the late Edward Southwell. This was most likely the first auction held at the "New Theatre" in November 1791, because the sale of the mentioned items was not permitted on the castle premises. Robertson married Frances Maria Ross in 1793. Robertson announced in 1806: "The Theatre has undergone considerable improvement and will be lighted up with new and elegant chandeliers"; these are unlikely to have been supplied by gas as

6552-720: The town council did not negotiate gas supplies until the 1830s. Child actor William Henry West Betty performed at the Wisbech theatre in 1808. Amelia Holman Gilfert and her father Joseph George Holman , appeared in 1812 as Cora and Rolla in Pizarro , Desdemona and Othello in Othello and Lady Macbeth and Macbeth in Macbeth , and she played Lady Contest in the farce The Wedding Day . The use of weapons firing blanks, candles, oil lamps, fireworks and other special effects could cause fires and injuries. For example, Fanny Robertson's half-sister Mary Brown

6643-461: The training of every architect , designer , builder , carpenter , mason and plasterer , from Edinburgh to Maryland . Georgian succeeded the English Baroque of Sir Christopher Wren , Sir John Vanbrugh , Thomas Archer , William Talman , and Nicholas Hawksmoor ; this in fact continued into at least the 1720s, overlapping with a more restrained Georgian style. The architect James Gibbs

6734-548: Was Cinderella – the Fairy Godmother of pantomimes by Tom Whalley. The entrance to the theatre is on Alexandra Road. The theatre closed early in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic . It received government funding in 2021 and, after refurbishment, reopened on 23 September 2021, with Willy Rushton 's Educating Rita , followed by other productions and a Christmas pantomime. Georgian architecture The Georgian cities of

6825-471: Was Mr Saunders, a tent and marquee maker. In 1891, the School of Science and Art leased the theatre property. At that time, the Georgian theatre building still contained the stage and gallery, with the school occupying the former infant school in the front. The school continued to occupy the property into the beginning of the new century. A poster in the Wisbech & Fenland Museum printed by Poysers records that

6916-506: Was a Ray Cooney Farce, Not Now Darling . The theatre company also toured; in 1987 its performances included David Storey 's Home at Wells , Norfolk, and Romeo and Juliet outdoors at Wisbech Castle . The theatre suffered a fire in 1991. In 2018 the Angles Theatre celebrated the 40th Anniversary of its reopening with an extensive programme of events including a production of She Stoops to Conquer . The 2019 pantomime production

7007-539: Was a member of the Wisbech company until she married an actor of the Stamford company and moved to Stamford, where, in 1816 whilst working on a dress, a candle set her clothes on fire; she died of her burns. William Hilton the elder (father of William Hilton ) created scenery for the Robertsons for many years until the 1820s. Madame Tussaud brought her touring waxwork show to the theatre in November and December 1825. The pit

7098-480: Was a transitional figure, his earlier buildings are Baroque, reflecting the time he spent in Rome in the early 18th century, but he adjusted his style after 1720. Major architects to promote the change in direction from Baroque were Colen Campbell , author of the influential book Vitruvius Britannicus (1715–1725); Richard Boyle, 3rd Earl of Burlington and his protégé William Kent ; Isaac Ware ; Henry Flitcroft and

7189-572: Was added to the repertory, beginning around 1750, but increasing in popularity after 1800. Leading exponents were William Wilkins and Robert Smirke . In Britain, brick or stone are almost invariably used; brick is often disguised with stucco . The Georgian terraces of Dublin are noted for their almost uniform use of red brick, for example, whereas equivalent terraces in Edinburgh are constructed from stone. In America and other colonies wood remained very common, as its availability and cost-ratio with

7280-541: Was believed to have been built in 1790 as part of the Lincoln theatre circuit and was generally referred to as the Wisbech Theatre . Regular performances at the theatre continued until about 1850 when it was used as a concert room for a number of years. At the end of the 19th century, part of the property was used by the School of Science and Art. The building was returned to use as a theatre and arts venue, and renamed as The Angles, in 1978. The Licensing Act 1737 created

7371-658: Was boarded over to facilitate the 1839 New Year's Eve Ball. In March 1839 the theatre hosted circus acts for three days. Also in 1839, Mrs Robertson engaged Henry Compton to perform at Wisbech and other Lincoln circuit venues. A critic wrote that his performance as Touchstone in As You Like It and as Mawwarm in Isaac Bickerstaff 's The Hypocrite "was capital, he kept the audience in one tumult of laughter from beginning to end". On 27 June 1840 James and Thomas Hill went bankrupt, and their estates were sold by auction, including

