The Adelphi Theatre Stage Door

The Adelphi Theatre on the Strand in London is famous for the 1897 tragic murder of star actor William Terriss by a jealous rival at its stage door on Maiden Lane. On December 16, 1897, Terriss was stabbed three times by actor Richard Archer Prince. Up to 50,000 people attended his funeral, and reported ghost sightings of Terriss later spanned from the theatre to Covent Garden Underground Station.

London Β· from the walk β€œLondon's Best-Kept Secrets” Β· audio ~4 min Β· Generated

Adelphi Theatre, 409 Strand, London WC2R 0NS

Which famous actor was murdered at London's Adelphi Theatre in 1897?

Take a look at the wall just here, on the Mayden Lane side of the Adelphi Theatre. You'll spot a green plaque... and behind it lies one of the most dramatic true crime stories in Victorian London.......... William Terriss β€” born William Charles James Lewin β€” was an English actor known for his swashbuckling hero roles. The New York Dramatic Mirror called him "one of the greatest and next to Henry Irving undoubtedly the most popular actor in England." People called him "Breezy Bill." He was handsome, athletic, wildly charismatic... the Tom Cruise of the eighteen nineties.......... But before he ever set foot on stage, he attempted various business ventures around the world, including tea planting, sheep farming, and horse breeding. Eventually he settled on acting and became the Star of the Adelphi, the theatre famous for its melodramas.......... Now... here's where it turns dark. One of his colleagues was Richard Archer Prince, a young actor. Terriss supported Prince financially. But with every performance, Prince became more and more jealous of the well-liked, generous Terriss. Prince was mentally unstable, and his bad-tempered outbursts and erratic behaviour left him without roles, facing extreme financial hardship.......... On the evening of December the sixteenth, eighteen ninety-seven... Prince was waiting right Here, in this narrow lane, with a knife. Terriss arrived at the stage door and was in the act of unlocking it when somebody rushed across from the opposite side of the street and stabbed him. Three times. His lover, leading lady Jessie Millward, was present. He died in her arms... and according to his daughter, his last words were, "I will come back."

...... And here is where the story takes an extraordinary turn. Up to fifty Thousand people lined the route or filled Brompton Cemetery for his funeral. Queen Victoria herself sent condolences and a wreath. Prince was arrested and found guilty, but he was not sentenced to death β€” instead he was committed to Broadmoor asylum, where he died in nineteen thirty-seven.......... But Terriss? He kept his promise. In nineteen twenty-eight, an actress starring in the musical Clowns in Clover reported that the couch in her dressing room vibrated and she felt a ghastly grip on her arm. Two workmen in the Adelphi auditorium one night in nineteen sixty-two said a green light took the shape of a body crossing the stage. Another workman, an electrician, said he saw the ghost of a man in a grey suit while all the seats were tipping mysteriously.......... And then... he moved to the Tube. Jack Hayden worked at Covent Garden Underground Station in November nineteen fifty-five. One night, he saw a tall distinguished-looking man on the platform. It was past closing time. The man wore a grey suit, white gloves, and had a cane in his hand. Then he simply... vanished. Pictures of William Terriss were sought out. Not only did they match the medium's sketch, but when shown to Hayden, he cried out, "That's him."

...... According to author Peter Underwood, Terriss's ghost appeared regularly at Covent Garden Station until nineteen sixty-five. He never answered questions but always wore the same clothes and usually appeared during November and December. The last sighting was probably in nineteen seventy-two.......... So the next time you pass through Covent Garden station... and you catch an unexpected whiff of old-fashioned cologne on the platform... remember Breezy Bill. He told them he would come back. And it seems he was a man of his word.

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