Queen's Theatre, Hornchurch

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Queen's Theatre
Queens-Theatre-Hornchurch-Photo-credit-Gary-Summers-SMD-Photography-Ltd.jpg
Theatre exterior
Queen's Theatre, Hornchurch
AddressBillet Lane
Hornchurch
England
LocationLondon, UK
Coordinates 51°33′55″N0°13′10″E / 51.5652°N 0.2195°E / 51.5652; 0.2195
Public transit
Owner Havering Council
OperatorHavering Theatre Trust
TypeTheatre
Seating typeSingle tier raked
Capacity 507
Production The Turn of the Screw
Construction
Opened21 September 1953 (1953-09-21)
Rebuilt2 April 1975 (1975-04-02)
Years active1953–present
ArchitectHallam and Brooks (Havering Council)
BuilderH Webb (Construction) Ltd
Website
www.queens-theatre.co.uk OOjs UI icon edit-ltr-progressive.svg
Listed Building – Grade II
Official nameQueens Theatre
Designated13 May 2022
Reference no. 1480655

The Queen's Theatre is a 507-seat mid-scale producing theatre located in Hornchurch in the London Borough of Havering, east London.

Contents

The theatre was originally located on Station Lane, Hornchurch, on a site that was used as a cinema and had become derelict. Hornchurch Urban District Council was one of the first councils to use powers of the Local Government Act 1948 to purchase the building in 1948. The 379-seat theatre opened in 1953, the same year as the Coronation of Elizabeth II.

Expected to be demolished to make way for a proposed road scheme, it was relocated to a new purpose-built building on Billet Lane in 1975. The theatre survived an extended period without Arts Council funding from 1985 to 2000, which caused it to be threated with closure. Under the artistic direction of Bob Carlton and then Douglas Rintoul the fortunes of the theatre improved. Building improvement works took place in 2019. The Queen's Theatre has been a Grade II Listed building since 2022.

History

Station Lane site

The first site was located on Station Lane, Hornchurch. It had operated as a cinema from 1913 to 1935 under the names Hornchurch Cinema and Super Cinema. [1] The building fell into disuse in 1935. [2] During World War II, it was used first for storage of drugs and medical supplies and then to store furniture. [2] The Local Government Act 1948 permitted councils to operate or contribute to the running of entertainment and cultural venues. [3] Hornchurch Urban District Council was one of the first councils to take up these powers. [lower-alpha 1] It purchased the derelict cinema in 1948 in order to convert it into a theatre. [2]

The 379-seat theatre was opened by Ralph Richardson on 21 September 1953 and the inaugural production was See How They Run . [3] The theatre was named to reflect its opening in the same year as the Coronation of Elizabeth II. [2] It was incorporated as a charity called the Hornchurch Theatre Trust on 19 October 1953. [2] The eight directors were made up of two members from each political party represented on the council. [4] After opening, the Hornchurch Council purchased additional land adjacent to the theatre in order to provide a car park, workshops and dressing rooms. [2]

Initially, it operated without any grant income. [5] [lower-alpha 2] It was anticipated that the theatre could break even if attendance did not fall below 60%. [3] It was successful in its opening year and was able to pay its running costs and rent, and repay a £500 loan (equivalent to £17,634in 2023). [6] After three years and seventy productions, including an annual pantomime, the theatre had maintained an average of 70% attendance. [2]

Ian Curteis was director of productions for eight months in 1963, until he quit due to a disagreement with the directors. [7] His last production was Candida . [8]

Hornchurch Urban District Council was replaced by Havering London Borough Council on 1 April 1965 when Hornchurch became part of the London Borough of Havering. Havering Council planned to demolish the theatre in 1970 to make way for a road scheme. [9] The last performance at the theatre was the closing night of a pantomime on Saturday 8 February 1975. [10]

Move to Billet Lane

Havering Council was considering a new site for the theatre in 1968 and commissioned a study to evaluate the likely attendance if the theatre moved to an alternative site in Hornchurch or was relocated to Romford. The study showed that if the theatre was located in Romford it would likely have 25% greater attendance than in Hornchurch. [11] Despite this, the reputation of the existing theatre was the deciding factor in keeping the theatre in Hornchurch. [12]

