Depending on the time of day the cache area may be very crowded
if people a queueing to get into the theatre. It is a nano.
Please note this is a 'Traditional' cache and therefore
anyone claiming this cache MUST sign the logbook. Any further
claims without signing the logbook will be deleted.
The King's Theatre was commissioned by the Edinburgh-based theatre
company Howard & Wyndham at a cost of over £50,000. Even though
the theatre industry was booming at the time, some residents of the
Charing Cross area, which had a large number of churches, objected
to the construction of such a place of entertainment. Despite this
opposition, construction went ahead and the theatre opened on
September 12th 1904.
Frank Matcham made good use of the prominent corner site in
designing the two facades of the building. An elaborate iron
canopy, by the Saracen foundry in Glasgow, wrapped around the front
of the building, although this appears to have been removed as
early as the First World War, possibly for munitions production.
The facade on Bath Street is a mix of styles, with influences of
Baroque and Art Nouveau in red Dumfriesshire sandstone. A pair of
two storey pavilions stand near either end of the Bath Street
elevation, one providing access to the main foyer whilst the other
houses the scenery dock, and opens straight onto the stage. The
pavilions are topped with ball finials. Originally a female statue
stood on top of either pavilion, but these have since been lost,
again possibly to aid the wartime munitions effort.
The theatre provides seating on four levels - Stalls, Grand
Circle, Upper Circle and Gallery. Matcham was famous for his
innovative cantilever construction of the individual seating tiers,
which virtually eliminated the need for supporting pillars, and the
King's was no exception, with reasonable sightlines from most
seats. Victorian and Edwardian theatres were almost always built to
segregate patrons at each level, although subsequent modernisations
often eradicate this. This has thus far not been the case in the
King's, which still has separate entrances, some of which have
traces of former payboxes, now disused. The standard of seating and
decoration is also less luxurious as you get further up the house.
The Stalls and Grand Circle are accessed via the small main foyer,
which still impresses with its barrel vaulted ceiling, horizontal
bands of red and white marble, and decorative plasterwork on the
ceilings, including caryatids. The Upper Circle is accessed via a
door to a stairwell to the left of the main Bath Street entrance.
The Gallery is accessed via a staircase at the back of the building
with its own entrance on Elmbank Street.
The auditorium seats 1,785. The ceiling panelling fans out from
a single centre ceiling rose - each panel originally contained
painted scenes, although they are currently plain. The proscenium
is surrounded by heavy marble and plasterwork borders. Above the
proscenium an elegant design with cherubs flanking a crown and a
K/T emblem provides a focal point to the theatre when the curtain
is down. The red curtain has simple gilding, but often remains
unseen as it is unused for many of today's productions. The seats
and drapes are of a rich red material. The safety curtain features
a painted design of drapes, and framed in the centre is a
projection screen. At Grand Circle level two boxes on either side
of the auditorium continue where the grand circle balcony finishes.
A further box (now disused) is located at Upper Circle level above
this, with an elaborate domed canopy. Three domed alcoves sit along
either side of the upper circle. Comedian and actor Billy Connelly
famously described it as 'like performing inside a wedding
cake".
A six year restoration of the King’s Theatre began in
2008, with the completion date set to coincide with the Glasgow
2014 Commonwealth Games. Phase One saw the replacement of all seats
in the Grand Circle and Stalls levels of the theatre as well as
preparatory work for installation of auditorium air conditioning.
In July 2010 Phase Two was completed with the replacement of the
entire seating in the Upper Circle. The King’s has already
raised over £630,000 for the project by channelling £1 from each
ticket sold into the building’s restoration since mid-2008.
Fundraising has been further supplemented with the popular Seat
Dedication Scheme which was launched in 2009 and has so far raised
over £30,000. A second stage of the scheme has also been launched
which gives people the opportunity to dedicate a seat in the newly
restored Upper Circle for only £150 .