Between 1674 and 1822 the Theatre Royal Drury Lane underwent a large number of alterations, remodels and rebuilds. 1791-1822 represents a particularly active period of evolution and a very public debate between actors and architects on what should constitute appropriate theatrical space. There is a clear tension between the vernacular form supported by theatre professionals and the high style proposed (and executed) by a series of acclaimed (and fashionable) architects. This discordant moment can be better understood through an exploration of the tension between neoclassicism and burgeoning Romanticism with its attendant fascination with the pictorial and the sublime.

The 1674 Theatre Royal Drury Lane has been reconstructed from Wren’s section ‘play house’ and a ground plan proposed by Fergusson. Architectural plans for Henry Holland’s 1791 iteration of the building are available.

The following contextual material is important to the interpretation of this reconstruction.