Newport Buildings / Shaftesbury Theatre

17 April 1941

By Laura Zaepfel

During the night raid of 16-17 April 1941 eleven parachute mines fell across the City of Westminster. At 3.25am 17 April one landed just south of Shaftesbury Avenue, exploding on the Newport Buildings, Newport Place, a large block of flats built in 1883 and located due west of Charing Cross Road. The blast destroyed the adjoining Shaftesbury Theatre (1888) and superficially damaged the Palace Theatre (1891) opposite. Most of the red brick Newport dwellings themselves were demolished.

A huge hole was torn out between the Newport Buildings and an adjacent block of flats. Due to this gaping space, the rear of the Welsh Presbyterian Chapel (1888) at 81 Charing Cross Road was revealed. A bright white tiled Victorian wall, normally facing inward to service lifts, was exposed to daylight.

The mine dropped that night on Shaftesbury Avenue inflicted many casualities. 48 were found dead after the attack with upwards of 83 injured. After the raid police were deployed at the site to prevent looting. Yet the explosion did not stop normal life from continuing for the survivors. One elderly resident was seen going about her daily routine as if there had been no blast at all, trying to create normality where there was none left. She struggled with her garbage pail over brick rubble and exposed shafts of timber, to reach the place where she normally threw out her rubbish.

The Shaftesbury Theatre was not rebuilt after the war. Today, the Theatre site houses the Soho Fire Station (1983). The former Newport Buildings bombsite is now occupied by a multi-story car park, businesses and flats in London's bustling Chinatown.

Shaftesbury Avenue remains at the heart of Theatreland, lined with other venerable auditoria including the Lyric, Apollo, Gielgud and Queen's Theatres.