Overview

The 1,558-seat Majestic Theatre in Staines, Greater London, opened in early December 1929 with the film The Great Gabbo (1929)  starring Erich von Stroheim. Film star Carl Brisson attended the opening ceremony.

The theatre was designed by architect S.B. Pritlove with interior design by W.E. Greenwood, the auditorium being in the Atmospheric style featuring an Italian garden theme. Greenwood’s scheme was Venetian-themed and featured towers, turrets, arches, bridges, ornamental walls, trees, and flowers.

Main floor seating was about one-third of the theatre’s capacity at 1,038 seats, with 520 seats in the balcony.

The 42ft-wide stage opening gave way to a fully-equipped stage complete with dressing rooms and an orchestra pit, in the centre of which was the theatre’s Compton organ.

The Majestic was taken over by the Odeon Theatres chain in the latter half of 1939 but was never renamed as an Odeon theatre.

The theatre closed at the end of May 1961. It was subsequently demolished to make way for shops and offices. The site was redeveloped again in the 2020s.