Westminster Theatre
Former theatre and cinema in Victoria, Westminster, London, which operated as a live-drama venue from 1931 until its destruction by fire in 2002.
Last updated October 14, 2026
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Overview
Westminster Theatre was a London performance venue on Palace Street in Victoria, Westminster. The building had a long ecclesiastical and entertainment history before acquiring the Westminster Theatre name. It was originally constructed in 1766 as Charlotte Chapel by William Dodd, using funds provided by his wife, Mary Perkins. Through Peter Richard Hoare, the property later became associated with the family behind Hoare's Bank and was known as St Peter's Chapel. The building was converted for moving pictures in the early twentieth century. John Stanley Coombe Beard designed a new frontage and altered the premises for use as the St James's Picture Theatre, which opened in 1924. The opening programme featured Rob Roy. The cinema conversion was backed by a group with court connections, including Henry Lascelles, 6th Earl of Harewood. In 1931, the premises underwent substantial further alterations and became a venue for live drama under the Westminster Theatre name. During the 1930s the theatre developed a role in experimental, socially engaged and professionally produced drama. Alderson Burrell Horne, who was known in theatrical circles as Anmer Hall and also worked under the stage name Waldo Wright, was involved in the transformation of the venue. Kathleen Mary Robinson, who had travelled from Australia to study theatre production, worked with producer Osmund Daltry and also directed productions there. The theatre's performers and collaborators included Michael Wilding and Emlyn Williams. Its notable pre-war programming included Harley Granville Barker's Waste in 1936, directed by Barker himself, and C. L. R. James's Toussaint Louverture, directed by Peter Godfrey and featuring Paul Robeson, Orlando Martins and Harry Andrews. In April 1946, the Westminster Memorial Trust acquired the theatre as a memorial to members of Moral Re-Armament who had died during the Second World War. The Trust retained control for more than three decades. The venue hosted Moral Re-Armament productions while also being rented to outside companies. Furndel Productions, operated by actor Alan Badel and producer William Anthony Furness, used the theatre as a base and presented productions including The Ark in 1959. Peter Howard was an important influence on the theatre's post-war artistic and operational development. As a playwright and organiser, he helped replace the amateur technical practices of the 1940s with professional technicians and brought director Henry Cass into the theatre's work. The premises were remodelled in 1966 after a Moral Re-Armament fundraising effort the previous year, and an arts centre was added. Further construction in 1972 added two floors. The building also contained a major decorative artwork by Professor Lennart Segerstråle, titled Barbed Wire or Reconciliation, reflecting the memorial and reconciliation themes associated with the venue. The theatre continued to present drama and musical theatre into the late twentieth century. Among its later or notable productions were Henry V by the Elizabethan Theatre Company in 1953, the London production of The Duenna in 1954, Freedom in 1955, The Hurricane in 1961, and a Hamlet presented by the British Touring Shakespeare Company in 2002. Moral Re-Armament withdrew from drama at the venue in 1990 because of the cost of maintaining the activity. The theatre was subsequently the subject of redevelopment proposals. A campaign by the owner to preserve the theatre ended after a fire on 27 June 2002 destroyed approximately 75 percent of the building. The damaged structure was demolished soon afterwards. Westminster City Council approved plans in May 2009 for a replacement complex on the original site, comprising a 314-seat theatre, a smaller cabaret stage, flats and a restaurant. That development opened in September 2012 as St James Theatre, later renamed The Other Palace. Westminster Theatre therefore survives as a historical name and former venue rather than an operating theatre brand.
