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Above - The building in Tavistock Street which was originally the offices of the ERA.

The ERA was a weekly newspaper about theatre, actors, music hall, and all related matters.

It was published and printed in London from 1837 to 1939. Its equivalent now would be The Stage (and television today), although it is apparent, when looking through the archives, that it was far more in depth than 'The Stage' is today.

The Paper was originally edited by Frederick and Edward Ledger, then W. Hamar Bass, in Catherine street, where the Theatre Royal Drury Lane has its entrance. Later it moved to The ERA Buildings in Tavistock street (Shown Right.)

Right - The ERA building Tavistock Street - Courtesy John Culme. His site John Culme's Footlight Notes has information on Theatre - Variety - Music Hall - Vaudeville - Musical Comedy - Ballet - Revue - Circus, and other popular entertainment, with portraits - biographies and reviews from the 1850s to the 1920s.

The ERA archives up to 1900 can now be found online and details of this and other research information can be found here.

Naturally, Music Hall having become an industry, it had its own Press; trade journals, maybe, but of the more value for that. Up to 1850, there were many papers which dealt largely or entirely with the Theatre but Music Hall, then still in the "saloon" stage, hardly got a mention. How Charles Morton tackled "The Times" has been told, but the Press as a whole did not regard Music Hall as worthy of space beyond a very occasional and extremely patronising "mention" if real need arose. The first journal, to give it any space was "The Era"; that august journal, which became "The Actor's Bible", was founded in 1838, but not as a theatrical paper, far from it. It was a national newspaper issued on Sundays with separate town and country editions, giving general news, sports news, some theatrical intelligence, and a good deal about the Licensed Victuallers, whom it really represented.
A very early manager of the paper was Charles Hibble, Parliamentary Agent for the Licensed Victuallers and also proprietor of the Sheridan Knowles Tavern in Brydges Street, now Catherine Street, Covent Garden, where Drury Lane Theatre stands. This was a great resort of men-about-town, literary and sporting gentry, a place for convivial meetings.

By degrees and largely because of increasing advertisements, "The Era" began to take more and more interest in theatrical affairs and gave weekly reports of theatrical happenings in London and the great provincial cities. Now and again a small paragraph about the saloons and music halls got in, often just as a footnote. But as Music Hall grew so the space devoted to it grew; "The Era" became the great theatrical journal and every member of the profession, stage or hall, just had to buy it although the price was steep, it remained at 6d. for many years. However, to be seen walking along the street with "The Era" under the arm, its title displayed for the passer-by to read, proved to all that the person carrying it was a "Pro". "The Era " survived until the beginning of World War II, but its importance and popularity had long since waned.

Above text from 'The Melodies Linger On' by W McQueen Pope Page 274-275.