Theatre · England · Still standing

Empire Leicester Square

The Empire, Leicester Square is a West End cinema on the north side of Leicester Square in London, originally opened as a variety theatre and rebuilt as a grand film palace in 1928. The 1928 building featured a very large auditorium with a stage and a 4/21 Wurlitzer organ and was designed in the North American movie‑palace idiom. Today the site remains an active multi‑screen cinema frequently used for film premieres.

Recreate Theatre to Explore →

Photograph via Wikimedia Commons

Its prime

1928

Today

Still standing

As it stood in 1928

What Empire Leicester Square looked like in its prime.

A broad pale‑stone 1920s cinema façade with a deep central recessed loggia beneath a large coffered semicircular arch; twin classical columns and ornamented pilasters frame tall multi‑pane glazing above the entrance. At street level a wide metal marquee projects over the pavement, lined with rows of round bulbs and poster cases, above glass‑and‑wood entrance doors and polished dark marble cladding to the lower front. The overall effect is a large, multi‑storey movie‑palace elevation, richly modelled in stone and plaster, brightly lit at night.

Step inside

7 places to explore in 1928.

The record describes 7 distinct spots at Empire Leicester Square, including 5 interiors: leicester street secondary foyer, grand auditorium — stalls facing stage, circle (upper seating) overview and more. Create your own photoreal reconstruction and explore every one, more scenes means more photos, more angles and more of the immersive experience.

Leicester Square approachStreet-level marquee and doorsLeicester Street secondary foyerGrand auditorium — stalls facing stageCircle (upper seating) overviewProscenium arch and stageOrchestra pit with Wurlitzer organ

Build Your Own Castle