Plaque

St James's Theatre - SWET

Inscription

Theatreland - heart of the performing arts in London.
St James's Theatre
On this site stood the St James's Theatre, demolished in 1957 despite an epic campaign of protest led by Vivien Leigh and Sir Laurence Olivier. George Alexander, manager from 1890 - 1918, staged both Oscar Wilde's "Lady Windermere's Fan" and "The Importance of Being Earnest" for the first time.
A joint venture by the City of Westminster and the Society of West End Theatre.

Site: St James's Theatre (3 memorials)

SW1, King Street, 23-24

The passageway between the pub and the modern building houses the SWET plaque and the Olivier relief. The other 3 reliefs are at the far end of the passageway.

We believe the reliefs used to adorn the balconies of the first building to replace the theatre, now demolished.

Comments are provided by Facebook, please ensure you are signed in here to see them

This section lists the subjects commemorated on the memorial on this page:
St James's Theatre - SWET

Subjects commemorated i

St James's Theatre

FineArtAmerica have a photo.

Read More

Sir George Alexander

Actor-manager. Ran the St James's Theatre from about 1891 until his death in ...

Read More

Vivien Leigh

Born Darjeeling, India.  She and her husband Laurence Olivier, managed the St...

Read More

Laurence Olivier, Baron Olivier

Born Dorking, Surrey, as Laurence Kerr Olivier. With his wife Vivien Leigh, h...

Read More

Oscar Wilde

Born in Dublin as Oscar Fingal O'Flaherty Wills Wilde. 'Importance of Being E...

Read More

This section lists the subjects who helped to create/erect the memorial on this page:
St James's Theatre - SWET

Created by i

Society of West End Theatre/London Theatre

1908 Formed as West End Theatre Managers. 1976 By now it is called Society o...

Read More

Westminster City Council

The ancient parish of St Margaret's was divided into St Margaret's and St Joh...

Read More

This section lists the other memorials at the same location as the memorial on this page:
St James's Theatre - SWET

Also at this site i

St James's Theatre - 3 reliefs

St James's Theatre - 3 reliefs

The four bas-relief panels by Edward Bainbridge Copnall depict the heads of G...

Read More

St James's Theatre - Olivier relief

St James's Theatre - Olivier relief

We choose this as our featured memorial in March 2007 since this year sees th...

Read More

Nearby Memorials

Flanders and Swann

Flanders and Swann

W8, Scarsdale Villas, 1

Michael Flanders, 1922 - 1975, Donald Swann, 1923 - 1994, writers and performers of comic songs, lived and worked in the garden studio. E...

2 subjects commemorated, 1 creator
Boris Nemtsov

Boris Nemtsov

NW5, Highgate West Hill, Boris Nemtsov Place

The Camden link has an informative video. When we first visited in August 2023 this plaque was missing (purloined by a local Russian sab...

2 subjects commemorated, 2 creators
Greenwich Foot Tunnel - north

Greenwich Foot Tunnel - north

E14, Saunders Ness Road, Island Gardens

There is an identical plaque at the entrance to the tunnel on the south bank of the Thames.

12 subjects commemorated
Professor Sir Ernst Chain

Professor Sir Ernst Chain

SW7, Chemistry Building, Imperial College Road

The plaque was unveiled on or shortly before 10 April 2019. It was not yet on the building but on one of those easel things often used fo...

1 subject commemorated, 1 creator
E. H. Gombrich

E. H. Gombrich

NW3, Briardale Gardens, 19

Plaque unveiled by Gormley.

1 subject commemorated, 2 creators