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The Coronet Theatre in Notting Hill Gate, London was built by the well known Theatre architect W.G.R. Sprague at a cost of £25,000 and opened under the management of Edward George Saunders on the 28th of November 1898.

Right - The Coronet Theatre in 1904 - From a postcard.

The auditorium, which is still pretty much in its original condition except for its missing box fronts, was built on three levels with two balconies and a capacity of 1,143, which consisted of 93 in the Stalls, 350 in the Pit, 120 in the Dress Circle, 415 in the Gallery, and 40 in the Boxes. The stage was 65 foot wide by 40 foot deep.

The Theatre's Furniture and Decorations were supplied and executed by Messrs Waring and Gallow. The paintings on the Ceiling and Proscenium, and the original 'Act Drop' for the Theatre, based on the famous tapestry entitled "La Barque de Venus" were created by Mr. Arthur J. Black.

The Coronet, despite its famous architect and its position close to central London, only operated as a full time Theatre for 18 years before Cinema use began to take over, and by 1923 it was altered to full time Cinema by the addition of a projection room in the former Dress Circle Bar and a screen fitted forward of the proscenium arch. The Theatre's capacity was reduced at this time to 1,010.

Left and Right - Programme giving details of a repertory season at the Coronet Theatre, Notting Hill Gate, by Miss Horniman commencing on the 10th of June 1912. This saw the performance of six different plays in six days. This is quite a remarkable repertory for such a small Theatre and must have involved an enormous amount of work on behalf of both the cast and crew of the Theatre. On Matinee days two different plays would be performed meaning that the sets must have been quite simple, however storage must still have been something of a major headache.

1930 saw Gaumont Provincial Cinematography Theatres taking over the building. They closed the Gallery level and removed the box fronts, covering them over with flat panels, so reducing the capacity of the Theatre to just 515. In 1950 the Theatre was renamed the Gaumont Cinema.

In 1972 the then owners, the Rank Organisastion, decided to sell the building for demolition and regeneration of the site with offices and shops but thankfully the local Council, after a sustained campaign by local residents to save the building, made the site a conservation area, so halting the plans. Rank refurbished the Theatre instead but in 1977 they sold it to Panton Films, an independent Cinema operator, and the Theatre reverted to its former, and original, name; the Coronet.

Above - The Coronet Theatre, Notting Hill Gate in 2002 - Photos M.L.

In 1993 permission was given for a small cinema to built within the former stage of the Theatre but with the proviso that the stage could be reinstated should the Theatre ever be restored to its former use.

In 2004 the Theatre, which was by now Grade II Listed, was bought by The Kensington Temple, and although it was feared that the building might be converted into a church, this has not happened and the owners have instead retained its Cinema use, and indeed even improved its facilities.

Right - A coloured reissue of the 1904 Coronet Theatre Postcard shown higher up on this page.

In 2007 the Coronet is still in use as a Cinema but is still readily convertible back to Theatrical use should the funds and the inclination appear.

You may like to visit the website of the Coronet Cinema here...