On a winter’s evening in November 1899 Charing Cross Road was a hubbub of excitement as Charles Wyndham’s new theatre had its grand opening with a revival of David Garrick, a play in which Charles Wyndham and his future wife, Mary Moore, both had a great success. The site was owned by the Marquess of Salisbury who would only allow a theatre to be built if it was for Wyndham whom he considered the greatest actor of the day. The theatre’s architect was William Sprague who was then at his peak.  Wyndham’s was the first West End theatre he designed in his own right and one of seven theatres that he completed that year. It was, and still is, a theatrical gem.

The décor was in the Louis XVI style, in the auditorium the prettily painted balcony and box fronts were matched in lightness of touch by a circular ceiling in the style of François Boucher. The original turquoise, cream and gold colour scheme is still very much in evidence today and will remain so as the theatre is gradually refurbished.  The exterior was built in Sprague’s favourite free classical style using Portland stone, a material with which he could combine the artistic and the practical.

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