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Kōrero: Theatres, cinemas and halls

Theatre Royal: Nelson

Image
Theatre Royal: Nelson

A crowd of mainly children pose outside Nelson's Theatre Royal either before or after an event there. A sign saying 'God save our King' suggests it occurred in the early 20th century. The wooden building opened in 1878 and was among a number of venues called 'Theatre Royal' built during the 1870s. By the 2010s it was the only one still standing, and the oldest purpose-built theatre in New Zealand.   

Te whakamahi i tēnei tūemi

Nelson Provincial Museum, Tyree Studio Collection

Reference: 181444

Permission must be sought from Nelson Provincial Museum before any re-use of this image.

Ngā whakaahua me ngā rauemi katoa o tēnei kōrero

Me pēnei te tohu i te whārang

Ben Schrader, Theatres, cinemas and halls – Colonial period, Te Ara – the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, https://teara.govt.nz/mi/photograph/42372/theatre-royal-nelson (accessed 4 June 2026).

He kōrero nā Ben Schrader, i tāngia i te 21 August 2013.