Here stood the Assembly Rooms, opened in 1756, with a 26 metre long and highly ornate Great Room, in which concerts where held. Winter Assemblies were held fortnightly, dances began at 6.30, and there were card games.
The Rooms later housed the New Theatre, then renamed the Regency Theatre. Opened in 1811, the New Theatre briefly rivalled the popularity of the nearby Theatre Royal. An early performance was of The Traveller, starring Charles Incledon – ballad singers and Charles Matthews – comedian. After attaining a special licence from the mayor, it mainly presented pantomimes, melodramas and spectacles. It closed briefly on the 22nd October 1811, but was reopened less than a month later with Mr and Mrs Clarke (the latter a native Bristolian). Clarke was immensely unpopular, mainly due to his methods of selection, and was the subject of malicious gossip.
- from Kathleen Barker’s article, Bristol Evening Post, 5th September, 1950.