The New Theatre to be Erected Pitt and Market Streets, Sydney.

Rare engraving of the first of three incarnations of Her Majesty’s Theatre.

The original Her Majesty’s had its origin in the partnership of James Allison and George Rignold, lessees of Adelaide’s Theatre Royal and the Melbourne Opera House. They secured a long lease on a site in Pitt Street, Sydney, and formed a company for the purpose of founding a theatre. The theatre was designed by architects Gustavus Alphonse Morell and John Edward Kemp. The foundation stone was laid by Sydney mayor Thomas Playfair in December 1884. The Governor of New South Wales, Lord Carrington, attended the opening night, arriving with his wife in a carriage, with a military escort. Rignold held the lease for eight years, his final production was Cloncarty on 21 September 1895. For a short period, Alfred Woods leased the theatre, then J. C. Williamson and George Musgrove took over in 1896.  On Sunday 23 March 1902, a fire broke out. The asbestos safety curtain failed to operate and the interior of Her Majesty’s was destroyed.

From the original edition of the Town & Country Journal.