The site of the York Theatre Royal at St. Leonard’s Place has an interesting history. In the basement is a well built by the Romans. Part of its structure incorporates features of a hospital from the Middle Ages. Thomas Keregan founded his theater in 1734 and ten years later his wife commissioned the construction of the New Theater. In 1769, Tate Wilkenson was granted a Royal Patent and renamed the performing arts facility the York Theatre Royal. The Victorian Gothic façade features roundels of Shakespearean characters. The theater reopened in 2016 after an extensive renovation.
