Clapham Grand Theatre

Located in the inner south London district of Battersea opposite Clapham Junction Railway Station. The New Grand Palace of Varieties opened on 26th November 1900. It was built for the famous music hall star Dan Leno, with partners Herbert Campbell and Henry Joyner. The name ‘New’ Grand Palace of Varieties was given so that it was not to be confused with the Grand Theatre of Varieties further along the road.

The imposing exterior features an East Indian style façade which was carried out in brick and red Mansfield stone detailing and topped by two open domes. The interior of the theatre is decorated by interior designer Campbell Smith in a Chinese style with the ceiling being like the willow pattern plate motif. There are pagoda style canopies over the 6-stage boxes and dragons' eyes which lit up, peered down on the audience. Seating was in pit, stalls, dress circle and gallery and initially the seating capacity was for 3,000. The proscenium opening is 39 feet wide; the stage was 68 feet wide and 28 feet deep. There are six dressing rooms.

From March 1901 films were being screened as part of the variety show from a projection box at the rear of the upper circle. From 1912 it was re-named Grand Theatre of Varieties, and it retained this name until 1927 (the ‘other’ Grand Theatre of Varieties down the road was now the Imperial Cinema which has its own page on Cinema Treasures as the Ruby Cinema).

In 1927 the theatre was converted for cine-variety and was known as the Grand Theatre, as it still staged variety shows on the stage. Full time cinema use came on 13th February 1931 with John McCormack in “Song of My Heart” and Laurel & Hardy in “Angora Love”. A projection box had been built on the stage, allowing for rear projection. It was operated by the London & District Cinemas Ltd. chain. After World War II live shows were being staged again, but these were of the ‘nude revue’ type. The projection box had been removed from the stage.

In 1948 it was purchased by the Newcastle upon Tyne based Essoldo Circuit and for a while stage shows continued. From 8th May 1950 it became a full-time cinema and was re-named Essoldo Clapham Junction. The opening film was Spencer Tracy in “Adam’s Rib” and the upper circle projection box was back in use again. The Essoldo closed on 31st August 1963 with Ricardo Montalban in “The Black Buccaneer (Gordon, il pirata nero)” and Stephen Murray in “Master Spy”.

The building was converted into an Essoldo Bingo Club from 11th October 1963, later taken over by Classic Cinemas who re-named it Vogue Bingo Club. During their tenure they erected a false ceiling across from the front of the gallery to the top of the proscenium, cutting the upper parts off from the main theatre. Mecca bingo was the final bingo operator in the building from 1972 until 1979.

The building remained empty until 1989 when it was purchased by the Mean Fiddler group to be opened as a live music venue, but licencing problems came up and it didn’t re-open until 17th December 1991. During closure the entire building had been redecorated and restored and the false ceiling in the auditorium had been removed. Mean Fiddler closed the venue on 20th July 1997 when it was purchased by the J.D. Wetherspoon pub chain. But they were refused a licence after a Public Enquiry and actors Corin and Vanessa Redgrave put forward plans to restore the theatre to live stage use.

Wetherspoons’s refused to sell the building for this purpose, and it stood empty until it was eventually sold to the current owners Po Na Na group who have operated the building as a concert venue and nightclub since around 2001.

In 1978, the Grand Theatre was designated a Grade II Listed building by English Heritage.

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Ken Roe on January 15, 2007 at 8:13 am

The exterior of the Grand Theatre Clapham Junction, London:
http://flickr.com/photos/stollerdos/128516766/
A view of part of the auditorium as seen in May 2004:
http://flickr.com/photos/foolstopzanet/213368056/

Ian on October 14, 2007 at 12:27 pm

Two further exteriors taken in October 2007 here:–

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Ian on September 11, 2008 at 1:32 am

A series of interior pictures – including the balcony projection room – taken in September 2008, just prior to a refurbishment:–

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