Image: Esmé Church © Bradford Playhouse
Theatre pioneer Esmé Church receives national blue plaque recognition in Bradford, coinciding with the city’s UK City of Culture celebrations.
Historic England has unveiled a national blue plaque to actress and director Esmé Church at 26 Chapel Street, Bradford, where she founded and operated the Northern Theatre School. The ceremony took place on Friday 6 June 2025, coinciding with Bradford’s year as UK City of Culture.
Church was born in London in 1893. After a 1921 debut, she performed Shakespeare at the Old Vic from 1927 and began directing in 1931. She led the Old Vic’s drama school from 1936.
She established the Northern Theatre School whilst serving as Artistic Director of Bradford Civic Playhouse from 1944 to 1950.
The plaque was unveiled by Esmé and Carys Durham, Church’s great-great-great nieces, alongside Megan Wilson, Company Director of Purple Stage Theatres, operators of the Bradford Playhouse.
The unveiling forms part of Historic England’s partnership with genealogy company Ancestry, for this year’s National Blue Plaque Scheme.
Lord Mendoza, chairman of Historic England, said the plaque recognised “not only her immense contribution to the dramatic arts, but also the power of West Yorkshire’s creativity in shaping our national story. It is time that Esmé Church takes her rightful place in the cultural memory of this country.”
Dan Bates, Executive Director, Bradford 2025 UK City of Culture, added: “[Church’s] time in Bradford and the establishment of the Northern Theatre School alongside Bradford Civic Playhouse created new opportunities for northern actors, voices and stories. Marking this during Bradford 2025 UK City of Culture is a fitting moment to celebrate her part in Bradford’s artistic story and her legacy in the theatre world.”
