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The Hackney Empire was built for Oswald Stoll by the renowned Theatre Architect, Frank Matcham, next door to the Town Hall in Mare Street, Hackney, and opened in 1901.

When the Theatre was originally commissioned it was designed to have also accommodated the Head Quarters of Stoll Theatres, complete with boardroom and offices, but after work had already begun on the building Stoll changed his mind and decided to build a West End flagship Theatre, the London Coliseum, instead. As a result Matcham had to redesign the Hackney Empire to exclude the HQ accommodation and reduce the frontage of the building.

Left - The Glorious Frank Matcham Auditorium of the Hackney Empire in 1988 - Courtesy Ted Bottle who says: 'You see the auditorium here in its Mecca colours. Mecca was very good in maintaining their theatre buildings but they had a most curious colour scheme. The auditorium resembles more of an opera house than a variety theatre.'

The Theatre eventually opened in 1901 with a twice nightly Music Hall and Variety policy with provisions for film projection and was built on a grand scale including a Grand Vestibule with a double staircase finished in marble, a lavish 1,500 seat auditorium with three balconies, and boxes at the rear of the Dress Circle and either side of the auditorium.

The ceiling of the auditorium was designed so that a section could be slid back to aid ventilation, much like the Victoria Palace, another of Matcham's Theatres. The Theatres Trust Guide says of the Theatre that: 'This is one of the most perfect examples of Matcham's work in London.'

The Hackney Empire was a successful Variety house until it was sold by Stoll Moss to ATV to become the fist commercial television studio in the country. Many popular television programs were filmed there including the weekly gameshow, one of the first in the country, 'Take Your Pick,' with its New Zealand born compare Michael Miles, and 'Oh Boy,' a weekly pop music show.

Right - A Programme for 'The Far East' at the Hackney Empire August 16th 1920 - Click for details.

By 1963 however, the Theatre's Television days were over and it was sold to Mecca and converted into a Bingo Hall. Luckily, although the auditorium's paintwork and guilding was painted over in Mecca's trademark colours, the auditorium was not physically altered too drastically.

Left - A Variety Programme for the Hackney Empire from August 1929.

In 1984 the building was granted a Listed Grade II status and the owners, Mecca, found themselves faced with the prospect of restoring the Mare Street Facade's domes and restoring the rest of the Facade of the building to its original state. They took down the domes and the central pediment with the intention of replacing them with substitutes but soon found themselves embroiled in a public enquiry due to the restrictions of 'Listed Building Consent' and evidence from the GLC's Historic Buildings officers. Consequently they were forced to replace the recently demolished parts of the building, and to do it in the original material (terra cotta) which was vastly more expensive than their originally proposed substitute. The work was eventually completed and to a very high standard too, but faced with the huge cost of restoring the Facade to its original condition as well they decided instead to put the building up for sale.

A recently formed theatre company I C.A.S.T., who had been acquiring properties in order to set up a comedy circuit, bought the Hackney Empire after establishing a preservation Trust for the building and a management company for the performance side, called the Hackney New Variety Management Company, which is now known as Hackney Empire Ltd.

This new company, having acquired such a prestigious building based their operations there and set about the restoration of the Theatre.

Left and Right - Variety Programme for the Hackney Empire, recreating the Music Hall era in 1956.

The first stage of the restoration was to convert the building from its Mecca Bingo days back into a working Theatre, something which was achieved in just a few years and the Theatre reopened on the 9th of December 1986, 85 years to the day since it originally opened.

Left - Variety Programme for the Hackney Empire from December 1933.

Furthur restoration took place in 2001, after years of fund raising, led by the comedian Griff Rhys Jones, reached the necessary £15m to begin, including a large donation from the local businessman Sir Alan Sugar.

Right - A Twice Nightly Variety Programme for the Hackney Empire in the Theatre's Jubilee year of 1951 - Courtesy John Earl - Click for Details.

Included in the restoration was a new Orchestra Pit for 60 musicians, new dressing rooms, wardrobe, green room, offices and workshops, and an extended fly tower and modern flying system.

FOH, the Box Office was enlarged and a lift installed reaching all the Theatre's levels, and all areas were repainted and repaired to Matcham's original designs. The public house next door to the Theatre was also acquired and and a new Studio Theatre, the Acorn Studio Theatre, was incorporated into the building.