History
The site occupied by Westminster Theatre began as a religious building rather than an entertainment venue. Charlotte Chapel was built in 1766 by William Dodd with financial support from his wife, Mary Perkins. The property later passed through Peter Richard Hoare to the family associated with Hoare's Bank and became known as St Peter's Chapel. In the twentieth century the building was adapted for cinema use. Architect John Stanley Coombe Beard provided a new frontage and carried out alterations for the St James's Picture Theatre. The cinema opened in 1924 with Rob Roy as its inaugural film. Its backers included figures with court connections, among them Henry Lascelles, 6th Earl of Harewood. The building was radically altered again in 1931 and began operating as a live-drama venue. Alderson Burrell Horne, known professionally as Anmer Hall and Waldo Wright, was associated with this transformation. The theatre became a setting for professional and experimental work. Kathleen Mary Robinson, an Australian student of theatre production, worked with producer Osmund Daltry and directed there. The acting community included Michael Wilding and Emlyn Williams. The 1930s programme established the venue's literary and political significance. Harley Granville Barker directed the first full public production of Waste there in 1936. In the same year, C. L. R. James's Toussaint Louverture was directed by Peter Godfrey and featured Paul Robeson, Orlando Martins and Harry Andrews. These productions connected the theatre with modern drama, anti-colonial themes and prominent international performers. In April 1946 the Westminster Memorial Trust purchased the theatre as a memorial to Moral Re-Armament members who had died in the Second World War. For more than thirty years the Trust operated the premises, presenting Moral Re-Armament work and leasing the theatre to other companies. Furndel Productions, founded by Alan Badel and William Anthony Furness, used the theatre as a production base and presented The Ark in 1959. Peter Howard played a notable role in shaping the theatre's post-war methods. He helped professionalise its technical operation, replacing the amateur arrangements of the 1940s with professional technicians, and brought director Henry Cass into the organisation. The building's cultural and institutional role expanded through two major redevelopment phases. A 1966 remodelling, funded after a Moral Re-Armament appeal in 1965, added an arts centre. Further work in 1972 created two additional floors. The premises were decorated with Lennart Segerstråle's work Barbed Wire or Reconciliation, an artwork suited to the site's memorial and reconciliation-oriented identity. The theatre's programme ranged across drama, comedy, musical theatre, Shakespeare and productions involving international or socially significant casts. Productions included Oscar Wilde's An Ideal Husband in 1943 with Martita Hunt; Yellow Sands in 1945 with Cedric Hardwicke; John Barton's first London-directed play, Henry V, in 1953; The Duenna in 1954, which ran for 134 performances; Freedom in 1955 with an African cast; and The Hurricane in 1961 with Muriel Smith and Phyllis Konstam. Freedom was later filmed in Nigeria, while The Hurricane was adapted for film as The Voice of the Hurricane. The British Touring Shakespeare Company's Hamlet was among the final productions associated with the venue in 2002. Moral Re-Armament withdrew from drama at Westminster Theatre in 1990 because of operating costs. Plans to remodel the theatre extensively were developed in the early 2000s, but preservation efforts were overtaken by a major fire on 27 June 2002. The blaze destroyed about three quarters of the building, and the remains were demolished soon afterward. The site was later planned for a new performing-arts complex. Westminster City Council approved the proposal in May 2009. It called for a 314-seat main theatre, a smaller cabaret space, residential flats and a restaurant. The resulting venue opened in September 2012 as St James Theatre and was later renamed The Other Palace. Although the replacement complex continued the site's theatrical use, it was a separate development and did not revive Westminster Theatre as an operating institution.
- 2012
Replacement theatre opens
[1]The new venue opened as St James Theatre in September and was later renamed The Other Palace.
- 2009
Replacement venue approved
[1]Westminster City Council approved plans for a new theatre and mixed-use complex on the site.
- 2002
Fire and demolition
[1]A 27 June fire destroyed about 75 percent of the building, followed by demolition.
- 1990
Moral Re-Armament ends its drama activity
[1]The organisation withdrew from drama at the venue because of the cost of continuing operations.
- 1972
Further building work adds two floors
[1]The premises were expanded with two additional floors.
- 1966
Theatre and arts-centre remodelling
[1]A major remodelling added an arts centre after fundraising by Moral Re-Armament.
- 1946
Westminster Memorial Trust acquires the theatre
[1]The Trust purchased the venue as a memorial to Moral Re-Armament members killed in the Second World War.
- 1936
Waste and Toussaint Louverture are presented
[1]The theatre hosted the first full public production of Harley Granville Barker's Waste and C. L. R. James's Toussaint Louverture.
