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Shoreditch Theatres and Halls

Royal Cambridge Music Hall
National Standard Theatre
Shoreditch Empire, London Music Hall
Town Hall

See also in this vicinity:
City of London Theatre, Bishopsgate
Wilton's Music Hall, Whitechappel
Hoxton Varieties, Shoreditch

Royal Cambridge Music Hall, 136 Commercial Street, Shoreditch, London

Arthur Lloyd is known to have performed here 1879 1903

Also known as - The Cambridge Music Hall, the theatre was built at a cost of £16,000 with a capacity of 2000. It opened in 1864 but by 1892 the capacity had been limited to 1488. The building was destroyed by fire in 1896, and although it was rebuilt and opened again in 1898 it was demolished in 1936 for the extension of a tobacco factory.

'The New Cambridge Music Hall in Commercial Street, Bishopsgate, is now nearing completion. The stage will be 41ft wide by 30ft deep . The premises will be heated throughout by hot water coils, and provision has been made for lighting the house by electric light.'
THE BUILDER December 4 1897 - Courtesy John Grice.

Left - Royal Cambridge Theatre - From 'The Architect' January 20th 1899.

'The New Cambridge Music Hall, Bishopsgate, which was burnt down some time ago, having been rebuilt, has now been opened to the public. There are eight entrances in Commercial Street, and four separate exits are provided for the pit and gallery, with an additional exit from the latter delivering into Vine Court. A saloon has been provided at the Commercial Street level. The pit and stalls floor is about 10ft below the level of Commercial Street. The total seating accommodation for the stalls, pit, private boxes, circle. and gallery is 2,000 persons, with standing room in the rear of each tier for another 300. Mr Harry Percival was the architect.' THE BUILDER January 15 1898 - Courtesy John Grice.

Above Left - Site of the Royal Cambridge Music Hall in 2004 M.L.

Finch Hill went on to design Weston's Music Hall (1857), the Britannia Theatre, Hoxton (1858), the Oxford Music Hall (1861), the Royal Cambridge Music Hall (1864) and the Philharmonic Hall, Islington (1866) . The architecture of these halls was considerably chaster than the entertainments which took place in them. Finch Hill was a master of the opulent but never licentious classicism of the 1850s. Audiences knocked back their beer in sumptuous settings designed by an architect who knew the churches of Gibbs, Archer and Hawksmoor. With the exception of the Britannia none of them had any proper auditoria; this, incidentally, was the main reason why none of them survived, for in the course of the century the form of the music halls was to develop closer and closer to that of the theatre and they were rebuilt as a result. Finch Hill's inspiration was literally ecclesiastical; his halls had level floors and galleried isles leading the eye to a ceremonial culmination above a raised platform at what one is tempted to call the ritual east end.

From - Victorian Pubs by Mark Girouard. Studio Vista 1975. Courtesy John Grice.

Ada Reeve on The Cambridge Music Hall.

My early appearances were usually in the East End Halls. These were the days of the 'Chairman' - Mr E V Page at the Cambridge - who used to introduce each turn in his sonorous voice. I was at the Cambridge at the height of the Jack the Ripper scare.

One of my songs had a chorus referring to the well know French system of the claque. Although very few people realise it, the claque actually existed in the London music halls in my very early days. I remember once being stopped outside the stage door of the Cambridge with the request that I would 'remember the Gallery Boys'. I innocently replied that I would always remember them. The spokesman then made it plain that I would have to give them a weekly sum, for which they were prepared to applaud me vigorously, or else.... the alternative would be most unpleasant. That was the only time I was approached by what was then a recognised thing in the Halls.

From - 'TAKE IT FOR A FACT' (A record of my seventy five years on the stage) by Ada Reeve - William Heinmann 1954 - Courtesy John Grice.

National Standard Theatre, 2/3/4, Shoreditch High Street, Shoreditch.

Other names - Shoreditch Olympia / Royal Standard Public house and pleasure gardens / Royal Standard Theatre / New Standard Theatre / Standard Theatre / Olympia, Shorditch

T. C. King, Arthur Lloyd, and Katty King are known to have performed here 1877

The National Standard Theatre was originally built in 1837 with a horse shoe auditorium seating 3,400 but was destroyed by fire in 1866. The Theatre was rebuilt and reopened December 1867 with a seating capacity of 3000. The Theatre was rebuilt for a third time by Bertie Crewe with a capacity of 2,463. By November 1926 it was in use as a cinema called The New Olympia Picturedrome. The building was demolished in 1940.

Right - Programme for the National Standard Theatre - Year unknown.

The poster left, for a Benefit for T. C. King, is from a large collection of original Lloyd / King Posters collected since the mid 1800s by members of the family and found recently after being lost for 50 years. Click the poster to Enlarge. To see all these posters click the Poster Index here...

In the High Street, Shoreditch, stands the Olympia, which is now devoted to the pictures and other entertainment. Nearly one hundred years ago the house was a popular East End home of the drama, known as the Royal Standard Theatre. It was opened shortly after the City Theatre, in 1835, and was for some years under the directorship of Johnson and Lee.

Right - The Olympia Shorditch.

In 1845 it was sold to John Douglass, who had been for some years a showman. Douglass had a genius for stage effect - the pantomimes of the Standard ran those of Drury Lane very close, and in order, not only to retain the patronage of the district, but also to attract other clientele from the West End, he carefully watched Harris's productions at Drury Lane. He said that the latter house habitually reproduced his own sensations.

