One of London’s most peculiar pieces of architecture comes in the form of a very tall green door, tucked away down a side street in St Giles. The enormous entryway in question can be found between Tottenham Court Road and Covent Garden on Flitcroft Street, proudly standing head and shoulders above every other door in the capital city.
The narrow green door isn’t in the slightest bit surreptitious in stature. Spanning almost the entire height of the two-storey red-brick building; the door’s rather exaggerated proportions may seem like just another of London’s unexplained eccentricities. But this outrageously tall door was built especially to serve a very practical theatrical purpose.
The tallest door in London
The building to which London’s tallest door is attached is the Elms Lenster Painting Rooms. This artistic establishment set up shop in 1904 to play a crucial role in the early 20th-century theatre scene. The studio specialised in creating humongous, hand-painted backdrops for many stage productions across London’s West End.
In order to maneuver these massive works of art from the studio to the stage; the building required a rather unconventional exit. The exceptionally tall door allowed workers to transport these behemoth backdrops out of the building and in the direction of where they needed to go.
As London’s theatre scene evolved, and the demand for huge hand-painted scenery declined; the painting rooms eventually went out of regular use. But fear not, folks. It was renovated in the 80s and repurposed as an art gallery, paying homage to the artistic history of the building.
The Elms Lenster Paninting Rooms now operate as a Grade II listed art gallery, maintaining and preserving the site’s creative spirit. And the ginormous green door has survived to tell the tale; still towering over the city to this day as the tallest door in London.
📍You’ll find this exceptionally tall door at the Elms Lester Painting Rooms, 1-5 Flitcroft Street, WC2H 8DH.
🚇 The nearest station is Tottenham Court Road.
