Soho Theatre Walthamstow

Looking back at how Theatres Trust's support helped Soho Theatre Walthamstow

The Grade II* listed former cine-variety theatre was added to our Theatres at Risk Register in 2015 due to deteriorating state of the building.

Passionate local campaigners, led by Waltham Forest Cinema Trust, had already saved the theatre from redevelopment and were keen to see it restored and reopened. But there remained the need for substantial investment in the building.

Soho Theatre Company and Waltham Forest Cinema Trust, with the support of more than 200 local businesses, developed a compelling vision with the aim of persuading the council to buy the theatre. Key to this was changing perceptions of the building as a problem and highlight the opportunities a revived theatre could bring to the borough and beyond.

Theatres Trust connected Waltham Forest Council with other local authorities who had carried out similar projects including the teams behind Chester Storyhouse (Cheshire West and Chester Council) and Stockton Globe (Stockton-on-Tees Borough Council). The council subsequently undertook an economic impact assessment, which showed how the venue could be a part of the town centre regeneration and a catalyst for growth.

Happily, the council responded positively to the vision and findings of the economic impact assessment. The sale of the theatre completed in early 2019 with Soho Theatre announced as the venue operator.

Theatres Trust continued to be involved in the project, through planning proposals and listed building consents, ensuring a balance was maintained between preserving and restoring the theatre’s historic features and creating a theatre facility that would be viable. In 2020, we awarded Soho Theatre Company a grant of £9,500 from our Theatres at Risk Capacity Building Programme as it prepared to take over the theatre.

We celebrated removing Walthamstow Granada from our Theatres at Risk Register in 2023 and we were delighted when it reopened in May 2025 as Soho Theatre Walthamstow with a programme of theatre, comedy, music and community activities.

The revival of Soho Theatre Walthamstow is a fantastic example of how Theatres Trust’s independent expertise can add weight to a local grassroots campaign.

This case study was produced as part of our Fifty@50 campaign to mark our 50th anniversary in 2026. 

Photo credit: Philip Vile