This jealousy is mirrored in a letter from Mr. Douglass to The Era after a Drury Lane first night, in which he says that "seeing that a hansom cab is used in the new drama at Drury Lane, I beg to state that a hansom cab, drawn by a live horse was used in my drama . . . . produced at the Standard Theatre in ....... - and so on- "with real rain, a real flood, and a real balloon." We are told that Douglass rebuilt the theatre without the aid of an architect.

Left - Programme for 'High Explosives' at the Olympia Shoreditch 1917 - Click to see Entire Programme.

Under the regime of the Brothers Douglass at the Standard Theatre, there was produced a most popular and paying sketch, entitled "Humanity." It was so financially successful that the play came to be known as "The Money spinner."

Right - The National Standard Theatre with Henry Irving on the Bill. From the book 'London Theatres and Music Halls 1850 - 1950' by Diana Howard.

A particular feature of the Standard Theatre was that for many years it held an annual season of opera, usually by J. W. Turner's troupe, supported presumably by the large number of Jews in the neighbourhood.

The theatre was burnt down in 1867, and rebuilt on a much larger scale. It was re-opened as the New Standard the following year. It was asserted to be the largest theatre in London, and seated two thousand people. The pit was actually larger than that of Drury Lane.

A peculiarity of the house was that it had a convertible stage, which could be turned into a horse ring, and in order to render this more practicable, the boxes were removable.

Thirty or forty years ago all the best actors of the day appeared at various times at the New Standard, which rendered it unique amongst theatres.

In the old days it was nearly always filled with enthusiastic audiences, but on one occasion we are told that H. J. Byron, seeing the house half empty, asked Douglass where all his audience had gone. Douglass replied, "Gone West, to Covent Garden," somewhat glumly. " To pick pockets, I suppose," was Byron's reply.

Right - A poster for The National Standard Theatre with image of the auditorium in 1867. From the website PeoplePlay UK

For many years the theatre was under the management of the Melvilles (father and sons) who produced many successful melodramas. Most of these plays were written by Walter Melville.

The theatre still has many strong attractions which draw patrons from all parts of the various suburbs.

From 'The Romance of London Theatres' By Ronald MAYES - From a Lewisham Hippodrome programme for 1st April 1929.

Above - Remains of The National Standard Theatre in the mid 50s after its demolition and a failed start to build a new super cinema was halted by the war - ' A portfolio of photographs' by Colin Sorenson, 'Theatrephile' Vol22-No5 - Courtesy Bishopsgate Institute Reference Library.

Town Hall, Shoreditch

Arthur Lloyd is known to have performed here 1879 1882

The Town Hall, Shoreditch was built in 1865 and was said on opening to be the grandest vestry hall in London. It has undergone many changes since then, especially in 1902 when it was subject to major expansion. After recent restoration work the Town Hall is due to reopen this year 2004.

The poster right is for a Benefit for Arthur Lloyd with his wife Katty King at the Town Hall Shorditch in 1882, and is from a large collection of original Lloyd Posters collected since the mid 1800s by members of the family and found recently after being lost for 50 years. Click the poster to Enlarge. To see all these posters click the Poster Index here...

Above - The Town Hall Shoreditch during renovation works M.L. 2004

Above - The Foundation Stone of the 1901 expansion to The Town Hall Shoreditch during renovation works M.L. 2004

Visit the Town Hall's Website here...

The Shoreditch Empire was built in 1856 and was later reconstructed by Frank Matcham in 1894 with a capacity of 2,332. It was known as the London Theatre of Varieties in 1895, and for a short while as the Griffin Music Hall and Public House until 1896 when it became The London Music Hall. The Theatre was demolished in 1935. 

Right - Programme for the London Theatre of Varieties - Courtesy Catherine Kent.

Left - A Typical Music Hall Gallery.

The photograph was taken at the "London" Music Hall, Shoreditch; the audience, who, at the time, were enjoying a chorus song, were not warned of the fact. - From 'The Playgoer' 1901 - Courtesy Iain Wotherspoon. - Click to Enlarge.

See also in this vicinity:
City of London Theatre, Bishopsgate
Wilton's Music Hall, Whitechappel

Above - Programme for the London Music Hall with a young Charlie Chaplin on the Bill. Also appearing were Griffin and Dubois of which there are more details below - Programme Courtesy Catherine Kent, Great Grandaughter of William Griffin.

Catherine Kent, Great Grandaughter of William Griffin, writes:

William Griffin was a fascinating man - quite the dandy - he married a dancer from the East end of London called Elly or Ellen - very beautiful apparently.

They went all over the world but their home was in Syracuse NY State (it is still in situ!) and she used to visit and stay with family in Florida while he travelled performing.

They had one son also called William who they sent to boarding school over here and that is my grandfather (now deceased also).

He (called Dickie for some reason) was always doing acrobatic turns and lifting my father up as a baby and scaring everyone when he threw him about!

William Griffin was certainly known by Stan Laurel and Charlie Chaplin and was famous before they were. Charlie Chaplin even wrote to my great grandfather once asking if he could give him a job!

He called himself Griffin because his original name was Zimmerman - from Alsace Lorraine. The sensitivity was always there of the German sounding name so hence the change. He did have various partners from time to time - Dubois and Ardell - Dubois can be seen billed with Griffin in the programme above..