West Dean House
West Dean House near Chichester in West Sussex was used for private theatricals by the James family in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries.
William (Willie) Dodge James and his wife Evelyn Forbes moved to West Dean House in 1891. The couple were in the social set of Edward and Alexandra, Prince and Princess of Wales, who visited the property on a number of occasions.
Evelyn James was particularly fond of private and amateur theatricals and founded the 'West Dean Dramatic Club' in 1895. The group's activities can be traced in her personal papers:
| Play / Performance | Dates | Location | Additional Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Caste by T. W. Robertson | 25-26 February 1895 | Chichester Corn Exchange | |
| Diplomacy by B. C. Stephenson and Clement Scott | 30 October and 2 November 1895 | Empire Palace Theatre, Edinburgh | Lord Rosslyn's Matinées |
| Dr Johnson by Leo Trevor and The Money Spinner by Arthur Wing Pinero | 7-8 January 1896 | West Dean Park, West Sussex | |
| Dr Johnson by Leo Trevor and The Money Spinner by Arthur Wing Pinero | 27-28 January 1896 | Chatsworth House, Derbyshire | |
| The Parvenu by G. W. Godfey and The Highwayman by Justin H. McCarthy | 13-14 February 1896 | Tranby Croft, East Riding of Yorkshire | |
| Concert followed by Sweethearts by W. S. Gilbert | 3 April 1897 | The Casino, Biarritz | |
| Sweethearts by W. S. Gilbert and A Commission by Weedon Grossmith | 7-8 January 1897-8? | Pavilion Theatre, Buxton, Derbyshire | |
| Her New Dressmaker by W. R. Walker and Too Clever by Half (author unknown) | 11 December 1897 | West Dean Park, West Sussex | |
| His Little Dodge and Kitty Clive by F. Frankfort Moore | 7 January 1898 | Chatsworth House, Derbyshire | |
| Dandy Dick by Arthur Wing Pinero | 19-20 December 1899? | Town Hall, Rugby | Organised by Mrs Arthur James |
| Peace and War - a Masque | 13 February 1900 | Her Majesty's Theatre, London | Organised by Mrs Arthur Paget |
| A Pantomime Rehearsal and Le Bibelot | January 1901 | Chatsworth House, Derbyshire | |
| Masks and Faces by Tom Taylor and Charles Reade | 28 May 1901 | Chichester Corn Exchange | |
| Manœuvres of Jane by Henry Arthur Jones | December 1903 | Market Harborough and Rugby | Organised by Mrs Arthur James |
| Cinderella and the Magic Slipper by Leo Trevor | 7-8 January 1904 | Chatsworth House, Derbyshire | |
| Manœuvres of Jane by Henry Arthur Jones | 25 January 1904 | Chichester Corn Exchange | |
| Manœuvres of Jane by Henry Arthur Jones | 27 January 1904 | Brighton Alhambra | |
| 12-13 January 1905 | London? | ||
| 17-18 January 1905 | Rugby | ||
| The Duke of Killicrankie by Robert Marshall | TBC | Chichester Corn Exchange | |
| The Duke of Killicrankie by Robert Marshall | 9-10 February 1905 | Gaiety Theatre, Dublin | |
| 23-24 May 1905 | New Theatre, Oxford | ||
| In the Cause of Charity by Leo Trevor and 'Imitations' by Miss Gladys Marsden and scenes from The Hunchback by James Sheridan Knowles | 15-16 December 1905 | Chichester Corn Exchange | |
| The Isle of Pharawai by Don Pedro de Zulueta | 14 December 1906 | Chichester Corn Exchange | |
| A Queen's Messenger by J. Hartley Manners, Op = O' = Me Thumb by Frederick Fenn and Richard Pryce and A Privy Council by Major W. P. Drury and Richard Pryce | 28 February 1908 | Chichester Corn Exchange | |
| Concert | 7 July 1908 | Bryanston Square, London | |
| The Mollusc by Hubert Henry Davies | 19 January 1909 | Chichester Corn Exchange | |
| The Mollusc by Hubert Henry Davies | 20 January1909 | Midhusrt Sanatorium | |
| The Mollusc by Hubert Henry Davies | 22 January 1909 | Brighton Alhambra | |
| The Mollusc by Hubert Henry Davies | 26 January 1909 | The Cordes Hall, Sunninghill | |
| The Mollusc by Hubert Henry Davies | 13 February 1909 | The Opera House, Tunbridge Wells | |
| The Mollusc by Hubert Henry Davies | 6 May 1909 | The Kingsway Theatre, London | |
| The Mollusc by Hubert Henry Davies | 9 June 1909 | Ealing Hippodrome | |
| The 'Tariff Reform Play' | 14 December 1909 | Chichester Corn Exchange | |
| Concert | 9 January 1910 | Chichester Corn Exchange | |
| 'Musical entertainment' 'the doll play' | 18 January 1910 | Sandrigham | Visting Edward VII and Queen Alexandra |
| The Marriage of Kitty adapted from French by Cosmo Gordon-Lennox | 8 February 1910 | Chichester Corn Exchange | |
| The Marriage of Kitty adapted from French by Cosmo Gordon-Lennox | 11 February 1910 | Brighton Alhambra | King Edward VII present |
| The Marriage of Kitty adapted from French by Cosmo Gordon-Lennox | 18 February 1910 | Theatre Royal Portsmouth | |
| Concert | 21 February 1910 | Brighton Dome | |
| The 'doll' play like at Sandringham - musical comedy. Also Collaborators and duologue | 26-27 December 1910 | West Dean Park, West Sussex |