The Savoy Theatre

The Savoy Theatre is a Grade II* listed theatre located in Savoy Court, Strand, Westminster. It was built in 1881 by architect C. J. Phipps for Richard D'Oyly Carte. The theatre was refronted to Savoy Court by Collcutt in 1903, and underwent further renovations in 1929 by A. Tugwell, which included a new entrance, auditorium, and foyer, with interior design by Basil Ionides.

The main entrance features polished stainless steel facing and Doulton Carrara Ware above, while the remaining parts of Phipps' elevations on Carting Lane are made of painted brick with rusticated piers. Due to the sloping site, the Savoy Court foyer entrance is at a high level with the theatre below, and the original main entrance is at Carting Lane level, requiring long access corridors from the foyers. The building showcases an Art Deco Moderne style with a unique and highly accomplished Deco theatre interior. The main entrance front on Savoy Court is a single storey, faced in stainless steel with a strong horizontal emphasis, featuring steel doors with glazed panels, display cases, and a full-length glazed panel above that displays the name "Savoy Theatre" in thin steel sans-serif letters.

Inside, both the upper and lower level foyers have sunk panelled ceilings and fluted plaster and mirror-lined walls, retaining original steel bench seating and furnishings. The auditorium is rectangular, with small sunk panels across the ceiling and main wall surfaces, adorned with varied Chinese motif reliefs in the wall panels. It features a square proscenium and two balconies with sunk ornamental panels in the soffits and flat lozenge-shaped fluted wall panels. Christopher Hussey described it as "the first really outstanding example of modern decoration applied to a public place on a commercial basis." The queen post roof over the stage, which contains drum and shaft machinery, is part of Phipps' original design. The theatre was the first component of the Savoy complex developed by D'Oyly Carte.