CACrown ArchivesThe cinema collection
Menu
Research dossier · Arts & Letters

Lyceum Theatre, Crewe

theatre in Crewe, England

Manuscripts, fine bindings, an engraving plate and preserved performance ephemera
Arts and lettersInterpretive dossier study · Crown Archives visual atlas
Record originEnglish Wikipedia
Text licenseCC BY-SA 4.0
Source revisionJul 18, 2026
Entity authorityQ1878498 ↗
Source-derived summary

The Lyceum Theatre is an Edwardian theatre in Heath Street, Crewe, Cheshire, England. It originated as a converted Roman Catholic Church in 1876. The church was replaced in 1887 by a purpose-built theatre, which burnt down in 1910. The theatre was rebuilt the following year, and was refurbished in 1994. It continues in use as a theatre, as of 2022 it is managed by Trafalgar Theatres. The theatre is constructed in brick, and adjacent to it is a block containing the entrance and offices. Its interior contains decorated plasterwork.

History

The theatre stands on the site of a former Roman Catholic Church that had been built to serve Irish immigrants working on the local railway. In 1876 the congregation moved into a larger church in the town. The site was acquired by Thomas Cliffe, a local farmer, and he gave permission for Henry Taylor, a local printer, to convert the church into a theatre.

Editorial summary

Begin with the source’s own compact description: “Lyceum Theatre, Crewe” is theatre in Crewe, England. The dossier treats that line as a proposition to test through Lyceum, Theatre and Crewe, not as a finished interpretation.

Editorial reviewA productive route into publication, performance and collection histories when the underlying object or edition remains clearly identified. The current lead gives the account dated anchors—1876, 1887, 1910, 1994—that can be checked directly. The linked authority record independently contributes the date 1887. For this dossier, Lyceum, Theatre and Crewe is the immediate research focus.
Editorial analysis

Why this record matters

The phrase “theatre in Crewe, England” supplies a clear boundary for inquiry. It also exposes the unanswered questions: who defined that boundary, when it became stable and which sources sit outside it.

Evidence profile

Object files, edition statements, performance records and contemporary criticism preserve different stages of the work’s history. The source revision retrieved here is dated Jul 18, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q1878498. Authority coordinates are 53.099, -2.440. 2 of 3 selected statements include explicit references; 1 carry qualifiers and 0 use preferred rank. The first chronological checks are 1876, 1887, 1910 and 1994.

Critical limits

Rights, attribution and provenance may remain disputed even when a general reference summary presents a stable account. The lead is largely declarative, so disagreement and counter-evidence require a deliberate search beyond the opening account. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.

How to read it

Separate the work, its editions or performances, and its later reception. Catalogue records, publication histories and object files often preserve different parts of that story.

Best used for
  • Identifying works and editions
  • Tracing reception history
  • Finding collection records
Verify next

The original object or edition, catalogue raisonné, performance record, rights file and holding institution.

Three-step research path

  1. Establish the record: confirm the title “Lyceum Theatre, Crewe”, its source revision and the description used here.
  2. Expand the search: follow Lyceum Theatre, Crewe primary sources, Lyceum Theatre, Crewe archive and Lyceum research across catalogues and specialist indexes.
  3. Test the account: compare the strongest cited source with the responsible institution’s current record and note any disagreement.

Questions for further research

  1. Which source most directly establishes the central claim about “Lyceum Theatre, Crewe”?
  2. Where is authorship, date or provenance documented?
  3. Which edition, object, performance or recording is being described?
Subject index

Search terms from this dossier

Source & attribution

This entry incorporates text from “Lyceum Theatre, Crewe” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.