In 1705 the first theatre opened in Bath. The building by George Trim was small and cramped and made little profit in the years before its demolition in 1738. The site it was on is now the
Royal National Hospital for Rheumatic Diseases. A New Theatre opened in Kingsmead Street in 1723 and operated until 1751. In 1747
John Hippisley proposed the construction of a new theatre and a revised version in 1748 just before his death. The planning was taken over by John Palmer, a local brewer and chandler, and
Thomas Jelly. The site for a new theatre was chosen by
John Wood, the Elder, who laid out much of the city, on the site of the old orchard of
Bath Abbey. opened on 27 October, under the management of John Palmer, with a performance of
William Shakespeare’s
Henry IV, Part 2. circa 1790 Palmer obtained a royal patent by the
Bath Theatre Act 1768 (
8 Geo. 3. c. 10) which enabled the use of the title 'Theatre Royal'; the first to achieve this outside London. Palmer also owned the Theatre Royal, King Street, in
Bristol, which now houses the
Bristol Old Vic. The two theatres shared one acting company, so Palmer had to move his actors, stagehands and props quickly between Bristol and Bath, he set up a coach service which provided safe, quick and efficient transport for his actors and materials. Later, when Palmer became involved in the Post Office, he believed that the coach service he had previously run between theatres could be utilised for a countrywide mail delivery service. He continued to manage the theatre until 1785 when he was appointed as Comptroller-General of the
Post Office, and handed control to two existing members of the company,
William Keasberry and
William Wyatt Dimond. In 1772 the young actor
John Henderson joined the company and developed into a popular leading man before moving to theaters in London.
Sarah Siddons joined the company between 1778 and 1782 and was among many leading actors of the day who performed at the theatre. During these years, the theatre performed an increasing number of plays written by women, and it has been suggested that this was due chiefly to the presence of Siddons in the company, as well as being related to the retirement of
David Garrick. In 1791
Robert William Elliston made one of his earliest performances at the theatre. The building was used as a theatre until 1805, when the present
Theatre Royal opened. In the early years of the 19th century,
Jane Austen was familiar with the theatre in Orchard Street, which is believed to be the original of that described in chapter 12 of
Northanger Abbey. ==Catholic church==