Bertie Crewe, architect: architectural drawings of theatres

Scope and Content

Drawings of theatre buildings in the UK, Dublin and Paris. Includes plans, elevations, sections and the details of decorations. Mostly signed by Bertie Crewe but often not dated.

Administrative / Biographical History

Bertie Crewe (d.1937) trained in Paris and London, where as a young man he was a frequent visitor to Frank Matcham's home and may have trained with him. Crewe became known as one of the most prolific architects of his day, specialising entirely in theatres and later cinemas. Between them, he and his contemporaries W.G.R. Sprague and Thomas Verity were responsible for the majority of the theatres and variety palaces of the building boom of 1885 to 1915.

In 1888 he assisted Walter Emden with the Royal Court Theatre on Sloane Square, and collaborated with Sprague to rebuild the Lincoln Theatre Royal (1893) and the Olympic (1890). His most notable projects included the Sadlers Wells remodelling of 1901, the Lyceum alterations of 1904, and the construction of the Prince's (later renamed the Shaftesbury).

Other London theatres included: the Stoll, the Golders Green Hippodrome, the Piccadilly, the Phoenix and the Saville. Outside London he was responsible for the Birmingham Hippodrome, the Dublin Coliseum, the Glasgow Pavillion, the Manchester Palace, among others. Many of Crewe's theatres were subsequently destroyed.

Arrangement

This material has been arranged alphabetically by name of the theatre.

Conditions Governing Access

This collection is available for consultation in the V&A Department of Theatre and Performance's Reading Room, which is located at Blythe House, 23 Blythe Rd, Olympia, London, W14 0QX. The Reading Room is open Tuesday to Friday between 10.15 am and 4.30 pm. Access to it is by appointment only. To request an appointment please email tmenquiries@vam.ac.uk or telephone 020 7942 2698.

Access to some of these seriess may be restricted. These are identified at series level.

Conditions Governing Use

Archive material may not be photocopied. Arrangements can be made to photograph material in the reading room using non-flash photography.

Acquisition Information

Possibly acquired via the Royal Institute of British Architects ca.1957.