Whitehaven and District Amateur Operatic Society's first home was the Theatre Royal on Roper Street Whitehaven long since demolished.
The Theatre Royal opened in around 1769. It was rebuilt in 1909 to the plans of architect Albert Winstanley. The stage was 16 feet deep and there were five dressing rooms. In 1925, it was operated by Grand Empire Theatres Ltd, based in Glasgow. The films and variety acts were booked at the Grand Theatre, Lancaster. It seems to have screened its last silent film in around 1931, and was never equipped for sound films. Variety shows continued for a while.
The Theatre had been shut down in 1930 because it did not conform to statutory regulations, mainly with regard to the exits. The licence was not renewed.
The old theatre was put up for auction at the Midland Hotel in Manchester, but withdrawn after only one bid of £1,300. Seven years later it was acquired by the Whitehaven News, who used it as a store. Then it was demolished and the site redeveloped as a printing works, but it subsequently lay empty after the paper was bought by The Cumberland News Group and all printing operations were moved to either Carlisle or Lillyhall.
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