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The Greenwich Theatre, Crooms Hill, Greenwich

Formerly - The Rose and Crown Music Hall / Parthenon / Crowder's Music Hall / Parthenon Palace of Varieties / Greenwich Hippodrome

Above - Greenwich Theatre Main Entrance - M.L. 2005

The Greenwich Theatre was originally built in 1855 as the Rose and Crown Music Hall, this was later reconstructed in 1871 and renamed Crowder's Music Hall. The Theatre was rebuilt in 1895 as the Greenwich Hippodrome. In 1924 the Theatre became a Cinema and then closed altogether in 1949.

Right - A Sign on the corner of the Rose and Crown Pub reads - Ye Old Rose and Crown Established in the year of Queen Elizabeth Rebuilt 1888.

Despite plans to demolish the building a long campaign to save it eventually succeeded and the Theatre was reconstructed internally and a new frontage built, shown above, reopening in 1969 as the Greenwich Theatre.

The seating capacity is currently 423. The public house next door, also shown above, is the Rose and Crown which was built on the site of the previous pub and Music Hall called the Rose and Crown Music Hall, the present pub was built in 1888 possibly by Frank Matcham. The side elevation of the Theatre, shown below, is probably that of the earlier Crowder's Music Hall, redressed post 1885, but originally built in 1871.

You may like to visit the Greenwich Theatre's own Website here.

Above - A 1970s Seating Plan for the Greenwich Theatre

Above - The side elevation of the Greenwich Theatre on Nevada Street - M.L. 2005

The Prince of Wales Theatre, Greenwich

Also known as - Morton's Theatre / Morton's Model Theatre / The Theatre Royal / The Carlton / The New Prince of Wales Theatre / Cinema De Luxe

This Theatre was originally built as the Carlton Theatre by Sefton Parry in 1864. The Theatre was built to replace the derelict Theatre Royal, Deptford. It was a small Theatre and well built but never became very famous.

The Theatre was later known variously as Morton's Theatre from 1889 to 1896, Morton's Model Theatre from 1897 to 1899, the Theatre Royal and then the New Prince of Wales Theatre.

Right - A Programme for Miss Cissy Graham's Triple Bill Company in 'The Highwayman', 'A Commission', and 'A Pantomime Rehearsal' at Morton's Theatre, Greenwich in March 1893.

Shortly after opening, the Theatre was owned and managed by Sefton Parry with W. J. Hurlstone as the Acting Manager. C. Stanton was the Stage Manager at this time and G. Richardson was the Musical Director.

By 1867 William Sydney had become the lessee and manager and Herbert Masson the Musical Director, with W. J. Hurlstone still the Acting Manager.

The Theatre closed once the new Broadway Theatre in Deptford opened and was converted for Cinema use under the name of the Cinema De Luxe.

The Theatre was eventually demolished in 1937 and a new Town Hall was built on the site.

Arthur Lloyd is known to have performed at the Prince of Wales Theatre Greenwich in 1886 1887 and 1888, and at the renamed Morton's Theatre in 1898 - See articles below:

Arthur Lloyd at the Prince of Wales Theatre, Greenwich

Mr. Arthur Lloyd will introduce into the pantomime of Little Jack and the Big Beanstalk; which he has written for the Prince of Wale's Theatre, Greenwich, the pretty statue scene which he invented and produced for the first time on any stage at the Queen's Theatre, Dublin, while lessee in 1875. It may not be generally known that Mr Arthur Lloyd commenced his career as an actor, when quite a boy, with the late J. R Newcombe at the Theatre Royal, Plymouth. He is the son of an actor - Mr. Lloyd, the comedian of the Edinburgh and Glasgow Theatres for nearly fifty-three years, who is still alive, and who attained his seventy-ninth year on the 9th of last month.

The above text was first published in the Era, 17 Dec 1887.

The poster right for Arthur Lloyd at the Prince of Wales Theatre, Greenwich is from a large collection of original Lloyd Posters collected since the mid 1800s by members of the family and found recently after being lost for 50 years. To see all these posters click the Poster Index here.

Arthur Lloyd at Morton's Theatre, Greenwich in 1898

At no time a laggard in the managerial race for novelty, Mr. Morton has this week, with very satisfactory results, submitted to his patrons an unusually varied programme, consisting of performances by the Arthur Lloyd Concert Party and the exhibition of "The Veriscope," illustrative of the celebrated Corbett-Fitzsimmons Glove Fight, as taken at Carson City, U.S.A. The first item in the programme has been the musical farce entitled Her First Appearance, which shows how a stage doorkeeper, by name John M'Nab, seizes the opportunity provided by the temporary absence of a leading lady to afford a successful debut to his talented daughter Mary, charmingly impersonated by Miss Annie King Lloyd, who shines alike in the histrionic, vocal, and salutary departments. The unctuous humour and genuine Caledonian accent of Mr Arthur Lloyd stand him in goad stead in the part of John M'Nab; while by his able and successive assumptions of Mr Ruskin, classical manager, and Sir John Rasper, a theatrical patron, Mr. Harry King Lloyd gives undeniable proof of his versatility. Mr Arthur Lloyd's rendering of his well known song "One More Polka" continues to provide the same uproarious merriment that it has always given. - The Era, 11 Jun 1898. (The review continues but is unreadable.)

Right - A Poster advertising Arthur Lloyd's 'Her First Appearance' here at the Operetta House, Town Hall, Clacton-On-Sea - Click to Enlarge.

Archive newspaper reports on this page were collated and kindly sent in for inclusion by B.F.