New Queen's Theatre, Great Bridgewater Street, Manchester
Manchester's "Theatre that never was" - Details of the prospectus for the new theatre (and the Opera House) appeared in the same edition of Manchester City News on 30 September 1911. The article has illustrations of the proposed theatres. That for the New Queen’s Theatre showed Elizabethan half-timbering above a brick ground floor.
TWO NEW MANCHESTER THEATRES: Important and Interesting Enterprises - The prospectuses of two new Manchester theatres have been issued this week, one, which has been eagerly awaited, relating to Mr Richard Flanagan's designs, and the other to an entirely new enterprise in Quay-street. The prospectus of the New Queen's Theatre, which we publish today, states that the capital is £35,000 divided into 35,000 shares of £1 each. Of these 32,993 shares are offered for subscription. The company has been formed for the purpose of purchasing land in Great Bridgewater-street, Oxford-street and building upon it a well-appointed and commodious theatre to take the place of the Queen's Theatre in Bridge-street, which will no longer be used as a theatre, the lease having expired. Also of acquiring from Mr Richard Flanagan, late lessee of the Queen's Theatre, a valuable collection of armour, theatrical properties and effects, together with the goodwill of the Shakespearean revivals produced by him, and to the exclusive right to use the name of Richard Flanagan in connection with Shakespearean and other productions. The site, it is pointed out, is an excellent one, being in the heart of the theatre-going and music hall district, an Mr Flanagan has arranged with the owners for a 999 years lease at the yearly rent of ,£560 on the payment of a premium of £7,419 and £280 in respect of certain expenditure on street Making. It is intended to arrange for advance bookings to all parts of the house. It is also proposed, in addition to the annual Shakespearean revivals, which have proved so popular in Bridge-street, to devote about six weeks in each year to grand opera, and during the remaining weeks to secure the best productions. Taking the Shakespearean revivals given at the Queen’s Theatre in Bridge-street over the last five years, it is officially certified that the total receipts amounted to £44,100 an average of £8,820 for each. A start has been made with the building, and it is confidentially predicted that the New Queen’s Theatre will be ready for the Shakespearean production about the middle of January next. Mr Flanagan has agreed to act as managing director and manager of the business of the company for ten years. The theatre will have accommodation for 3,000 people and the cost of building and equipment is placed at £20,000. The architect states that the site is of an easy nature to work, that no difficulties have arisen, and that, as excavations have been completed, he anticipates the whole of the foundations to be completed in a few weeks. The Shakspere Revival in January at the new Queen’s will be “The Tempest.” [Manchester City News Saturday 30 September 1911 Page ]
A new Queen's Theatre is to be built on a site in Great Bridgewater-street, Manchester. It will provide seating accommodation for four thousand persons. Above the ground floor there will be only two tiers — a lower circle and gallery. The ground floor will be divided into stalls, pit-stalls, and pit. Obstructing pillars will be dispensed with, for the tiers will be on the cantilever principle. The orchestra will be so arranged that half of the space devoted to it will be under the stage. The building is to be of black-and-white Elizabethan type. [Building News 12 May page 663]