7462-577: Was covered over to enable the display of her works. A military band played. Tickets cost one shilling, and the theatre was crowded each evening. The 1827 season included Sarah Booth 's appearance for five nights in May, playing Juliet in Romeo and Juliet . The theatre was "entirely new Painted", in addition to improvements made in the previous year. The "Infant Roscius" Master Herbert performed in Wisbech in 1829. Edmund Kean appeared in April 1831. The same year, Robertson died, leaving his wife Fanny in charge of

7553-558: Was deeply felt as a flaw, at least before John Nash began to introduce it in a variety of styles. Regularity of housefronts along a street was a desirable feature of Georgian town planning. Until the start of the Gothic Revival in the early 19th century, Georgian designs usually lay within the Classical orders of architecture and employed a decorative vocabulary derived from ancient Rome or Greece. In towns, which expanded greatly during

7644-574: Was dismissed. Holman appeared a few times at the Haymarket Theatre , (located at 18 Suffolk St, London SW1Y 4HT, UK) where he produced his What a Blunder , a comic opera in three acts, in which he was Count Alphonso d'Esparza. Holman went to Dublin, where he took for a time a share with Frederick Edward Jones in the management. He then took to farming. On 31 July 1806 Holman played in Dublin for his benefit Antony in All for Love , by John Dryden , to

7735-486: Was exhibited by Mr Blanchard of the Royal Polytechnic Institution in late May. The press reported: "The dissolving views and images of animalculae were seen by numerous visitors". In July 1846 Robertson's theatrical company performed a play Mind how you Wed! written by Dr Whitsed, a local GP and later mayor. The season finished with another benefit for Mrs Robertson featuring The Beggar on Horseback and

7826-783: Was in vogue. With a view to the church as a career, he matriculated 7 February 1783 at The Queen's College, Oxford , but took no degree. On 25 October 1784, at Covent Garden, as Romeo , Holman made his first appearance on the stage. An address was spoken by Thomas Hull , who played Friar Lawrence. Holman's performances were attended by fashionable audiences, and he remained at Covent Garden until 1800. His original characters include Harry Thunder in John O'Keeffe 's Wild Oats , 16 April 1791, Harry Dornton in Thomas Holcroft 's The Road to Ruin , 18 February 1792, and many parts in plays by Frederick Reynolds , Hannah Cowley , and other dramatists. At

7917-417: Was lit by windows that were high on the inside, but just above ground level outside. A single block was typical, with perhaps a small court for carriages at the front marked off by railings and a gate, but rarely a stone gatehouse , or side wings around the court. Windows in all types of buildings were large and regularly placed on a grid; this was partly to minimize window tax , which was in force throughout

8008-459: Was published in 1800, and went through several editions: its authorship was attributed to Holman. The actors objected to restrictions on their power of giving orders for admission, and to change in the charges for benefits and the amount of fines for the refusal of a character. The Lord Chamberlain 's verdict was hostile to the actors, and there was a public row. Seven actors accepted the decision and remained at Covent Garden. Holman either resigned or

8099-433: Was set up at the theatre, claiming to use 20,000 feet of canvas to display scenes such as the "Fire of York Minster" and the whole city of New York. Prices were similar to those for a theatrical performance: Boxes 2s, Pit 1s and Gallery 6d. In April 1843, The Theatre wrote: "Mrs Robertson had her farewell benefit, having resigned the management [of her theatres] to her nephew, Mr. [William Shaftoe] Robertson. She appeared in

8190-694: Was the opponent of Gothic in the Battle of the Styles of the early Victorian period. In the United States the Federalist Style contained many elements of Georgian style, but incorporated revolutionary symbols. In the early decades of the twentieth century when there was a growing nostalgia for its sense of order, the style was revived and adapted and in the United States came to be known as the Colonial Revival . The revived Georgian style that emerged in Britain during

8281-495: Was then used as a concert room. In August that year Mr & Miss Southgate of Wisbech Castle presented a "drawing-room" entertainment, and Henry Vincent delivered a lecture on the Great Exhibition . The following year, a building (probably the former school) was referred to as "Concert-room, Crescent Passage" when used for a lecture on Bloomerism and for lectures by Mrs Balfour that year and in 1853. One lessee after that

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