St James Theatre is the first newly built theatre in central London for 30 years. Designed by Foster Wilson Architects, it features a 312-seat theatre, a 100-seat studio theatre and a brasserie and lobby bar. At the heart of it is a Carrara marble staircase that is also a work of art called ‘Final Encore’ by artist designer Mark Humphrey.

The stone was worked by Porcelli Marmi in Pietrasanta, Italy, and shipped to London in 24 sections weighing 23tonnes in all, with individual sections up to 2tonnes each.

A 2.9 tonne capacity Unic mini crane was used to lift the sections into place in the confined space of the theatre foyer for them to be bolted together.

The ‘Final Encore’ installation was commissioned by the City of Westminster in line with its policy of having art in public places. Mark Humphrey says: “My work is about an expression I call Spacial Objectivism – installations of interactive sculptural objects in spaces for everyday purpose.”

The theatre’s opening season starts on 18 September with the play ‘Bully Boy’ by Sandi Toksvig.