The new theatre on Billet Lane, Hornchurch, was designed by Havering borough architects Hallam and Brooks. [13] Construction was by H Webb (Construction) Ltd, a local firm of builders. It cost £718,921, paid by Havering Council. [14] The theatre opened with quadraphonic sound equipment, radio assistive listening and air conditioning. The total cost was £1 million (equivalent to £10,595,355in 2023), with £100,000 from the Arts Council of Great Britain. Havering Council increased domestic rates by ½p to pay for its contribution. [15] Annual running costs for the new theatre were met by £45,000 from the Arts Council, £20,000 from Havering Council and £11,500 from the Greater London Council. [15]

It was officially opened by Peter Hall on 2 April 1975, with an initial production of Joseph and the Amazing Technicolour Dreamcoat . [16] Food and drink were available all day. An innovation was the season ticket plan, described at the time as "Rentaseat", that offered 20% discount on theatre tickets and also entrance to Hornchurch Football Club. [15] Artistic director John Hole introduced regular Sunday jazz music performances to the foyer in February 1976. [17]

Funding crisis

The theatre was significantly affected by the impact of the Local Government Act 1985 on arts funding. Up until 1984/85 the Hornchurch Theatre Trust received an annual grant of £148,000 (equivalent to £600,852in 2023) from the Arts Council. This was reduced to zero from 1985/86 onwards as part of a policy of redistributing funding away from London to the metropolitan counties where the county councils that were funding the arts had been abolished. [18] [19] [20] The Greater London Council, who had been funding the theatre, was also abolished as part of the reforms. This left Havering Council as the only grant giver funding the theatre. [21]

Bob Tomson replaced John Hole as artistic director in 1985. By 1994 the theatre was receiving £236,000 from grant funding and income from ticket sales had increased with an average of 75% attendance. Havering Council had largely replaced the Arts Council funding and this was supplemented by a grant from the London Boroughs Grants Committee. [14]

Marina Caldarone was appointed artistic director in 1991, replacing Bob Tomson. [22] The charity name was changed to Havering Theatre Trust and in 1995 the number of trustees increased to eighteen. [23]

Improved fortunes

The Queen's Theatre Auditorium 2018 Queenstheatre abigails 010918 hires-1019-1.jpg
The Queen's Theatre Auditorium 2018

Bob Carlton was appointed artistic director in 1997, replacing Marina Caldarone. [24] Carlton is credited as restoring Arts Council funding after a 15 year hiatus and saving the theatre from closure. [25] In 2000, a new £50,000 fund was created by the London Arts Board (a regional body of the Arts Council) for theatres in Outer London and the Queen's Theatre received the entire pot. [26] Havering Council was providing a grant of £340,000 with 75% of income coming from ticket sales. [26] The theatre received increased London Arts funding to £165,000 over three years from 2001 and was visited by the Culture Secretary, Chris Smith, who promised to work to increase funding. [27]

Queen Elizabeth II visited the theatre in 2003 as part of the Golden Jubilee celebrations and marking the 50th year of the theatre. [28]

There was a 6.9% cut in arts council funding in 2010. [29] In 2014 Arts Council England funding was secured until 2018. [30]

Replacing Bob Carlton, Douglas Rintoul became artistic director in 2015. [31] In 2018 the theatre received a grant of £350,000 from Arts Council England for building improvements. [32] The bar was relocated to the foyer area in 2019. [33]

In 2019, £1millon was awarded by Arts Council England from the Creative People and Places fund to create the Havering Changing cultural programme with other organisations in Havering. [34] The theatre won The Stage Awards for London Theatre of the Year in January 2020. [35]

New creative direction

In 2021 the theatre received a £100,000 grant from Havering Council to help it recover after the COVID-19 pandemic had caused restrictions to the opening and operating of theatres for extended periods. [36]

David Rintoul quit as artistic director in January 2022. [35] In March that year it was announced that there would no longer be a single artistic director of the theatre with a new model of rolling co-directors and associates. [37] These were initially associate directors Maisey Bawden and Danielle Kassaraté with the Graeae Theatre Company as creative associate. [37]

The theatre was Grade II listed on 13 May 2022 as part of the Platinum Jubilee of Elizabeth II celebrations. [38] In November 2022, Arts Council funding was increased. [39]

Alex Thorpe, Kate Lovell and Aisling Gallagher were announced as three new creative co-directors in May 2023. [40]

Productions

Station Lane

Billet Lane

Queen's Green

Adjacent to the theatre is an open space called Queen's Green.

