Notting Hill Coronet
A historic theatre and former cinema in Notting Hill, London.
Last updated August 24, 2026
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Overview
The Notting Hill Coronet is a historic performing-arts venue in Notting Hill, west London. The building opened in 1898 as a purpose-built theatre designed by architect W. G. R. Sprague. It began with 1,143 seats and quickly established a reputation for architectural quality and ambitious theatrical programming, hosting performers including Ellen Terry and Sarah Bernhardt. Its location outside London’s principal West End theatre district created commercial pressure, however, and the building gradually moved toward film exhibition. Films were first presented there in 1916 as part of variety programmes that combined live performance with cinema. In 1923 the venue became a full-time cinema while retaining much of its original theatre configuration, including stalls, a dress circle, gallery-level seating and side boxes. The stage was closed off and a screen was installed within the proscenium arch. When the venue became part of Gaumont-British in 1931, the boxes were removed. It was renamed the Gaumont in 1950, and the closure of its upper seating tier reduced capacity substantially. The building faced a serious demolition threat in 1971 after the Rank Organisation, which had acquired Gaumont, proposed removing it. Local preservation campaigning emphasized the venue’s architectural character and historical importance, helping secure its survival and refurbishment. Rank sold the cinema to an independent operator in 1977, after which the Coronet name returned. Changes to the stalls seating reduced the main cinema’s capacity to improve legroom, while a second screen was later created in the former stage area. In 1989, another threat was mitigated when the building received Grade II listed status. The venue was acquired by Kensington Temple in 2004 but continued to operate as an independent cinema. Its most significant modern transformation came in 2014, when the nearby fringe theatre company The Print Room acquired the building and converted it back to theatrical use. The adapted venue provided a principal auditorium of approximately 195 seats and a smaller black-box theatre and studio space of approximately 100 seats. It initially operated under the name Print Room at the Coronet before returning to the historic Coronet Theatre name in 2019. Today, the Coronet’s programme extends beyond conventional drama. It has presented stage plays, new writing, adaptations of classic authors, contemporary theatre, dance, poetry, film, music and visual or interdisciplinary work. Its documented productions have included works by Harold Pinter, Tennessee Williams, Anton Chekhov, Henrik Ibsen, Alan Ayckbourn, Jean Genet, Alice Childress and Howard Barker, as well as William Kentridge’s collaboration with the Handspring Puppet Company. The venue also has a place in popular culture: it appeared as the cinema visited by Will Thacker in the 1999 film Notting Hill and was used as the fictional home of Matt Hatter in the animated series Matt Hatter Chronicles.
History
The Coronet building in Notting Hill was designed by W. G. R. Sprague and opened in 1898 as a theatre with 1,143 seats. Its early reputation was linked both to its architectural quality and to the prominent performers who appeared there, including Ellen Terry and Sarah Bernhardt. Although it was close enough to London’s West End to compete with it, it was not located within the established theatrical district, a disadvantage that affected its long-term theatrical business. Cinema entered the building in 1916, when films were incorporated into variety programmes alongside live acts. The transition became permanent in 1923, when the venue was converted into a full-time cinema with a capacity of about 1,010. The conversion retained the original theatre arrangement of stalls, dress circle, gallery and side boxes. The stage was blocked and a cinema screen was fitted into the proscenium arch, while projection equipment was installed in the former dress-circle bar. In 1931 the cinema joined Gaumont-British. The theatre boxes were later removed, and in 1950 the venue was renamed the Gaumont. The upper seating tier was closed, leaving 196 seats in the dress circle and 319 in the stalls. In 1971 the Rank Organisation, which had acquired Gaumont in 1941, proposed demolishing the building. A local campaign argued for its preservation on architectural and historical grounds, and the proposal did not result in the building’s destruction. Rank sold the cinema to an independent operator in 1977, restoring the Coronet name. The stalls were refitted with more generous legroom, reducing capacity to 399. A further threat in 1989 was addressed through the building’s designation as a Grade II listed structure. In 1996, a second cinema screen seating 151 people was created in the former stage area. Kensington Temple acquired the building in 2004, but mainstream independent cinema continued there. The next major change occurred in 2014, when The Print Room, a nearby fringe theatre company based on Westbourne Grove, acquired the venue. The building was converted back to theatrical use as Print Room at the Coronet, with a roughly 195-seat main auditorium and a roughly 100-seat black-box theatre and studio known as The Print Room. In 2019, the organisation rebranded the venue as The Coronet Theatre, reviving its original historic identity. As a theatre, the Coronet has presented work ranging from classic and modern drama to new writing, dance, poetry, film and music. Documented productions include adaptations and plays by Pier Paolo Pasolini, Alan Ayckbourn, Tennessee Williams, Harold Pinter, Henrik Ibsen, Anton Chekhov, Brian Friel, Amy Herzog, Arthur Miller, T. S. Eliot, Peter Shaffer, Jean Genet, Alice Childress and Howard Barker. The 2015 production of Ubu and the Truth Commission was directed by William Kentridge in collaboration with Handspring Puppet Company. The venue and its productions have also been associated with Off West End recognition, including awards connected with design and the 2013 production of Uncle Vanya. The building has an additional cultural profile through screen appearances. It was used in the 1999 film Notting Hill as the cinema where Will Thacker watches a film featuring Anna Scott. It also serves as the fictional home of Matt Hatter in the animated series Matt Hatter Chronicles.
