Hippodrome, Casino and theatre in West End, England
The Hippodrome is a casino and theatre in the heart of the West End in the City of Westminster, located at the corner where Cranbourn Street meets Charing Cross Road. The facade shows curving Art Nouveau forms with gilded details and cream-coloured ornaments, while inside there are several gaming floors and a hall used for theatrical performances.
The architect Frank Matcham designed the building in 1900 as a variety theatre with a circus arena and a tank that could be filled with water through a retractable stage. The building changed its purpose several times in the following decades and hosted revues, film screenings and musical productions before being converted into a casino.
The gaming hall now uses sections of the original stage where performers such as Charlie Chaplin and Ella Shields once appeared during the building's early decades. The name refers to the ancient Greek arena and points to its first use for circus shows with horse acts in the first half of the twentieth century.
The entrance sits a few steps from Leicester Square, so you can reach it easily on foot when walking through the theatre district. The interior is spread across several levels, with the Matcham Room often open for evening performances and reservations recommended.
The building originally had a sliding glass roof that could be opened to bring daylight into the auditorium. The arena in the stalls was equipped with a technical system that transformed it into a water tank where divers and swimming performers appeared during shows.
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