MUSIC HALLS

 

See Also: MUSIC HALL; WEST END THEATRES; MENU

 

The Alhambra Theatre

In 1854 the Royal Panopticon of Science & Art opened on Leicester Square. Its purpose was both to mount scientific exhibitions and to display the latest advances in the arts and manufacturing. The venture failed. In 1858 the showman E.T. Smith installed a circus ring in the building and reopened it as The Alhambra Palace. The enterprise proved to be profitable. Smith secured a dancing and music licence. Two years later the Palace was reopened as The Alhambra Palace Music Hall. As such, it was one of the first wave of large music hall venues that developed in the West End. Over time a succession of improvements were made to the building s interior. It gained a reputation for presenting ballet. The Alhambra was the inspiration for the Folies Berg re theatre (1869) in Paris. In 1897 The Alhambra gained an additional frontage on the Charing Cross Road. The building was demolished in 1936.

Location: 24-26 Leicester Square, WC2H 7JY (purple, turquoise)

25 Charing Cross Road, WC2H 0HZ. A plaque commemorates the theatre. (orange, blue)

 

Wilton s

John Wilton was an East End publican. In 1858 he opened Wilton s Grand Concert & Supper Room as a music hall. It catered not only to dockers and sailors but also to upmarket swells who were indulging in an evening s amusement in the East End.

Following Wilton s closure as a music hall, the uses that the building s was put to included being a soup kitchen.

The Methodists secured it. Paradoxically, they were responsible for its survival. They were moved on in the 1950s as part of a slum clearance.

In 2008 Wilton s hosted music hall for the first time since 1880.

Location: 1 Graces Alley, E1 8JB. Off Ensign Street. (orange, turquoise)

See Also: PERIOD PROPERTIES

Website: www.wiltons.org.uk

David Backhouse 2024