Royal Circus: This engraving was published as Plate ?? of Microcosm of London (1810) Public Domain Image
The first Royal Circus, opened in 1760, was at the site of the Surrey Theatre. The Royal Circus featured a variety of acts, including the very popular pantomime. Here is an excerpt and announcement from The Royal Circus (The Two “Circuses” and the Two “Surrey Theatres”, 1866):
It burnt down in 1799, and again in 1805. The name was changed to the Surrey in 1810 when it was converted into a theater by Robert Elliston and used as such until Elliston left in 1814. It was a circus again between 1814 and 1816, when Thomas Dibdin reopened it as a theatre; the equestrian arena became a spectator pit and the stables saloons. Dibdin retired in 1822 after middling success, and the new manager was so frustrated with the running of it that he ended up leaving to emigrate to America (The Two “Circuses” and the Two “Surrey Theatres”, 1866).
Some of The Surrey’s problems stemmed from its location, said to be rife with prostitutes and other unsavory London characters:
A companion to the theatres; and manual of the British Drama, 1829
The Surrey continued to suffer the whims of various management, fires, and other assorted ventures until its closure in 1924, with its last four years as a cinema. The building was demolished in 1934.
Kidd’s new guide to the ‘lions’ of London; or, The stranger’s directory, 1832
A contemporary description of The Surrey Theatre:
Historical and Descriptive Accounts of the Theatres of London, 1826