- 1931
The building becomes a live theatre
[1]Extensive alterations converted the cinema premises into a venue for live drama known as Westminster Theatre.
- 1924
St James's Picture Theatre opens
[1]The former chapel reopened as a cinema after alterations by John Stanley Coombe Beard; Rob Roy was shown at the opening.
Products and positioning
A central London theatre and former cinema combining commercial and repertory performance with socially engaged, memorial and Moral Re-Armament-related programming.
Theatre · 1931
Live drama
The principal offering after the 1931 conversion was live drama. The venue presented modern plays, literary works and socially engaged productions, including Waste and Toussaint Louverture. Its programming brought together British theatre practitioners and international performers.
Theatre · 1954
Musical theatre
Westminster Theatre also staged musical and music-led productions. The Duenna, with music by Julian Slade and book and lyrics by Dorothy Reynolds, opened in London at the theatre in 1954 and ran for 134 performances.
Cinema · 1924
Cinema screenings
Before becoming a live theatre, the building operated as St James's Picture Theatre. Its cinema period began in 1924 and followed architectural alterations that provided a new frontage and entertainment layout.
Arts and culture · 1966
Arts-centre events
The 1966 remodelling added an arts centre, broadening the premises beyond conventional stage productions. The venue consequently combined theatrical activity with wider cultural and community-oriented functions.
Marketing campaigns
- 2002Save Westminster Theatre campaign
United Kingdom
The owner mounted a campaign intended to preserve the theatre while redevelopment proposals were being considered.
Outcome. The preservation effort ended after a major fire destroyed most of the building; demolition followed.
- 1965Moral Re-Armament arts-centre fundraising
United Kingdom
Moral Re-Armament conducted fundraising that supported the subsequent remodelling of Westminster Theatre and the addition of an arts centre.
Outcome. The work was completed in 1966.
Brand decisions
2009
Approval of a replacement theatre complexStrategyBackground
After the original building was destroyed and demolished, redevelopment was proposed for the former theatre site.
Action taken
Westminster City Council approved a scheme with a 314-seat theatre, smaller cabaret stage, flats and restaurant.
Aftermath
The replacement venue opened in 2012 as St James Theatre and was later renamed The Other Palace.
1990
Withdrawal from Moral Re-Armament dramaStrategyBackground
The cost of maintaining drama activity had become too high for Moral Re-Armament.
Action taken
Moral Re-Armament stopped its drama activity at Westminster Theatre.
Aftermath
The venue continued to face an uncertain future and later became the subject of redevelopment proposals.
1966
Expansion into an arts centreStrategyBackground
Fundraising in 1965 created an opportunity to broaden the theatre's facilities and cultural role.
Action taken
The building was remodelled and an arts centre was added.
Aftermath
Further expansion followed in 1972 with the addition of two floors.
1946
Acquisition by Westminster Memorial TrustM&ABackground
The theatre was acquired as a memorial to members of Moral Re-Armament who died during the Second World War.
Action taken
Westminster Memorial Trust purchased and operated the venue, while also letting it to external companies.
Aftermath
The Trust retained the theatre for more than thirty years and shaped much of its post-war identity.
1931
Conversion from cinema to live theatreStrategyBackground
After operating as St James's Picture Theatre, the building was subjected to radical alterations for stage drama.
Action taken
The premises were relaunched as a live theatre known as Westminster Theatre.
Aftermath
The venue developed a substantial drama programme and became associated with notable British and international productions.
Recent events
- 2009
Replacement theatre development receives planning approval[1]
Regulation
Westminster City Council approved plans for a new theatre complex on the former Westminster Theatre site, including a main auditorium, cabaret stage, flats and restaurant.
- 2002
Fire destroys most of Westminster Theatre[1]
Other
A fire on 27 June destroyed approximately 75 percent of the building. Demolition followed soon afterwards, ending the venue's physical existence.
- 1990
Moral Re-Armament withdraws from drama at Westminster Theatre[1]
Other
Moral Re-Armament ended its drama activity at the theatre, citing the cost of continuing the work.
Sources1 sources
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