A home for performing arts in the heart of the West End
Stone Nest is an arts organisation and performance venue in the heart of London’s West End, bringing exceptional and experimental art to a wide audience.
Whilst the ‘work in progress’ of building restoration continues, we are delighted to collaborate with a range of artists to bring life to this iconic former Welsh chapel.
A hidden gem nestled amidst the bright lights of theatreland, it offers a platform for bold, visionary artists and a space where audiences can encounter an eclectic programme of contemporary performance.
A historical landmark
This Grade II listed former Presbyterian church was built in 1888 by James Cubitt and is composed of a galleried central space with an umbrella dome, large basement, and attached manse.
The Charing Cross Chapel, as the building was known to the congregation, was a site of great spiritual and cultural importance for many London Welsh, for whom it was a home away from home and a popular gathering place for family and friends. In its heyday, queues formed down Charing Cross Road, and the sermon was piped into the basement to accommodate additional worshippers.
After many years at the heart of the London Welsh community, the chapel closed for worship in 1982.
It was transformed into one of London’s most hedonistic nightclubs, the Limelight, in 1985. In 2003 the building became a Walkabout pub and following its closure in 2010, was subsequently squatted.
Reimagining a historical landmark
In 2012, with the generous support of Ekaterina Verozub, Stone Nest took over the long-neglected building with the aim of creating a flexible, sustainable performance space. Working closely with a specialist architectural and theatre team, a scheme was developed and planning permission acquired. Stone Nest became a new home for performing arts in the heart of London's West End.
Our team
Stone Nest
Inna Schorr
Co-founding Artistic Director and Chief Executive
Hannah Myers
Co-founding Producer
Richard Williamson
Technical Manager
Board of Trustees
Erica Crump
Solictor
Patrick Le Floch
Accountant
Cathy Wearing
Communications Consultant
Irina Brown
Theatre and Opera Director
Design team
Denis Shibanov
Spatial Design and Architectural Concept
ISA
Architects
Neill Woodger
Acoustic Consultant
DHA
Architectural Lighting Consultants
KJ Tait
M&E Engineers
Heritage Collective
Heritage Consultants
Thomas & Adamson
Quantity Surveyors
Nir Meiri
Lighting Fixture Design Consultant
Anatoli Vasiliev
Theatre Advisor
Richard Williamson
Theatre Consultant and Project Manager
Jackie Shemesh
Lighting Advisor
David Glover
Sound & Audio Visual Consultant
ELP
Rigging Consultants
Brian Cleary
Entertainment Health & Safety Consultant
Hartley Kemp
Theatre Technical Standards Consultant
Contact Us
General enquiries: info@stonenest.org
Hire enquiries: hires@stonenest.org
Charity Number: 1150118
Company number: 08301111
General enquiries: info@stonenest.org
Hire enquiries: hires@stonenest.org
Charity Number: 1150118
Company number: 08301111
Stone Nest
136 Shaftesbury Avenue
London W1D 5EZ
Stone Nest
136 Shaftesbury Avenue
London W1D 5EZ
Accessibilty
Stone Nest is an old building and unfortunately cannot currently accommodate electric wheelchairs. We can accommodate manually operated wheelchairs at ground floor level via a temporary ramp; please let us know that you are a wheelchair user when booking and whether a Companion will be accompanying you via the email info@stonenest.org and we will arrange a Companion ticket for you. Unfortunately our basement bar Below Stone Nest cannot currently accommodate wheelchair users.
Accessibilty
Stone Nest is an old building and unfortunately cannot currently accommodate electric wheelchairs. We can accommodate manually operated wheelchairs at ground floor level via a temporary ramp; please let us know that you are a wheelchair user when booking and whether a Companion will be accompanying you via the email info@stonenest.org and we will arrange a Companion ticket for you. Unfortunately our basement bar Below Stone Nest cannot currently accommodate wheelchair users.
