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His Majesty’s/St James Wellington NZ

By Tony Froude
The city of Wellington New
Zealand, like Melbourne Australia, is
proud of its reputation as the arts centre
of the country. Thanks to support by the
City Council, sponsors and the public,
Courtenay Place Wellington can boast a
re-vitalised theatre district: the St
James (1912), The Opera House
(1913), Paramount Cinema (1917)
and the Embassy Cinema (1924), are
all within two blocks of each other.
In the same area, a newcomer, the
A drawing of the restored theatre. The building alongside has been recycled as foyer
Downstage Theatre (1980), is also
spaces. Image: www.stjames.co.nz
contributing to a vibrant art scene.
The oldest of these theatres, and In 1911 the Wellington City Council Christchurch. This was a significant act
possibly the best loved, is the St declared the building a fire risk. It was of faith in White, and it was to be well
James, which was built as His demolished after the final screening of rewarded.
Majesty’s Theatre. The Battle of Trafalgar. White enjoyed the theatre as
The theatre stands on a site with a entertainment, and he had become a
long history of public assembly, ritual first-hand observer of the deficiencies
and entertainments. The original of the buildings of the day.
building opened as the United After Christchurch more theatre
Methodist Church in 1879, was taken work enabled White to practice his three
over by the Temple Lodge and renamed design essentials: ‘…a clear vision line
the Choral Hall in 1896. from every seat in the auditorium;
After a major refit in 1899, the Hall perfect acoustics, and a scheme of
was purchased by John Fuller Snr., ventilation that will ventilate. Given
scion of the family who would become these three factors in anything like
famous on both sides of the Tasman for perfection, combined with comfortable
their vaudeville and cinema operations. seats with ample leg- room, you have
the basis of a good theatre.’
Vaudeville practice at that time was
to include an occasional movie in the When Fuller’s announced that they
program. Examples screened at the The 1899 His Majesty’s would build ‘the biggest and best
Choral Hall included Robinson Crusoe Fullers temporarily moved the theatre in New Zealand’, White would
(1903), The Melbourne Cup (1904), cinema operation to their skating rink be given the freedom to test his design
and The Russo- Japanese War (1905). up- town while the new theatre was principles 'in anything like perfection.’
In 1908 Fullers leased the building under construction. The architect was Fullers already operated 64 theatres,
to Messrs. Lindley and Donovan who Henry White, a man with definite ideas but this one was to be the ‘flagship’ of
ran movies six days a week, making about theatre design. the circuit. The final cost was 32,000
them the first permanent cinema In 1899 John Fuller Snr. had NZ pounds, which in 1912 was a lot of
operators. They renamed the hall His commissioned the 23-year old engineer money.
Majesty’s. and architect to build a theatre in
Initially the going was tough;
vaudeville had a very strong hold on
the public's discretionary money.
Business picked up after they obtained
a 1,000-foot film starring a certain
Gladys Smyth who, so one story goes,
later became Mary Pickford.
On the strength of their good
fortune with this film, the partners
decided to team up with Wests to build
New Zealand's first purpose-built
cinema down the road called the Kings.
When that cinema opened, the lease
on His Majesty’s reverted to the
Fullers, who retained the name and
continued to screen movies there. Image: www.stjames.co.nz

6 2006 CINEMARECORD