Lyceum Theatre (Sheffield)

The Lyceum is a 1068-seat theatre in the City of Sheffield, England.

History

There has been a theatre on the site since 1879 when The Grand Varieties Theatre was built. Made of wood and originally intended to be used as a circus, the theatre was managed by the parents of the music hall comedian Dan Leno in 1883, who regularly performed there in the early stages of his career. The Leno's lease came to an end in 1884 and the theatre burnt down in 1893. This was replaced by City Theatre but this was demolished six years later to make way for what is now the Lyceum.

Built to a traditional proscenium arch design, the Lyceum is the only surviving theatre outside London designed by the famous theatre architect W.G.R. Sprague and the last example of an Edwardian auditorium in Sheffield. The statue on top of the Lyceum Theatre is Mercury, son of Zeus and Maia.

By the late fifties, the Lyceum were experiencing financial difficulties and by 1966 bingo callers were keeping the rumoured threat of demolition at bay. The theatre closed in 1969 and, despite being granted Grade II listed status in 1972, planning permission was sought for its demolition in 1975. The building was saved in part due to campaigning by the Hallamshire Historic Buildings Society.

Sheffield

Sheffield (ⁱ/ˈʃɛfiːld/) is a city and metropolitan borough in South Yorkshire, England. Historically part of the West Riding of Yorkshire, its name derives from the River Sheaf, which runs through the city. With some of its southern suburbs annexed from Derbyshire, the city has grown from its largely industrial roots to encompass a wider economic base. The population of the City of Sheffield is 563,749 (mid-2014 est.) and it is one of the eight largest regional English cities that make up the Core Cities Group. Sheffield is the third largest English district by population. The metropolitan population of Sheffield is 1,569,000

During the 19th century, Sheffield gained an international reputation for steel production. Many innovations were developed locally, including crucible and stainless steel, fuelling an almost tenfold increase in the population in the Industrial Revolution. Sheffield received its municipal charter in 1843, becoming the City of Sheffield in 1893. International competition in iron and steel caused a decline in traditional local industries in the 1970s and 1980s, coinciding with the collapse of coal mining in the area.

Sheffield (disambiguation)

Sheffield is a city in South Yorkshire, England.

Sheffield may also refer to:

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Sheffield (European Parliament constituency)

Sheffield was a European Parliament constituency covering the City of Sheffield and parts of Derbyshire in England.

Prior to its uniform adoption of proportional representation in 1999, the United Kingdom used first-past-the-post for the European elections in England, Scotland and Wales. The European Parliament constituencies used under that system were smaller than the later regional constituencies and only had one Member of the European Parliament each.

When the constituency was created in 1979, it consisted of the Westminster Parliament constituencies of Chesterfield, Derbyshire North East, Sheffield Attercliffe, Sheffield Brightside, Sheffield Hallam, Sheffield Heeley, Sheffield Hillsborough and Sheffield Park. In 1984, Park was replaced by Sheffield Central, and the boundaries of the other constituencies changed. Larger changes occurred in 1994, when the Derbyshire constituencies were removed to Nottinghamshire North and Chesterfield and replaced by Barnsley West and Penistone.