PLYMOUTH |
The Encyclopaedia of Plymouth History |
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THE FIRE AT THE THEATRE ROYAL, 1862 While preparations were underway at the Theatre Royal, Plymouth, during the afternoon of Friday December 26th 1862 for the Boxing Night performance of the pantomime, the alarm was raised that the property room was filled with smoke. The fire was quickly brought under control, thanks largely to the courage of a Mr Tyrell who entered the smoke-filled room to tackle the problem. It transpired that some of the chemicals that were used for the blue and red lights that illuminated the fairy scenes had somehow ignited. A great deal of the properties used in the pantomime were destroyed but the ladies of the company immediately set to work to replace them and the performance went ahead as normal. Although the Theatre was well supplied with water it later became known that the Town Council had only supplied a very small piece of hose pipe, which would have been totally useless if the fire had been any larger. RETURN TO Fires at the Theatre Royal
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