Historedia
EuropeEvent

Founding of the Royal Coburg Theatre (later the Old Vic)

When
1818
Where
London
Episodes
1

The Royal Coburg Theatre was established in London in 1818 by James King, Daniel Dunn, and John Thomas Serres. Serres secured patronage from Princess Charlotte and Prince Leopold, leading to the theatre's naming. This foundation marks the origin of the venue later known as the Old Vic, distinct from its later Victorian renamings.

Episodes

  1. 1818 · LondonFounding of the Royal Coburg Theatre

    James King, Daniel Dunn, and John Thomas Serres established the theatre in London in 1818, securing royal patronage for its naming.

Background and detail

Background. The Old Vic is a nonprofit producing theatre located in Waterloo, London. Its origins trace back to 1818, when it was established as the Royal Coburg Theatre. The venue underwent significant name changes later, becoming the Royal Victoria Theatre in 1833 and the Royal Victoria Palace in 1871, but its founding identity remains central to its history.

Founding and Naming. The theatre was founded in 1818 by James King, Daniel Dunn, and John Thomas Serres. King and Dunn were formerly managers of the Surrey Theatre in Bermondsey. Serres, the marine painter to the King, secured formal patronage from Princess Charlotte and Prince Leopold of Saxe-Coburg, which resulted in the theatre being named the Royal Coburg Theatre.

People involved

Sources

  1. The Old Vic Wikipedia, revision of 2026-09-27

Machine-drafted from the cited Wikipedia passages and checked by a reviewing model, not by a human editor. Every passage cites the revision it was written from; dates and places follow those passages.