Arthur tended to lease the theatres he took on rather than own them outright and I believe this was the case with the Theatre Royal and also theatres in Wallsend , North Shields, Bishop Auckland, he also took on the lease of the Metropole in Glasgow in 1901.
He overstretched his finances by moving into theatre ownership and with the creditors demanding their monies and with the Blyth theatre not turning a profit he decided to do a 'moonlight flit' to Glasgow as he thought he would be far enough away, he wasn't and they eventually found him, he remained in Glasgow till 1912 but remained as lessee till 1922.
He went on to run a theatrical agency in London but films the very thing that made his son so famous were the end of the road for him as variety was all he knew.
He died in relative obscurity in 1949 and is buried in Grantham Cemetery.