A new 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.

Justin Jones
Michael Grittani
Ben Wainwright
Mihaela Bodlovic
Lauren Liotardo
Nick Matthews

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.

Sketch of the Welsh Chapel interior, 1906

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.

Stone Nest model
Sketch by Denis Shibanov

Our team

Stone Nest

Inna Schorr

Co-founding Artistic Director and Chief Executive

Hannah Myers

Co-founding Producer

Richard Williamson

Technical Manager

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.