Built by Sir Walter Gibbons and opened in 1925, this was a large and ornate cinema in a Neo-Classical style, created as part of a development of an island site on this major London thoroughfare.
In 1935, Gaumont decided to completely reconstruct the Capitol, by lowering the auditorium to take in the former basement premises of the Kit Kat Restaurant.
Following declining audience numbers, the Gaumont Haymarket was closed on 10 June 1959, with Robert Taylor in The Hangman being the last film.
Access to the cinema was from the southern corner of the building, leading to a small foyer and then stairs down to the screen.
Films included Jacques Tati's Playtime, Franco Zeffirelli's Hamlet with Mel Gibson, and Hugh Hudson's and David Puttnam's Chariots of Fire.
Planning permission was granted on appeal on 27 April 2007 for a nightclub in the basement, but the landlords have struggled to let the space as it is restricted to D2 use but is too low for a modern cinema.