The Theatre reopened in January of 2004 and on the 14th of September 2004 a Celebration Gala marked the completion of the restoration of this 103 year old 'masterpiece' of Theatre architecture.

For a personal history of the Hackney Empire in its heyday you may like to visit this page on Charles S.P. Jenkins' East End Memories website.

I am very greatful to John Earl, former Director of the Theatres Trust, for providing some of the information and images used on this page.

A Variety Programme for the Hackney Empire 13th September 1937

Billy Gerhardi and his Radio Band Direct From The Piccadilly Hotel

Bringing the electric atmosphere of West End night life to the microphone, Billy Gerhardi and his "boys" get a million fans tuning-in to their dance music sessions on the air. For Billy has spent practically all his professional life within the Mayfair circle, leading bands at all the famous hotels, cabarets and night spots. At the Dorchester, Grosvenor House, Cafe Anglais, The Blue Train, and, for the past year, at the Piccadilly Hotel, Billy Gerhardi has set the pace and called the tune for dancing socialites.

Right - Variety programme from the Hackney Empire for the 13th of September 1937, featuring Billy Gerhardi and his radio band direct from the Piccadilly Hotel.

Billy Gerhardi's Band make the switch from radio to stage with a brilliant show that puts them right in the front line at the start! The violin-playing conductor has devised a presentation of melody and swing that will appeal to widely differing
musical tastes.

And he sees that other people get a chance to shine, notably his lightning-fingered pianist, Bert Whittam, the 3 Macs, harmony vocalists, and the novelty dancers, Lee Street and Jose. Jose, by the way, has a surprise number that will get the audience talking.

FROM SUNSHINE TO STARDOM

Genial, smiling Billy Gerhardi is a South African, born in Durban 36 years ago. Tiring of the job of selling orange groves and houses in the sunny Union, he came to London with his violin tucked underneath his arm. His first job was as violin and conductor of "The Ragpickers," an American team playing at the Hammersmith Palais de Danse, but he was quickly in the West End spotlight where he has remained ever since.

AMERICA'S LATEST LAUGHTER-DANCERS

CHARLES MYERS & SUE ST. JOHN

SOMETHING NEW IN COMEDY AND DANCING.

No school in the world could teach you to dance like this! You've got to get the ideas yourself and then have the ability and the double-jointed chassis necessary to carry them out.

Charlie Myers does one of the funniest acro-eccentric dances you'll ever see and his gorgeous girl friend partners him in a free-for-all waltz burlesque. Definitely an act not to be missed !

THE WHIRLWINDS

AMERICA'S FASTEST AND MOST SENSATIONAL SKATERS

Thrills to leave you breathless! Daring to hold you spellbound! And some fun when they take members of the audience for a ride!

AMERICA'S FOREMOST COLOURED COMEDIANS

RADCLIFFE & RODGERS In "DARK DOINGS."

They may be dark subjects but they sure are bright entertainers! Between half-hearted attempts at piano polishing, Radcliffe and Rodgers hold involved arguments on the meaning and spelling of words.

There is rich humour in their attempts to score over one another. Neither of' them knows very much but each takes a lot of' trouble to hide his ignorance which naturally causes all the fun!

And, to make the pleasure complete, is some challenging singing by one of the pair, some stylish piano-playing and a "hot" trumpet solo that will rejoice the hearts of the jazz enthusiasts.

TROUPE RACSOS - Sensational Springboard Acrobats.

DOUGLAS MAYNARD - Variety's Youngest Marimba Player.

JACK DALY

THE IRISH PERSONALITY STAR

With a racy style, a grand sense of humour, a lot of new jokes and some lilting songs, Jack Daly - that's him smiling at you on the left - puts over one of the brightest shows in Variety.

He is a new and dynamic personality you'll be sure to like. See you see him!

GAILLARD FOUR

IN A HUNGARIAN RHAPSODY OF DANCE

Variety can offer no more picturesque or colourful dancing presentation than this. The spirited Slavonic dances, the beautiful costumes and the fiery exciting music make an irresistible appeal to eye and ear alike.

You may like to visit the Theatre's own Website here...