- 2019
Rebranded as The Coronet Theatre
[1]The venue returns to a version of its original theatre name.
- 2014
Return to theatrical use
[1]The Print Room acquires and converts the cinema into a theatre venue.
- 2004
Acquired by Kensington Temple
[1]Kensington Temple acquires the building while independent cinema programming continues.
- 1996
Second cinema screen opens
[1]A second screen with seating for 151 is established in the former stage area.
- 1989
Grade II listing
[1]The building receives Grade II listed status, strengthening its protection as a historic structure.
- 1977
Independent ownership and name restoration
[1]Rank sells the cinema to an independent operator, and the Coronet name returns.
- 1971
Demolition proposal challenged
[1]A local preservation campaign helps prevent the building from being demolished after a proposal by the Rank Organisation.
- 1950
Renamed the Gaumont
[1]The cinema adopts the Gaumont name and closes its upper seating tier.
- 1931
Joins Gaumont-British
[1]The cinema becomes part of Gaumont-British and later loses its theatre boxes.
- 1923
Full-time cinema conversion
[1]The venue becomes a full-time cinema while retaining its theatre-style seating arrangement.
Products and positioning
A heritage theatre and multidisciplinary arts venue combining a Grade II listed historic building with contemporary and independent performance programming.
Theatre space · 2014
Main auditorium
The principal performance space created during the 2014 conversion back to theatre use. It accommodates approximately 195 people and supports drama, dance, music, poetry and multidisciplinary productions.
Black-box theatre and studio · 2014
The Print Room
A smaller studio-style performance space within the venue, with capacity of approximately 100. It is suited to experimental theatre, intimate productions, readings and other flexible-format events.
Cinema · 1923
Coronet Cinema
The building’s cinema operation ran full-time from 1923 until 2013, with a later second screen added in 1996. Cinema exhibition was the venue’s principal use before the Print Room conversion.
Brand decisions
2019
Restoration of the historic theatre brandStrategyBackground
Following several years as Print Room at the Coronet, the operator chose to emphasize the building’s original identity.
Action taken
The venue was rebranded as The Coronet Theatre.
Aftermath
The historic Coronet name became the primary public identity for the contemporary performing-arts venue.
2014
Conversion from cinema to theatreStrategyBackground
The building had operated primarily as a cinema for decades, while The Print Room was a nearby fringe theatre company seeking a permanent venue.
Action taken
The Print Room acquired the building and adapted it into a main auditorium and a smaller black-box theatre and studio.
Aftermath
The venue resumed theatrical programming under the Print Room at the Coronet identity and later returned to the Coronet Theatre name.
Recent events
- 2019
The venue restored the Coronet Theatre name[1]
Other
After operating as Print Room at the Coronet, the venue adopted the historic Coronet Theatre name again.
- 2014
The Coronet building was converted from cinema use back into a theatre[1]
Other
The Print Room acquired the former cinema and adapted it for theatrical use, creating a principal auditorium and a smaller studio theatre.
Sources1 sources
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