Sir Henry Irving, born John Henry Brodribb on 6th February
1838, was an outstanding actor-manager of the Victorian theatre, renowned for
the many seasons he produced at the Lyceum Theatre, London. His pre-eminence
was reflected in his being knighted in 1895, the first actor to be so honoured.
Entering the office of a law firm after leaving school, he
embarked upon a stage career in 1856, but it would be some 15 years before he
achieved real success. He toured the provinces with many companies facing
struggles both professionally and financially and it was in these years that he
came to work and live in Liverpool.
In the Spring of 1866, stranded by the collapse of a
theatrical venture, Irving was fortunate to secure a six month’s engagement at
the small ‘Prince of Wales Theatre’ in Clayton Square. Accompanied by his dog,
a large retriever called ‘Bloom’ he went in search of lodgings at 83 Mount
Pleasant. This was the home of the Thomas family, the diminutive Hannah Thomas
taking in paying guests to fill the gaps in the family income left by her husband
Walter’s somewhat feckless approach to employment. Whilst his engagement at the
Prince of Wales kept his head above water his stay in Liverpool saw him before
the courts, being sued for a debt of about £20. He escaped sanction by the
court when Walter Thomas loaned him the sum, which was duly repaid by Irving.
Shortly after he returned to London and, eventually, fame and fortune.
His Liverpool sojourn was also incidental in launching
another theatrical career. The son of the household in which he lodged, the
18-year old Brandon Thomas, was so taken with his visits to see their lodger
perform that he set his own sights on a career on the stage. Brandon Thomas
would go on to have a long and fairly successful acting career, being mostly
remembered however for being the writer of the ever-popular farce Charley’s
Aunt.
Henry Irving died on 13th October 1905. During a
performance at Bradford he suffered a stroke and was taken to the lobby of the Midland Hotel where he died. The chair upon
which he was sitting when he died is now in the Garrick Club. Irving’s ashes
were placed in Westminster Abbey, making him the first person to be interred in
the Abbey after cremation.
