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Elephant and Castle Theatre, 24-28 New Kent Road, Southwark
Formerly - The Theatre Royal - Later - ABC / Coronet / The Coronet Theatre

Above - The former Elephant & Castle Theatre, now the Coronet, clad in sheet metal and looking rather sorry for itself, in July 2008 - Photo M.L.

The Coronet Theatre, on the New Kent Road at Elephant & Castle, London stands on the site of a former Theatre which was originally conceived, and partly built, as a Public Hall. However, the plans were changed during construction and in 1872 the unfinished building was converted into a Theatre by Messrs. Dean & Son, and Matthews, and named the Theatre Royal.

Sadly the Theatre Royal was to have a very short life as it was destroyed by fire six years later on the 26th of March 1878.

The Elephant & Castle Theatre, which would eventually find itself standing opposite the later Trocadero Super Cinema, was built on the site of the destroyed Theatre Royal and opened in June 1879. It was built by Brass of Chelsea to the designs of the renowned Theatre Architect Frank Matcham with a capacity of 2,203.

Right - The Elephant and Castle Theatre from Dianna Howard's 'London Theatres and Music Halls 1850-1950.'

The Theatre was reconstructed in 1882 and again in 1902.

Live theatre ceased in 1928 and the building was then used as a Cinema. It was later converted for full time Cinema use by W. R. Glen for ABC who restructured the auditorium in the Art Deco style, and reopened the building on the 22nd of December 1932. The new Cinema had a capacity of 2,315 on two levels, stalls and circle, and a Christie 3 Manual 11 Rank organ with illuminated console. Despite the change to full time Cinema the stage and dressing rooms of the Theatre were retained and it did play host to the occasional variety show.

In 1967 the Cinema was converted again by closing the circle and altering the stalls into a so called 'luxury lounge cinema.' The exterior was covered over at this time with blue cladding to give the Theatre a more up to date look. Something it still retains to this day unfortunately. However, despite all the name changes and changes of use over the following years the building still retains much of its original structure externally, although partly hidden by the cladding, and its 1930s Art Deco auditorium and decoration internally.

The Coronet Cinema as it eventually became known closed in 1999 and remained that way until a £2m refurbishment programme was begun on the building which included restoring it's 1920s internal decoration, reopening the original Gallery, and leveling the Stalls level. The building was subsequently reopened in 2004 as a multi purpose venue hosting club nights, live music events, and film screenings. For some internal images of the Coronet during this period, showing the original internal structure of the Theatre Click Here. The venue closed in 2007 due to an incident involving a firearm.

Left - The foyer of the Coronet in July 2008 - M.L.

By 2008 the Coronet was looking very sad externally and it was hard to believe that anything could be going on inside the building although the occasional concert was in fact being staged there.

However, in 2009 refurbishment work was carried out again to the building and the Coronet Theatre, as it is now called in 2010, is looking a lot more healthy. Despite its name however, it is not really a Theatre but a Nightclub which also plays host to live music events and such like. The Coronet's website has also been given a facelift recently and details of forthcoming attractions, including some interesting internal photographs can be found here.

A selection of programmes follows for the Elephant and Castle Theatre dating from 1884 to 1927

Above Left - Programme for 'La Fille De Madam Angot' at the Elephant & Castle Theatre - June 2nd 1884
Above Right - Programme for 'Uncle Tom's Cabin' at the Elephant & Castle Theatre - August 29th 1885

An Occasional Address

Written by William Mackay

Of all our friends, we love our old friends best:
Our hearts go out to those who've stood the test
Of time and chance. And who more kind and brave,
And true and patient than our old friend CAVE ?
A boy of nine, he bounded on the stage ;
Who still is young in everything but age.
The Drama then went round in Thespis' cart
Now is pampered and grown wondrous smart.
Some change is noted by a man who's seen
Van Amburgh's lions and the elder Kean
A revolution has swept o'er the stage-
What then we banned is now the rage;
And he whose business is to play a part,
Takes his position in the ranks of Art.
Cinderella - like the Drama - dressed in rags,
She flaunts it now, and with good reason brags
of Palaces and silks and jewel - rare,
Of public favour, and of funds to spare.
To have helped this change he well may boast,
Who here, to-day, is both our guest and host.
Actor and author, manager and man,
He won our homage when he first began
To please the public fifty years ago -
Alas! time flies for all of us - my Jo!
His rule has reached in London Town
From outcast East to "Marylebone,"
In Westminster he held "Imperial " sway,
He watched "Victoria" in her halcyon day -
Ere tea and coffee drove away the Play;
The "Alhambra" witnessed to his taste and skill,
He wooed the Muses down by Greenwich Hill,
Nay! he is worthy of a regal robe -
Who once aspired to rule the very "Globe."
A merry unaffected monarch he,
The friend of all - without an enemy,
We wish him now, through this unskilled address,
Good luck, God speed, long life, and happiness!
14th June, 1887.

Above Right, and text, from a programme for 'Wrecked in London' at the Elephant & Castle Theatre - August 1st 1887. The text refers to Joseph Arnold Cave who managed the Theatre from 27th October 1883 until the 14th October 1887.

Above Left - Programme for 'Little Bo - Peep' at the Elephant & Castle Theatre - 24th December 1889
Above Right - Programme for 'The Bad Girl Of The Family' at the Elephant & Castle Theatre - 1909

Above - Extracts from a Programme for 'Maria Marten' at the Elephant & Castle Theatre, November 1927 during the management of the Theatre by Sidney Barnard and owner Charles Barnard. The Theatre was sold the following year and converted to an ABC cinema.

Above - The Rear elevation of the former Elephant & Castle Theatre, now the Coronet, in July 2008 - Photo M.L.

The Elephant and Castle area is currently undergoing major redevelopment and a website featuring all the details and dates for the regeneration can be found here...

Right - An article from the Illustrated London News of April the 3rd 1965 on the opening of the then new Elephant & Castle Shopping Centre - Click to Enlarge.

See also in this area:

The Trocadero Super Cinema

The new Elephant & Castle Shopping Centre in 1965