The somewhat involved history of the ownership and management of the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden can be split up into four main categories: the successive physical theatre buildings; the managers of the various theatrical and operatic companies which played there (historically, a mixture of actor-managers and impresarios); the leaseholders of the opera houses built on the land; and the owners of the freehold (i.e. ground landlords). From the early 20th century the theatre's management tended to be split between a general administrator and a musical/artistic director.
The horizontal alignment of dates in the table is only approximate.
Theatre ManagementA fairly complete list of 18th and 19th century managers is found in Leaseholder FreeholderThe dates of the Dukes of Bedford as freeholders are from their succession to the title, not their full dates.First theatre December 1732 – September 1808 1732–1761 John Rich 1732 3rd Duke of BedfordDied September 1732 aged 24, at Coruna, Spain 1732–1771 4th Duke of Bedford 1761 John Beard, Rich's son-in-lawBeard married John Rich's daughter Charlotte, retired due to deafness in 1767. 1761 Priscilla Rich 1767 George ColmanJuly 1767 George Colman, William Powell, Thomas Harris, & John Rutherford 1774 Thomas Harris, sub-leased to Thomas Hull 1775–1782 1785: Thomas Harris (owned nearly 75% of the lease) 1771–1802 5th Duke of Bedford d. aged 36 1803 Thomas Harris & John P. Kemble 1806: Thomas Harris and others 1802–1839 6th Duke of Bedford Second theatre September 1809 – March 1856 1809:Henry HarrisSon of Thomas Harris. and J. P. Kemble1822: Charles Kemble1832: Alfred Bunn1835: D. W. Osbaldiston1837: W. C. Macready 1812 Henry Harris & John Kemble; George White & Mrs. Martindale (both descendants of William Powell) 1839: Madam Vestris and C. J. Mathews 1842: Charles Kemble (again)1843: William H. WallackThe father of James William Wallack, owner of Wallack's Theatre in NY. 1845: ? Laurent 1846: Frederick BealeDied 1863. Father of Thomas Willert Beale. 1848: Edward Delafield 1820Henry Harris(owned 7/12 share of the lease)1839–1861 7th Duke of Bedford, d. aged 73 1849 – 1877 Frederick Gye Sub-lessees:1856: Professor Anderson 1856-64 (part): Louisa Pyne & William Harrison Various dates: Colonel MaplesonMapleson went to the USA and put on opera at the New York Academy of Music. His nephew Lionel Mapleson created the Mapleson Cylinders at the 'old' Metropolitan Opera House during the last years of Maurice Grau's directorship there. Grau was also manager of Covent Garden 1897-1900 for the Syndicate. 1849–1878 Frederick Gye Third theatre May 1858 – present 1861–1872 8th Duke of Bedford 1877–1884 Ernest Gye 1878 - c1890 Ernest Gye and his brothers 1872–1891 9th Duke of Bedford, shot himself while insane 1885–1887 Signor Lago 1888–1896 Augustus Harris,sub-leased from the Grand Opera Syndicate. c1890–1895 Andrew Montagu,sub-leased to Grand Opera Syndicate.1891–1893 10th Duke of Bedford, died of diabetes aged 401897–1900 Maurice Grau as a director of Grand Opera Syndicate Ltd., previously backers of Augustus Harris, with Neil Forsyth as General Manager 1896–1899 Denison Faber, 1st Baron Wittenham, sub-leased to Grand Opera Syndicate Ltd. 1893–1918 11th Duke of Bedford, d. 1940 aged 641901–1906 André Messager as musical director of GOS Ltd., Neil Forsyth as General Manager 1899–1929 Grand Opera Syndicate Ltd.
1925–1927 Sub-leased by London Opera Syndicate1907–1915 Percy Pitt as musical director of the Syndicate, Neil Forsyth as MD. Sub-leased to others, eg Raymond Roze for a winter season of opera in English 1913.1914: Used as station for swearing-in of police Special Constables. On August 17, 1914, 2,000 special constables were sworn in under Capt. Stuart, Commander of E Division.1915–1918: Used to store furniture from the hotels which had been taken over as offices by the Government 1918: Thomas Beecham
1925–1927: Summer seasons were given by London Opera Syndicate1918–1924: Thomas Beecham & his younger brother Harry, a long and involved story.1924–1928: Beecham Estates and Pills Ltd., a privately owned company with Beecham family interests 1928–1933 Summer seasons were given by the Covent Garden Opera Syndicate. Beecham gave a brief season of grand opera in 1932. 1929–1932 The Syndicate's 30-year sub-lease was due to expire soon, and the building was under threat of demolition 1929–1933: Sub-leased to Covent Garden Opera Syndicate until February 19331928–1961 Covent Garden Properties Company Ltd., a public real estate company 1934–1936 Geoffrey Toye as managing director of the ROH Company, with Beecham as principal conductor and artistic director 1932–1939The Royal Opera House Company took a 5-year lease1936–1939 Managed by Beecham from 1936 after Toye was forced out1939–1944 Mecca Ballrooms (Mecca Cafés Ltd.) - dancing and entertainment for the troops1944–1949 Covent Garden Opera Trust Gen. Admin David Webster Mus. Dir. Karl RanklSadlers Wells Ballet first prod. Sleeping Beauty (1946); Covent Garden Opera Co., first prod. The Fairy Queen (1946?)1944–1949 Boosey & Hawkes1949–present Covent Garden TrustNot to be confused with the Covent Garden Area Trust, set up in 1988 to conserve the historic architecture, environment and unique qualities of the 97-acre Covent Garden area. (now Royal Opera House Covent Garden Ltd., Registered Charity Number: 211775)1949–1961 Ministry of Works, with a forty-two-year lease, sublet to Covent Garden Trust 1961–present Covent Garden Trust(main lessee) (Subscription required.) NB The lease of 1949 was theoretically up for renewal in c1991, but this needs confirmation. 1961–1980Covent Garden Market Authority, a Statutory Corporation established in 1961 by Act of Parliament 1980–presentGovernment for the Royal Opera House Covent Garden Ltd, parent company of The Royal Opera, The Royal Ballet, and the Orchestra of the ROH
See also Managerial and musical heads of The Royal Opera, 1946 to date
References Notes
Sources (Edited from Pitt's unpublished MS autobiography)
(Paragraphs are numbered in faint (¶) on the lh side.)
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