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Case study

The Mayhew Theatre

Providing facilities in the UK that enable global work

King Charles Street is one of our two main sites – but it’s also the home of our biggest customer, the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO). In August 2018, they came to us with a challenge: to construct a new 100-seater lecture theatre for their Diplomatic Academy, where Britain’s global diplomats could train to represent the nation overseas.

The theatre would be designed as a complex steel frame structure, resting on four existing columns in an inner courtyard of King Charles Street. That meant the construction site would be surrounded on all sides by occupied offices of what was then the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (now the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office).

In order not to interrupt the essential work of government employees, we’d therefore need to put in place excellent noise management. At the same time, since King Charles Street was built in 1868, there were conservation issues we needed to consider. All this would be carefully accounted for by our Project Managers as they delivered the project from end to end.

Since King Charles Street was built in 1868, there were conservation issues we needed to consider. All this would be carefully accounted for by our Project Managers.

We also needed to ensure that we met all Health and Safety aspects. Our Corporate Governance team’s advice and inspections made sure that both the site and our approach were absolutely safe and compliant and that colleague wellbeing wasn’t affected by the construction work.

The theatre’s secure equipment would be critical too, and for that, we looked to our Secure Property Design and Construction team. Our Engineers made sure that the Mayhew Theatre was equipped with secure, high-quality communications systems and high-resolution conferencing equipment, allowing diplomats to participate remotely in events and training, no matter where they might be in the world.

The site was named the Mayhew Theatre, after Cicely Mayhew – the UK’s first female overseas diplomat.

The newly-built theatre was officially brought into service on 4 March 2019, in an opening ceremony attended by the Duke of Cambridge.

The site was named the Mayhew Theatre, after Cicely Mayhew – the UK’s first female overseas diplomat, who joined what was then the Foreign Office (now the FCDO) in 1947 and paved the way for other women in the Diplomatic Service.

The facility now ensures exceptional training for our diplomats worldwide, helping protect the UK’s interests and maintain our overseas presence. Even in a project so close to home, we’re proud of the far-reaching impact our colleagues have.