Stage set for historic theatre’s return as glorious gateway to stunning Leas Pavilion development
Sometimes there is more to a residential development than meets the eye.
Take Leas Pavilion, for instance. Yes, the nine-storey, 91-apartment building overlooking Folkestone seafront will offer the very best in luxury living in a dreamy location. But this is a development with a back story that’s as glistening as the glass frontage that’s designed to adorn it. This is due to the Leas Pavilion apartments being built upon a Grade II listed Pavilion that once served as a theatre playing host to a galaxy of stars from the golden age of TV and film.
Currently being restored to its Edwardian splendour, the 121-year-old Leas Pavilion will once again resound to the sound of music, laughter and applause. For as well as providing a grander-than-grand reception lounge for Leas Pavilion residents, it will open for up to 100 days per year to host community events. This will see musical and comedy performers take to a moveable stage and return the beloved venue right back to its roots as a palace of all-round family entertainment.
Opened in 1902 as a tea room, the Pavilion transitioned to a 200-seat theatre in 1928. Anyone who was anyone trod the showpiece venue’s boards during the ensuing decades. Notable performers to cross its threshold included David Tomlinson, star of many a silver screen smash, but most famous for playing George Banks in evergreen Disney classic, Mary Poppins. The theatre’s cast list also included St Trinians actor, Alastair Sim, whilst Noel Coward and Gertrude Lawrence were no strangers to the Pavilion’s stalls when at the peak of their acting fame.
Before becoming the grand queen of soap opera, June Brown, aka Eastenders’ Dot Cotton, was a regular Pavilion player. The theatre also hosted puppet royalty in the form of children’s favourites, Sooty and Sweep. And long before his audience with the late Queen, Paddington Bear had theatre audiences in the palm of his sticky, marmalade-coated paws during an appearance at the Pavilion prior to its closure in 2007.
With such a rich theatrical history, perhaps it’s no surprise that the Pavilion’s restoration has captured the imagination of current well-known names from the UK entertainment industry. Actor Sir Ian McKellen; TV presenter and author historian Griff Rhys Jones, and comedian Vic Reeves have all voiced their support for the building’s reopening, along with not-for-profit campaign group, Friends of Leas Pavilion.
So, with the Pavilion lounge currently in make-up in preparation for its next role as a regal lounge area – and part-time events venue – for the stunning Leas Pavilion residential complex, find out how you can own a genuine slice of history by making this unique development your home.
We’re delighted to announce the opening of our Marketing Suite to promote the landmark Leas Pavilion residential development on Folkestone seafront.
Come along and discover how you can take this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to own the coastal property of your dreams.
Feel free to contact us; our team is here to help and we will gladly answer all your questions.
Please find us here:
Leas Pavilion
Marketing Suite
97 Sandgate Road
Folkstone CT20 2BQ
Call or email to book a one-to-one appointment with a member of our sales team
The Leas Pavilion lounge, restored to its 1902 former glory, is a rare example of a Grade II listed purpose-built Edwardian tea room.
With its ornately moulded ceilings, elegant galleries, the grand imperial staircase and a sprung dance floor it has been the favourite local venue for culture, art and leisure for over 100 years. Today, we proudly incorporate this former tea room into an avant-garde nine storey residence with 91 luxury sea view apartments.
By combining traditional English heritage with modern architecture from Hollaway Studios, we are able to offer a highly desirable prime seaside location with stunning ocean vistas, grounded in the deep roots of the area’s local history.
All this with high-speed access to Central London and an entry point to the Channel Tunnel just a stone’s throw away; the whole of Europe is at your doorstep.
