Playhouse Theatre
PLAYHOUSE THEATRE, CRAVEN STREET WC2
Listed on the National Heritage List for England. Search over 400,000 listed places
Overview
- Heritage Category:
- Listed Building
- Grade:
- II
- List Entry Number:
- 1356962
- Date first listed:
- 09-Jan-1970
- List Entry Name:
- Playhouse Theatre
- Statutory Address:
- PLAYHOUSE THEATRE, CRAVEN STREET WC2
Location
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Images of England Project
- Date:
- 2007-04-01
- Reference:
- IOE01/16463/13
- Rights:
- © Mr Anthony Rau. Source: Historic England Archive
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Official list entry
- Heritage Category:
- Listed Building
- Grade:
- II
- List Entry Number:
- 1356962
- Date first listed:
- 09-Jan-1970
- Date of most recent amendment:
- 01-Dec-1987
- List Entry Name:
- Playhouse Theatre
- Statutory Address 1:
- PLAYHOUSE THEATRE, CRAVEN STREET WC2
- Statutory Address 2:
- PLAYHOUSE THEATRE, EMBANKMENT PLACE WC2
The scope of legal protection for listed buildings
This List entry helps identify the building designated at this address for its special architectural or historic interest.
Unless the List entry states otherwise, it includes both the structure itself and any object or structure fixed to it (whether inside or outside) as well as any object or structure within the curtilage of the building.
For these purposes, to be included within the curtilage of the building, the object or structure must have formed part of the land since before 1st July 1948.
The scope of legal protection for listed buildings
This List entry helps identify the building designated at this address for its special architectural or historic interest.
Unless the List entry states otherwise, it includes both the structure itself and any object or structure fixed to it (whether inside or outside) as well as any object or structure within the curtilage of the building.
For these purposes, to be included within the curtilage of the building, the object or structure must have formed part of the land since before 1st July 1948.
Location
- Statutory Address:
- PLAYHOUSE THEATRE, CRAVEN STREET WC2
- Statutory Address:
- PLAYHOUSE THEATRE, EMBANKMENT PLACE WC2
The building or site itself may lie within the boundary of more than one authority.
- County:
- Greater London Authority
- District:
- City of Westminster (London Borough)
- Parish:
- Non Civil Parish
- National Grid Reference:
- TQ 30318 80345
Details
TO 3080 SW CITY OF WESTMINSTER CRAVEN STREET, WC2 83/46 9.1.70 Playhouse Theatre
G.V. II
Theatre. 1881-82 by F.H. Fowler as the Royal Avenue Theatre, interior reconstructed 1906-07 by Blow and Billerey. Painted stone, concealed roof. Restrained and elegant classical design. 2 storeys. 11 windows wide with curved south east end. Ground floor doorways grouped to corner under canopy, and blind architraved and corniced windows in rusticated ground floor articulated by modified Corinthian pilasters supporting entablature. The tall upper storey has architraved windows with pediments on consoles and blind oculi above, articulated by giant pilasters supporting full entablature and balustraded parapet. The interior is an elegant exercise in Blow and Billerey's Louis XV manner: kidney-shaped outer foyer with cresting of ribboned sprigs to inner archway; panelled inner foyer with cartouche-trophy of musical instruments; the auditorium has basket-arch proscenium set in deep reveal framing the boxes, the arch surmounted by an achievement of figures of Fame crowning Thalia; kidney-shaped lower and upper balconies, the lower continuing the line of the upper boxes, all with turned baluster fronts; caryatids flank the (former) lower boxes, supporting upper ones; sweeping basket arch frames uppermost part of auditorium; circular dome and oval panel of ceiling and the basket arch wall panels all decorated in grisaille. Stage machinery probably dating from 1906-07 reconstruction.
The Theatres of London; Mander and Mitchenson.
Listing NGR: TQ3031880345
Legacy
The contents of this record have been generated from a legacy data system.
- Legacy System number:
- 209379
- Legacy System:
- LBS
Sources
Books and journals
Mander, , Mitchenson, , The Theatres of London, (1975)
Legal
This building is listed under the Planning (Listed Buildings and Conservation Areas) Act 1990 as amended for its special architectural or historic interest.
Map
This map is for quick reference purposes only and may not be to scale. This copy shows the entry on 23-Jun-2026 at 03:08:06.
Download a full scale map (PDF)End of official list entry
All text content is available under the Open Government Licence v3.0 , except where otherwise stated. Any supplied maps are © Crown Copyright [and database rights] 2026 OS AC0000815036 and may not be reproduced without permission.