Theatre Royal, Exeter fire kills 186 people
- When
- 1887
- Where
- Theatre Royal, Exeter; Exeter
- Episodes
- 3
On 5 September 1887, a fire broke out in the backstage area of the Theatre Royal in Exeter, England, during a performance of The Romany Rye. The disaster resulted in 186 deaths, making it the worst theatre disaster in UK history. Most fatalities occurred in the gallery due to a bottleneck at the single narrow staircase, exacerbated by a 'check-box' at the top.
Episodes
- Theatre Royal, Exeter fire kills 186 people
A fire broke out in the backstage area of the Theatre Royal in Exeter, England, during a performance of The Romany Rye, killing 186 people.
- Coroner's inquest opened
A coroner's inquest was opened on 21 September 1887, in front of a coroner's jury.
- Captain Shaw submits report
Captain Shaw submitted his report to the government on 29 September 1887, noting significant failings of the architect, Phipps.
Background and detail
Incident. The fire caused panic throughout the theatre, killing 186 people from smoke, flame, crushing, and trauma injuries. The majority of deaths occurred in the gallery, where a single narrow staircase created a bottleneck. This was worsened by a 'check-box' where patrons dropped their passes on the way out, directly at the top of the gallery stairway.
Investigation. Following the fire, on 8 September 1887, the coroner ordered the ruined theatre to be boarded up, with all persons prohibited, so that it might be preserved for investigation. A coroner's inquest was opened on 21 September 1887, in front of a coroner's jury. Captain Shaw submitted his report to the government on 29 September 1887, noting the significant failings of the architect, Phipps.
People involved
- George Robert Sims · Playwright
- Wilson Barrett · Producer
- Gilbert Elliott · Company Manager
- Captain Shaw · Fire Safety Investigator
- Phipps · Architect
Sources
- Exeter Theatre Royal fire Wikipedia, revision of 2026-06-21
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.