William George Robert Sprague [also known as W.G.R. Sprague] was born in Ballarat East, Victoria, Australia or New Zealand [1] on 6 September 1863. By 1874 he had moved to England and was articled to Frank Matcham (1854-1920) in London from 1879 to 1883 and to Walter Emden (1847-1913) from 1883 to 1886. He commenced independent practice as an architect in London 1889 and sometimes collaborated with the architects William Robert 'Bertie' Crewe (1860-1937) and William Henry Barton (1871-?). During a career of over thirty years he specialised in theatre architecture. Theatres designed by Sprague included Theatre Royal, Lincolnshire, with Bertie Crew (1889); Olympic Theatre, junction of Drury Lane, Wych Street and Newcastle Street, London, with Bertie Crewe (1890); Theatre Royal, corner of Gordon Road and Birchett Road in Aldershot, Hampshire, with Bertie Crewe (1891); Camberwell Empire, Camberwell, London, with Bertie Crewe (1894); Lyceum Theatre, Bridge Street, , Newport, South Wales (1896); Shakespeare Theatre and Opera House, Lavender Hill, Battersea, London (1896); The Broadway, New Cross, London (1897); Grand Theatre, Fulham, London (1897); Lyceum Theatre, Sheffield (1897); The Coronet Theatre, Notting Hill Gate, London (1898); Kennington Theatre, London (1898); Wyndham's Theatre, Charing Cross Road, London (1899); The Rotherhithe Hippodrome, London (1899); Empire Theatre, Holloway, London (1899); The Hippodrome, Balham, London (1899-1900); Camden Theatre, Camden Town High Street, London (1901); King's Theatre, corner of Hammersmith Road and Rowan Road, London (1902); The New Theatre [later Albery Theatre], St.