Take me to Szalinski's attic and shrink me now!
Whilst on the phone to my mum and on my way to Charing Cross Station, I past the entrance of St Pauls Church, Covent Garden and it called me over like a friend I hadn't seen in a while and I just had to take a look inside. I sent my mum this photo whilst on the phone to her, she said "it doesn't look like a church" to which I mentioned that the commissioner Lord Bedford asked the architect Inigo Jones to create a simple church " Not much better than a barn"
I've never known a barn to have so much charm with many creative souls leaving their mark in and around the church.
It's known as the 'Actors Church' - we are of course in Covent Garden, which is home to some of the most famous theatres in the world. You can also find daily entertainers performing on the eastern side - in the same spot that Punch and Judy claimed their fame. With this in mind there are many plaques inside the church dedicating actors such as Charlie Chaplin, Vivian Leigh and Noel Coward. Knowing this I went in with strong hopes that I would see something that I could write about in my next blog and would you believe it greeted me as soon as I entered.
This ladies and gentlemen is the Audrey Leybourne miniature theatre and was built in 1928.
Rows of wooden seats lined in Atlantic blue fabric can be seen facing a stage, whilst box seats adorned with gas lamps sit on either side. The curtains are open and the stage is set for an outdoor performance that has the viewer looking over fields of green.
It was originally owned by the Actors' Church Union (now Theatre Chaplaincy UK) and it was used to illustrate to people how theatres work. The sweetest thing is that the money raised from these lectures was used to pay for a childrens hostel, which was designed so that children whose parents were 'on tour' performing had somewhere to stay and could be looked after. It closed in the 1950's and it was around this time that the whereabouts for the model was lost.
It was only when Reverend Simon Grigg, Rector of St Pauls was sorting out the disused gallery in 1996 that he stumbled upon it and put in on display. In 2023 it was decided that the theatre needed some restoration, so they brought in West End set designer Jaimie Todd to give it a new lease of life.
The original outdoor scene was restored and a new second set (the ballroom scene from Cinderella) was created from a few bits that were left over. The rigging was restored with actual hemp and a new house curtain was made. The original blue and yellow wallpaper from the box seats was revealed and restored and a new row of seats was made to match the originals that were left.
The front of this model drew me in, but the side and back had me jaw dropped, which started a chain reaction of people taking photos.
This is the back and I could have starred at it for hours. I thought any minute now an actor is going to burst through one of the doors, enter their dressing room and begin rehearsing. It is so life-like and oozes character.
Each room displays a desk underneath a mirror and at least one wooden chair. Some have painted walls and others have wallpaper and all rooms are lit with a hanging bulb. Bubble-gum pink sinks can be found in two of the rooms, which make me question if other props have been lost over time.
This intricate masterpiece is dedicated to the late English actress Audrey Leybourne, who passed away in 2022. She had a long and applauded career on stage and television and was a faithful member on the congregation.
This is just one of many interesting and unique pieces on display inside St Pauls Church, Covent Garden and I encourage you to take a peep inside.