Leatherhead Theatre (ii)

The striking brick and stone 1930s cinema façade, now seen best at first floor level, is by Richardson, Gill & Starkey. The Crescent, built on the site of the Manor House in 1939, was a purpose-built cinema, but had stage use throughout, including in 1941, when it became the HQ of the fire service. In 1969, it was internally gutted to build the Thorndike Theatre and Casson studio, by Roderick Ham. The entrance leads through a narrow passage to the box office and spacious foyers which lend themselves to exhibition space, and are well-used. The auditorium, which is warm and intimate, is brick-lined and has a fan of 530 raked seats with side aisles. The theatre was built to continue the Leatherhead Theatre in quarters larger than the little High Street Theatre (ex Victoria Hall). It is well-equipped with dressing rooms, green room and band room. In 1999, having fallen out of use, the theatre was threatened with demolition. The building is now listed and rightly recognised as one of the best and most influential theatre designs of its time.