Notes

  1. The Belgrade Theatre in Coventry, opened in 1958, was the first purpose-built civic theatre using these powers.
  2. Arts Council grant funding began in 1953/54.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hornchurch</span> Town in east London, England

Hornchurch is a suburban town in East London in the London Borough of Havering. It is located 15.2 miles (24.5 km) east-northeast of Charing Cross. It comprises a number of shopping streets and a large residential area. It historically formed a large ancient parish in the county of Essex that became the manor and liberty of Havering. The economic history of Hornchurch is underpinned by a shift away from agriculture to other industries with the growing significance of nearby Romford as a market town and centre of administration. As part of the suburban growth of London in the 20th century, Hornchurch significantly expanded and increased in population, becoming an urban district in 1926 and has formed part of Greater London since 1965. It is the location of Queen's Theatre, Havering Sixth Form College and Havering College of Further and Higher Education.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Romford</span> Town in Greater London, England

Romford is a large town in East London, England, 14 miles (23 km) northeast of Charing Cross. Part of the London Borough of Havering, the town is one of the major metropolitan centres of Greater London identified in the London Plan.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Upminster</span> Town in East London

Upminster is a suburban town in East London, England, within the London Borough of Havering. Located 16.5 miles (26.6 km) east-northeast of Charing Cross, it is one of the locally important district centres identified in the London Plan.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">London Borough of Havering</span> London borough in United Kingdom

The London Borough of Havering in East London, England, forms part of Outer London. It has a population of 259,552 inhabitants; the principal town is Romford, while other communities include Hornchurch, Upminster, Collier Row and Rainham. The borough is mainly suburban, with large areas of protected open space. Romford is a major retail and night time entertainment centre, and to the south the borough extends into the London Riverside redevelopment area of the Thames Gateway. The name Havering is a reference to the Royal Liberty of Havering which occupied the area for several centuries. The local authority is Havering London Borough Council. It is the easternmost London borough.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Emerson Park</span> Suburban neighbourhood in East London

Emerson Park is a suburban neighbourhood in the London Borough of Havering, east London. The neighbourhood developed as two large housing estates built on the 550 acres (2.2 km2) estate of Nelmes manor in the parish of Hornchurch. Emerson Park estate to the south started construction in 1895 and Great Nelmes estate to the north was begun in 1901. It is located north of the Romford–Upminster line and a station opened at Emerson Park in 1909. The mansion of Nelmes survived until it was demolished in 1967 to avoid preservation by the Civic Amenities Act and was replaced with a small housing estate called The Witherings. Emerson Park is located 15 miles (24.1 km) northeast of Charing Cross in Central London.

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Romford Market</span> Large open market in Greater London

Romford Market is a large outdoor retail market located in Romford in the London Borough of Havering, England. The market right was established by royal order in 1247. Rival markets are prohibited within 6.66 miles (10.72 km). Governance of the market was strengthened by the 1465 charter of the Liberty of Havering, which was administered from a court house at the western end of the market. Formerly a livestock and agricultural market, cattle was last sold in 1958. The market has been in local authority ownership since it was purchased by the Romford Local Board in 1892 and is now owned by Havering Council. The marketplace was located on the main east–west road through the town until traffic was diverted away from the market in 1969. The market is promoted as a filming location. It is open on Wednesday, Friday and Saturday. There was a Sunday market from July 2020 to March 2024. As of July 2020 it has 60 licensed traders, down from a peak of over 300.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hornchurch Urban District</span>

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