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The Canterbury

This was the original music-hall.

The Canterbury Arms, which gave it birth, occupied the site of an old tavern, which had stood for centuries in the Westminster Bridge Road. In 1849 it was taken over by Charles Morton and his brother-in-law, Frederick Stanley. They ran concerts on Saturday evenings, which soon became very popular. No charge was made for admission they made their profit on the drinks sold. Later a Thursday concert was added, and within a year they had built a hall on the site of their old skittle-alley adjoining, which held 700 people. Morton had enlivened his concerts by engaging professionals. In the new hall he went yet further and charged for admission.

There was no stage, only a platform at the end of the room. John Caulfield was Chairman and Jonghmann was musical director. Charles Morton spared no expense to make the venture successful, paying his artists as much as £30 a week. Augustus Braham, son of the great tenor, sang there, as did Miss Turpin (Mrs. Henry Wallack) and Miss Russell, the latter as Marguerite in selections from Gounod's Faust' given at the Canterbury before the first full performance at His Majesty's on 11 June 1863. No less a person than Mlle TietJens was in the audience on that occasion.