London wilton hall

And the hall still provokes the same response from visitors today. New arrivals never cease to be impressed. The most notable being George Leybourne and Arthur Lloyd — the first two music hall stars to perform for royalty.

Leybourne is the best known of the two. Despite booking these landmark acts, though, the theatrical tide was changing in favour of the West End. And the Wiltons followed the money. They sold up in and opened a West End restaurant. The music hall changed hands several times over the next thirteen years. Disaster then struck in during a refurbishment,when a fire ripped through the hall, leaving only its basic structure.

Whilst what caused the fire is unknown, at one time or another, nearly every music hall in London has succumbed to a blaze. The hall was rebuilt just a year after the fire, with hardly any changes to the design. It continued to operate as a music hall until , when it closed, likely due to a failure to meet the new fire regulations brought in that year.

The East End during the late s was renowned for its squalid conditions. People were poor and destitute. Whitechapel was particularly affected. It was because of all this that religious groups stepped in to help.

The East London Methodist Mission was one such organisation. Fast-forward to and The Mahogany Bar Mission once again assumed front-stage during a defining political event. The Battle of Cable Street, as it came to be known, was the violent confrontation between the British Union of Fascists known as the Blackshirts , led by Oswald Mosley, and various loosely organised anti-fascist demostrators.

The Metropolitan Police, originally sent to protect the fascist marchers, also became embroiled in the violence. The Mission took in injured parties from all sides of the clash, seeing to their wounds and acting as a safe space. They campaigned against social abuses, welcomed people of all ethnicities, and supported the local community, particularly the needy children of the area. The Blitz had taken a heavy toll on the East End. Many residents and businesses had left the area to escape the bombing raids.

Home News. September 17, You might also like. Related Articles. Leave a Reply Cancel reply Your email address will not be published. Twitter Facebook Youtube Instagram. The venue opened as a music hall in under the keen eye of John Wilton , who furnished it lavishly with chandeliers and mirrors, and during its initial 30 years tenure in this guise it was known to host some of the most memorable acts of the day.

During the impoverished years of the end of the 19th century the venue was purchased by the East London Methodist Mission , which used it as a soup kitchen, among other things.

The building miraculously survived the Blitz but post war it was earmarked for demolition before being saved thanks to a campaign by the likes of poet Sir John Betjeman and comedians Peter Sellars and Spike Milligan, which led to it being listed as a Grade II building in However, the building lay empty from until reopening as a theatre and concert hall in and the current Managing and Artistic Director Frances Mayhew saved it from another period of decay when she took over in Whether you wait for the work to be completed or visit before, we implore you to search out this evocative place.

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