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HISTORY | THEATRE
The John Palmer conundrum
Bath was a thriving social hub in the 18th century, entertaining the fashionable elite Londoners who came to take the waters and see plays at the original Theatre Royal. Vincent Baughan, tour guide at The Old Theatre Royal in Old Orchard Street, explores some key figures connected with that building, and how they all rejoiced under the same appellation, much to the confusion of present-day historians
O
ne day, while skimming through some books in the library at Bath’s Masonic hall, I stumbled across John Palmer. He was, it seems, the very personification of a ‘polymath’. He was a businessman, with a brewery, and a candle manufactory in Bath. In addition to this, he was a prolific architect. He was also a well-connected businessman in London and theatre proprietor in Bristol and Bath. And in his copious free time he was Mayor of Bath, Member of Parliament, and even an actor. I asked myself how could one man do all these things? I paused, and remembered that a little learning is a dangerous thing. So I dug a little deeper. There were, I found out, four John Palmers. All with overlapping histories, and all connected with the Old Theatre Royal on Old Orchard Street in Bath. The first was John Palmer, brewer and tallow chandler, two essential 18th-century trades. The drinking water was generally poisonous, and so everyone drank beer. Also, the electric light had not been invented, so everyone needed candles. John Palmer took over the project to build a theatre in Bath. The originator of the idea, a retired actor called John Hippisley, died before the theatre could be built. 18thcentury Bath was rapidly becoming a ‘go to’ place for London society. They came to take
the waters, and play cards in the Assembly Rooms. But there was no London standard theatre to entertain them. In 1705, George Trim had built a rather inadequate theatre near Trim Street. Defoe visited it in 1725, and said, “In the afternoon there is generally a play – though the decorations are mean, and the performance accordingly – but it answers, for the company here make the play, to say no more.” In 1738, this theatre closed and was demolished to make way for the east wing of the Mineral Water Hospital. There was an impromptu theatre giving irregular performances in the cellars of Simpson’s Rooms near North Parade. But this was cramped and limited, and described by a visitor from France as “…quite a pretty little catacomb.” He went on to say, “When the curtain went up, and the stage began to vomit forth the actors, I was reminded of the band of robbers in Gil Blas’ cavern. Their manner of acting did not break the spell…” So, it was clear that Bath needed a proper theatre. And on 27 October 1750, under John Palmer’s stewardship, the St. James’ Theatre opened on what is now Old Orchard Street. And Palmer ran the theatre until 1764, when he handed it down to his son… John Palmer! John Palmer Junior was his father’s
Interior of the Old Theatre Royal auditorium, which opened in 1750
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London agent, but as Bath became the main focal point for social activity outside London, Palmer Junior’s focus moved west. He was enthusiastic in his management of the theatre. In 1768 he obtained a Royal Warrant for it, an exalted privilege that was only enjoyed by two London theatres at that time – Drury Lane and Covent Garden. The theatre in Bath was the first provincial theatre to be given the honour. This enabled Palmer Junior to attract top theatre companies and leading stars to his theatre. He also toured provincial theatres, recruiting promising new talent. This set the foundations for the theatre’s high reputation as a nursery for developing talent. Palmer Junior’s most famous appointment was Sarah Siddons, whose time at the theatre is celebrated by a bronze plaque on the Old Orchard Street building, unveiled by The Corporation of Bath in 1937. She appeared at the theatre from 1778 to 1782, where she honed her skill as an actress eventually going up to London to become a superstar. Palmer Junior also embarked on a series of improvements to the building, not all of which were successful. For this work he engaged the services of the third John Palmer in our story, John Palmer the architect of Bath. Palmer the architect built many of the setpiece buildings of Bath. Lansdown Crescent,