Carlton Theatre

The Carlton Theatre was a combined theatre and cinema venue on Haymarket in London’s West End. Built on the site of Anglesea Yard, a former coaching inn, it was commissioned and originally owned by Paramount Pictures as part of the company’s London exhibition presence. Designed by Frank Verity and Sam Beverley in an Italian and Spanish Renaissance-inspired style, the building opened on 27 April 1927 with Lady Luck, a musical play by Firth Shephard starring Laddie Cliff. Its design allowed it to function both as a legitimate theatre and as a cinema, reflecting the close relationship between stage entertainment and emerging large-scale film exhibition in the interwar period. The venue was equipped for sound films in 1929. Although it retained the ability to host stage productions, its use increasingly shifted toward cinema. One notable theatrical engagement was Noël Coward’s Bitter Sweet in 1933. Paramount operated the building until 1954, after which it was leased to Twentieth Century Fox. Fox used the Carlton as a West End showcase for CinemaScope films and continued operating it until 1977, when the company withdrew from cinema operations in London. Following Fox’s departure, the venue was acquired by Classic. The former stage area was sold for demolition and redevelopment, while the surviving auditorium was subdivided into three screens. It reopened on 11 January 1979 as the Classic Haymarket, beginning a succession of operating identities associated with changes in the British cinema market. The site subsequently operated under the Cannon, MGM, Virgin, UGC and Cineworld names before Empire Cinemas took over ownership in 2017. During its final period it was known as the Empire Haymarket. The building had a total seating capacity of approximately 1,150 and remained architecturally significant despite its conversion from a dual-purpose theatre into a multi-screen cinema. It was added to the Grade II National Heritage List for England in October 2018. The Empire Haymarket permanently closed in May 2023, ending nearly a century of theatrical and cinematic use at the site. The venue is therefore best understood as a historic London entertainment building whose commercial identity changed repeatedly while its location and core auditorium remained associated with public film exhibition.

The Carlton Theatre was developed by Paramount Pictures on Haymarket in London’s West End and opened on 27 April 1927. The site had previously been occupied by Anglesea Yard, a former coaching inn. Architects Frank Verity and Sam Beverley designed the building in an Italian and Spanish Renaissance style. Its approximately 1,150-seat auditorium was conceived for dual use, allowing both theatrical performances and cinema screenings. The opening production was Lady Luck, a musical play by Firth Shephard featuring Laddie Cliff. The venue continued to support stage entertainment, including a 1933 run of Noël Coward’s Bitter Sweet. In 1929 it was wired for sound, enabling it to show sound films as cinema technology developed. Over time, the balance of use moved increasingly toward full-time film exhibition. Paramount Pictures operated the Carlton until 1954. The building was then leased to Twentieth Century Fox, which used it as a London showcase for CinemaScope films. Fox continued its operation until 1977, when it withdrew from cinema operations in London. Classic then took over the venue. The former stage area was sold for demolition and redevelopment, while the remaining auditorium was divided into three cinema screens. The converted site reopened on 11 January 1979 as the Classic Haymarket. The building passed through several cinema operators and corresponding names, including Cannon, MGM, Virgin, UGC and Cineworld Haymarket. These changes reflected successive shifts in ownership and branding within the British cinema exhibition sector. Empire Cinemas took over ownership in 2017, and the venue operated in its final phase as Empire Haymarket. Despite the alterations made for multi-screen cinema use, the building retained architectural and historical importance. It received Grade II listing on the National Heritage List for England in October 2018. The Empire Haymarket closed permanently in May 2023. Its history spans live theatre, the transition to sound cinema, the adoption of widescreen presentation, and the later conversion of a large single auditorium into a multi-screen cinema.

• 2023

  Permanent closure

  [1]Carlton Theatreen.wikipedia.org

  The Empire Haymarket permanently closed in May 2023.

• 2018

  Grade II listing

  [1]Carlton Theatreen.wikipedia.org

  The building was added to the Grade II National Heritage List for England.

• 2017

  Empire Cinemas takes over

  [1]Carlton Theatreen.wikipedia.org

  Empire Cinemas took over ownership and the site became known as Empire Haymarket.

• 1979

  Reopens as Classic Haymarket

  [1]Carlton Theatreen.wikipedia.org

  After the former stage area was redeveloped and the auditorium divided into three screens, the venue reopened on 11 January 1979.

• 1977

  Fox exits London cinema operations

  [1]Carlton Theatreen.wikipedia.org

  Twentieth Century Fox withdrew from cinema operations in London and ceased operating the Carlton.

• 1954

  Twentieth Century Fox begins operation

  [1]Carlton Theatreen.wikipedia.org

  After Paramount’s period of operation, the venue was leased to Twentieth Century Fox as a West End showcase.

• 1933

  Bitter Sweet is staged

  [1]Carlton Theatreen.wikipedia.org

  The venue hosted a successful run of Noël Coward’s Bitter Sweet.

• 1929

  Sound-film capability is installed

  [1]Carlton Theatreen.wikipedia.org

  The theatre was wired for sound and increasingly shifted toward cinema use.

• 1927

  Carlton Theatre opens

  [1]Carlton Theatreen.wikipedia.org

  The venue opened on 27 April 1927 with the musical play Lady Luck.

A centrally located West End entertainment venue combining historic theatre architecture with commercial cinema exhibition. In its later decades, the venue was positioned primarily as a multi-screen London cinema operating under successive national cinema brands.

• Theatre and cinema venue · 1927

  Carlton Theatre

  The original dual-purpose venue opened in 1927 with the ability to accommodate both stage productions and film screenings. Its programming included musical theatre and later sound and widescreen cinema. The building was designed by Frank Verity and Sam Beverley in an Italian and Spanish Renaissance style and had capacity for approximately 1,150 people.

• Multi-screen cinema · 2017

  Empire Haymarket

  The final operating identity of the Haymarket cinema, used after Empire Cinemas took over ownership in 2017. By this stage, the former stage area had been removed and the auditorium had been divided into three screens. The venue remained a central London film exhibition site until its permanent closure in May 2023.

• 2023

  Permanent closureStrategy

  Background

  After operating as Empire Haymarket, the historic cinema ceased trading at the site.

  Action taken

  The venue closed permanently in May 2023.

  Aftermath

  The site no longer operates as the Empire Haymarket cinema.

  Source

• 2017

  Empire Cinemas takeoverM&A

  Background

  The Haymarket site had previously operated under several cinema companies, including UGC and Cineworld.

  Action taken

  Empire Cinemas took over ownership of the venue.

  Aftermath

  The cinema adopted the Empire Haymarket name and remained open until its permanent closure in May 2023.

  Source

• 1979

  Conversion into a three-screen cinemaGeneration change

  Background

  Following Twentieth Century Fox’s withdrawal from London cinema operations, Classic took over the site.

  Action taken

  The former stage area was sold for demolition and redevelopment, and the auditorium was divided into three screens before reopening as Classic Haymarket.

  Aftermath

  The venue moved from a large dual-purpose auditorium to a multi-screen cinema format that continued under several later operators.

  Source

• 1929

  Shift toward sound-film exhibitionStrategy

  Background

  The venue was originally designed for both theatre and cinema, while the development of sound film created an opportunity to expand regular cinema use.

  Action taken

  The Carlton was wired for sound and increasingly operated as a full-time cinema.

  Aftermath

  Cinema became the venue’s dominant use, although its theatre heritage remained part of the building’s history.

  Source

1. 1Carlton Theatreen.wikipedia.org
2. 2Empire Cinemasempirecinemas.co.uk