Streatham Hill Theatre Lambeth on Theatres at Risk Register 2026

Streatham Hill Theatre in Lambeth is one of just two south London venues on the 2026 register, along with Borough Hall in Greenwich.

The Theatres at Risk Register was launched by Theatres Trust in 2006 to shine a spotlight on theatres and performance venues threatened by closure, redevelopment or serious deterioration.

The register aims to raise awareness, attract investment and encourage action to help secure the long-term future of culturally significant buildings.

Over the past 20 years, the register has helped drive the restoration and revival of more than 80 theatres across the UK, with venues added not because they are beyond saving, but because they still have the potential to serve their communities if the right support can be found.

Streatham Hill Theatre has remained on the register since 2018.

The Grade II-listed venue opened in November 1929 and was built at a time when Streatham was promoted as the "West End of south London".

Designed by theatre architects W.G.R. Sprague and W.H. Barton, it was the final theatre project of Sprague, one of Britain's most influential theatre architects.

With more than 2,500 seats, the venue was one of the largest theatres ever built outside London's West End.

Theatres Trust planning manager Tom Clarke described it as "London's largest suburban theatre" and noted that it was also a sister venue to the Golders Green Hippodrome.

The foundation stone was laid in 1928 by celebrated actress Evelyn Laye, while the theatre officially opened the following year with the musical revue Wake Up and Dream, starring stage and screen stars Jessie Matthews and Sonnie Hale.

One of the most dramatic chapters in the theatre's history came during the Second World War when a German V1 flying bomb struck the building on July 3, 1944.

The blast killed one person, injured several others and left the auditorium severely damaged.

Following years of rebuilding, the theatre reopened on Boxing Day in 1950 and continued staging theatre, opera, ballet and variety performances for another decade.

However, changing entertainment habits and the rise of television led to declining audiences, and the venue closed as a theatre in 1962.

It was subsequently converted into a bingo hall, a use that continued for more than 50 years and helped preserve much of its historic interior.

Explaining why the building remains on the register, Mr Clarke said the theatre still requires substantial investment despite renewed interest in bringing it back into active use.

"This one's been tricky," he said.

"It was purchased by a church group two or three years back who are operating from it within the stalls. The rest of the building needs investment."

The theatre is owned by Ruach City Church, which uses part of the building for services.

However, Theatres Trust has raised concerns over proposals that would see the historic venue used solely as a place of worship, potentially resulting in the loss of its wider cultural and community role.

Tom said Theatres Trust would prefer to see a mixed-use model adopted.

"We're encouraging them to go for the same approach that Borough Hall is doing in terms of a mixed use, which would formally allow other uses in there alongside the church services," he said.

Despite the challenges facing the building, Mr Clarke said discussions about its future had been encouraging.

"The operator has indicated to us that is something they would be amenable to doing, but at the moment it hasn't been formally resubmitted to Lambeth. But we're having positive discussions with them," he added.

Theatres Trust hopes that securing a mixed-use future for the venue will help preserve its historic architecture while ensuring it continues to serve the local community.