Toole's Theatre, in King William Street, once known as Charing Cross Theatre, was reopened by Mr. J. L. Toole, after enlargement, in 1882, and finally closed in 1896, the noise from it being found detrimental to the patients of the Charing Cross Hospital. It was formerly used as a chapel and residence by the Fathers of the London Oratory of St. Philip Neri (1848-56), before their removal to Brompton. In 1850 Dr. Newman delivered here his celebrated "Lectures on Anglican Difficulties."

Above text from Old & New London - 1897

Right - Programme for the newly constructed Tolle's Theatre - Click to see details

TOOLE'S THEATRE, LONDON, in King William Street, Charing Cross. This was originally the Polygraphic Hall, where Woodin gave monologue entertainments. In 1869 it became a small theatre, known as the Charing Cross, but nothing of any importance happened there until J. S. Clarke revived The Rivals in 1872, himself playing Bob Acres with Mrs. Stirling as Mrs. Malaprop, her first appearance in this, her best, part. Alexander Henderson became manager in 1876, and renamed the theatre the Folly. His wife, Lydia Thompson, starred under him in burlesque. In 1878 the theatre had a tremendous success with Violet Cameron and Shiel Barry in Planquette's Les Cloches de Corneville.

In 1879 Toole took over, and three years later gave the theatre his own name. Pinero's first comedy, Imprudence, was produced there in 1881, followed by Boys and Girls. Both failed, but burlesques by H. J. Byron were successful. Daly's company made their first London appearance at Toole's in 1884, and in 1892 Barrie's first play, Walker, London, began a successful run. Toole had enlarged and improved the theatre, but it never held more than 900 people. His last production there was Thoroughbred, in Feb. 1895. It closed in the same year, the land having been acquired for an extension of the Charing Cross Hospital.

Above text from The Oxford Companion to the Theatre (First edition - 1951)

About J. L. Toole

TOOLE, JOHN LAURENCE (1830-1906), English actor and theatre manager. Born in London, where his father was Toastmaster to the East India Company, he was for a short time, like Garrick, clerk to a wine-merchant, but success in amateur theatricals, notably as Jacob Earwig in Boots at the Swan, turned his thoughts to the stage. Encouraged by Dickens, he joined Dillon's company in Dublin in 1852 as a low comedian, and two years later made a fleeting appearance in London, returning to establish himself, after further experience in the provinces, in 1856. He was seen at the Lyceum as Fanfaronade in Belphegor, in which Marie Wilton, later Lady Bancroft, also made her first appearance in London. On the recommendation of Dickens, Toole was engaged by Ben Webster for the New Adelphi in 1858, and remained there nine years. Among his successful parts were Bob Cratchit in A Christmas Carol (1859) and Caleb Plummer in Dot (1862), Boucicault's dramatization of The Cricket on the Hearth. In this he combined humour with a pathos which showed how well he might have played serious character parts; but the public preferred him in farce. He was for many years a close friend of Irving, with whom he first played at the Queen's, Long Acre, in 1857, and subsequently on tour. In 1869 he began along association with Hollingshead at the Gaiety, being excellent in burlesque and opera bouffe, and in 1879 he went into management at the Charing Cross Theatre, with a good resident stock company, giving it his own name in 1882. The most important production of his last years was Barrie's first play, a farce entitled Walker, London (1892). He habitually toured the provinces in summer, with a good company, gaining thereby much profit and reputation. Crippled by gout, he left the stage in 1895, when his theatre was pulled down, and retired to Brighton, where he died. He made one appearance in New York, in 1874, at Wallack's, but was not very successful, his humour being too cockneyfied for the Americans. Clement Scott called him 'one of the kindest and most genial men who ever drew breath.... No one acted with more spirit or enjoyed so thoroughly the mere pleasure of acting.' He was much respected in his profession, and always on good terms with his audience, being particularly good at end-of-performance speeches.

The Oxford Companion to the Theatre (First edition - 1951)