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The Metropolitan Theatre, 207 Edgware Road, Paddington

Above - Frank Matcham's 1897 rebuilt Metropolitan Theatre auditorium - Courtesy Peter Charlton.

Originally on this site was an inn called the White Lion Public House which dated from 1524. In 1836 the White Lion was rebuilt as a concert room. But then in 1862 it was rebuilt again at a cost of £25,000 with a capacity of 2,000 and opened on the 8th of December that year.

On Easter Monday 1864 the Theatre reopened as the Metropolitan Music Hall.

In 1897 the Theatre was once again rebuilt, this time by Frank Matcham, with a slightly smaller capacity of 1,855.

This Theatre was to survive until 1963 when on Good Friday, April 12th, the curtain came down for the last time and the Theatre was subsequently demolished.

Arthur Lloyd is known to have performed at the Metroplitan Theatre in 1867 1892, 1900, 1902.

'11th July 1867 ...Attend Annie Adams "benefit" at the "Met". The "lion comiques" are out in force there - Leybourne, Vance, Arthur Lloyd, Nash, Fred French, Walter Laburnum et al . . . "Champagne Charlie" must be the Song of the Hour, though Lloyd's "Not for Joseph" runs a strong counter.' Peter Honri's 'John Wilton's Music Hall'

The last night at the Met was a wake. A time to remember the good days and for one more time be stirred by the music and the lights. As we sat waiting for the show to begin I looked at the faces of the caryatids supporting the stage boxes. They looked as serene as ever with no indication of their pending doom. The show was great. Never better. As we sadly exited it was hard to believe this was it. Happily the theatre lives on on film and can be seen in the classic Ealing Studio's "The Blue Lamp" which shows scenes inside during a performance. Cinema historians may also like to know that the legendary cinema The Coliseum in Harrow Road, also features in this film.

The text (Edited) above was kindly written for this site by David Baines BMHS.

A visitor to the site, Robert Daniels, has remarked on the above text saying: 'The theatre was not pulled down to make way for the M1. The M1 is nowhere neareby. The theatre had run out of time. It rumbled along for a few more years as a wrestling hall. It was finally pulled down to make way for a super new Police station, the Paddington Police station, on the apex of Edgware Rd and Harrow Rd. Thesite of the old theatre lies below the new new police station. Adjesant to the police station is the A40 - Marylebone flyover, (not the M1) lying below the flyover is the site of old Paddington Green Police station.' - Robert Daniels.

Alan Chudley writes on the Metropolitan Theatre

Above - A Programme for 'Stars of Radio' at the Metropolitan Theatre January 29th 1945 - Courtesy Alan Chudley.

I knew this theatre well. It was a delightful theatre to visit, but a difficult date to take a show into. The Stage was triangular in plan and there was very little room on the OP side. On the prompt side there was a large scene dock, later used to store the draperies and scenery from all the Granada houses. Under the stalls floor there were storerooms, these was apparently the stalls area of the old pre-Matcham, Metropolitan.

The stage manager at the Met was Ted Bigney who was also the Stage manager at the Edmonton Empire on the night of Marie Lloyd's collapse there which resulted in her death a few days later. - Alan Chudley.

Above - Programme detail for 'Stars of Radio' at the Metropolitan Theatre January 29th 1945 - Courtesy Alan Chudley.

The Last Night at the Met by David Baines

Above - The Last Night at the Met - Good Friday 1963 - Courtesy Peter Charlton.

The last night of the Met was on Good Friday, April 12, 1963 and the all-star bill, compered by Tommy Trinder, included Hetty King, Issy Bonn and Ida Barr from the early days, and in contrast Johnny Lockwood, Mrs Shufflewick, Wyn Calvin, Dickie Valentine, Eddie Reindeer and Ted Ray. Ivan Dozin was the MD. The theatre was packed for the occasion and hundreds were turned away.

The text (Edited) above was kindly written for this site by David Baines BMHS.