Theatre fails to meet guide price

Parts of The Theatre Royal started crumbling in April

A derelict theatre in Kent which once saw the likes of Charlie Chaplin and Stan Laurel grace its stage has failed to sell at auction.

The Theatre Royal, in High Street, Chatham, was built in 1899 but closed in the 1950s.

It was put up for auction with the adjoining Bank Chambers and was expected to go for about £400,000.

But at the auction in Maidstone it failed to meet the lower end of the guide price of £380,000.

In April, part of the building had to be demolished after it was deemed unsafe.