The Prescot Playhouse was an

Elizabethan The Elizabethan era is the epoch in the Tudor period of the history of England during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I (1558–1603). Historians often depict it as the golden age in English history. The symbol of Britannia (a female personifi ...

theatre in the town of

Prescot Prescot is a town and civil parish within the Metropolitan Borough of Knowsley in Merseyside, England. Within the boundaries of the historic county of Lancashire, it lies about to the east of Liverpool city centre. At the 2001 Census, the civ ...

, which was then in

Lancashire Lancashire ( , ; abbreviated Lancs) is the name of a historic county, ceremonial county, and non-metropolitan county in North West England. The boundaries of these three areas differ significantly. The non-metropolitan county of Lancashi ...

. The playhouse was built before 1603, probably in the mid-1590s, and probably remained in theatrical use until 1609. It was one of the few free-standing theatres in England outside London, and probably hosted performances by the

playing companies Play is a range of intrinsically motivated activities done for recreational pleasure and enjoyment. Play is commonly associated with children and juvenile-level activities, but may be engaged in at any life stage, and among other higher-functio ...

maintained by the

Earls of Derby Earl of Derby ( ) is a title in the Peerage of England. The title was first adopted by Robert de Ferrers, 1st Earl of Derby, under a creation of 1139. It continued with the Ferrers family until the 6th Earl forfeited his property toward the en ...

Location

The theatre's existence was discovered in court records by F. A. Bailey, a local historian, in 1952. The records describe the plot of land on which it stood as long on its north and south sides, on the east and on the west, "at the upper end of the street leading to Eccleston". Local tradition points to the site of a modern landmark on Eccleston Street, the Flat Iron Building, whereas the historian David George, following Bailey, placed it in the southeast corner of what was then

common land Common land is land owned by a person or collectively by a number of persons, over which other persons have certain common rights, such as to allow their livestock to graze upon it, to collect Wood fuel, wood, or to cut turf for fuel. A person ...

known as Town Moss (just north of the modern junction of High Street and St Helens Road). Later research by Graham and Tyler, however, places it at the eastern end of the former Newgate Street, on its north side, thereby restoring it to the vicinity of the modern Flat Iron Building.

Ownership

The playhouse was built and owned by Richard Harrington, the tenant of Prescot Hall, and younger brother of Percival Harrington, deputy steward of Prescot for the Earls of Derby. After Richard Harrington's death in February 1603, the playhouse passed to his wife, Elizabeth née Molyneux, a relative of

Sir Richard Molyneux Sir Richard Molyneux, 1st Baronet (1560–1622) was a member of parliament for Lancashire, Mayor of Liverpool and Receiver-General of the Duchy of Lancaster. Life Molyneux was the son of William Molyneux and his wife Bridget Caryll. His grandfat ...

Theatrical use

The Earls of Derby were patrons of

, and had a tradition of hosting performances at their principal residences, including at

Knowsley Hall Knowsley Hall is a stately home near Liverpool in the Metropolitan Borough of Knowsley, Merseyside, England. It is the ancestral home of the Stanley family, the Earls of Derby. The hall is surrounded by of parkland, which contains the Knowsley ...

just north of Prescot. David George suggests that the playhouse was built sometime between 1593 and 1595, with the backing of either

Ferdinando Stanley, 5th Earl of Derby Ferdinando Stanley, 5th Earl of Derby (1559 – 16 April 1594), was an English nobleman and politician. He was the son of Henry Stanley, 4th Earl of Derby, and Lady Margaret Clifford. Ferdinando had a place in the line of succession to Elizabe ...

, or

William Stanley, 6th Earl of Derby William Stanley, 6th Earl of Derby, KG (1561 – 29 September 1642) was an English nobleman and politician. Stanley inherited a prominent social position that was both dangerous and unstable, as his mother was heir to Queen Elizabeth I un ...

, as a purpose-built venue for their actors, known as

Lord Strange's Men Lord Strange's Men was an Elizabethan playing company, comprising retainers of the household of Ferdinando Stanley, Lord Strange (pronounced "strang"). They are best known in their final phase of activity in the late 1580s and early 1590s. After ...

or the Earl of Derby's Men, when they were forced out of London by the 1592

plague Plague or The Plague may refer to: Agriculture, fauna, and medicine *Plague (disease), a disease caused by ''Yersinia pestis'' * An epidemic of infectious disease (medical or agricultural) * A pandemic caused by such a disease * A swarm of pes ...

outbreak. Lord Strange's Men are known to have been performers of some of

Shakespeare William Shakespeare ( 26 April 1564 – 23 April 1616) was an English playwright, poet and actor. He is widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's nation ...

's earliest plays. The playhouse was possibly the only purpose-built, free-standing theatre in England outside London at that time. By 1609 the building had been converted into a dwelling. George believes that it probably remained in use as a playhouse until that year. Graham and Tyler propose a period of theatrical use of only 1597/8 – 1609.

Shakespeare North

The Prescot Playhouse is the inspiration behind the Shakespeare North project to build a Shakespearean complex in Prescot, including a playhouse and an educational centre. As no architectural plans survive for the Prescot Playhouse, the new theatre's layout will be based on the 1629 design by

Inigo Jones Inigo Jones (; 15 July 1573 – 21 June 1652) was the first significant architect in England and Wales in the early modern period, and the first to employ Vitruvian rules of proportion and symmetry in his buildings. As the most notable archit ...

for the

Cockpit-in-Court The Cockpit-in-Court (also known as the Royal Cockpit) was an early theatre in London, located at the Palace of Whitehall, next to St. James's Park, now the site of 70 Whitehall, in Westminster. The structure was originally built by Henry VIII ...

theatre in the

Palace of Whitehall The Palace of Whitehall (also spelt White Hall) at Westminster was the main residence of the English monarchs from 1530 until 1698, when most of its structures, except notably Inigo Jones's Banqueting House of 1622, were destroyed by fire. H ...

, London. In April 2016,

Knowsley Metropolitan Borough Council Knowsley Metropolitan Borough Council is the local authority of the Metropolitan Borough of Knowsley in Merseyside, England. It is a metropolitan district council, one of five in Merseyside and one of 36 in the metropolitan counties of England, a ...

granted

planning permission Planning permission or developmental approval refers to the approval needed for construction or expansion (including significant renovation), and sometimes for demolition, in some jurisdictions. It is usually given in the form of a building perm ...

for the new theatre.

References

External links

Shakespeare North
{{coord, 53.4298, -2.8020, type:landmark_region:GB, display=title 1590s establishments in England 17th-century disestablishments in England Buildings and structures in the Metropolitan Borough of Knowsley Theatres in Merseyside Former theatres in England