Open House London is something I’ve been meaning to do over the last couple of years and this year I wasn’t working so took the opportunity to look at a local building that I’ve always wanted to nose around. The Gaumant State opened in 1937 on KIlburn High Road and was a very popular theatre, show venue, cinema and eventually a Mecca Bingo Hall before it finally closed. The Grade II listed building was acquired by a church group who are renovating the building and bringing it back to it’s former glory
Gaumant State - Kilburn
When Mecca too over the building they added false floors to cover the sloping seating and false ceilings to cover the pulleys and mechanisms for the curtain and stage. The Church will be removing these and adding in original seating. The only way you can tell you are standing where the stage was is because of the curtain still hanging above you, the flat false floor covered in bright blue and red carpet hiding what lays below.
Original Seating
The booth style tables around the upper circle will also be removed and replaced with original style seating
Bingo Seating
The church believes they can get the 4,000 seater main hall back to it’s glory in the next 1.8 months. As part of the deal with the council the Church must make the Grade II listed building available to the public. The UKs largest working Wurlitzer still sits in pride of place next to where the stage should be and original light switches, electrics, signs and still stand proud.
Original light switches
One of the most standout things is the art deco style foyer that greets when you step inside off the grubby Kilburn High Road. Most impressive is the chandelier, a replica of one in Buckingham Palace I believe, that greets you. I hope to get back next year to see more of the building and see it, hopefully looking more like it was when it opened in 1937
Chandelier
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Nice shots! Those old switches and bits of wiring are amazing.
Hope the church does a good job of fixing the place up. I’m sure there’s some sort of joke to be made about Christians and Mecca in there, but I can’t be bothered to make it…
I am so pleased to hear that the Gaumant State Theatre is to have a new lease of life. In about 1945/6 my father helped his boss to reassemble and rehang the chandelier that had been put away for safe keeping during the war. All the crystals had to be rethreaded and it took a fair few hours of work before it was completed.
The State holds many happy memories for my parents and I hope that it will have be there for many years to come.