UK – London – Streatham Hill Theatre

Dates: 1929 – present

Official website: http://streathamhilltheatre.org

Architect: W.G.R. Sprague
Seats: 2523

The building was rebuilt after bombing in the Second World War, and was used as a bingo hall after closing as a theatre.

1929 – Theatre opened
1944 – Theatre damaged by a flying bomb during the war, and closed.
1950 – Theatre reconstructed.
1962 – Modified for Bingo use, but the stage remains in situ
2017 – Beacon Bingo ended use of the auditorium for bingo. The foyer was in use as a casino afterwards.

The Friends of Streatham Hill Theatre have a Facebook group: https://www.facebook.com/streathamhilltheatre packed with photos and historical information.

Stage Machinery

There’s a ‘Pantomime Trap’ / lift still in existence on stage.

The Orchestra Pit had a unique three part riser system – the conductor and the left and right sides of the orchestra could be raised and lowered independently (see photos below).
From Theatre Consultant Roger Fox: The three orchestra pit lifts were built by Knights of Southgate. They are three equal sized ones in a row with the central one having a small lift for the conductor within it. I think that they only travelled from stalls level down and I assume that you could have a small central pit with seats either side if you wished. There are three separate entry points from the stage basement. Electricity was never re-instated to the motors following the re-building, and the staff hand wound them as required.The contactor boxes are extant. The central pit entrance is now blocked by a fine example of a Knight’s mic riser mechanism. We don’t know if the pit rail is in situ under the bingo floor.