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has been enlarged, and the entrances and exits multiplied. Occupying as it does the same ground space as the old hall, the great increase in the size of the present theatre is a veritable triumph of architectural skill. This is, perhaps, due to the fact that Mr Frank
Matcham, the architect, has already designed fifty-three theatres and music halls. The holding capacity of the whole house is upwards of 2,800.
362:, in a short-lived attempt to establish an Irish Theatre in London. The theatre closed except for occasional shows, and wrestling matches on Saturdays. For a time it was used as a television studio. The last performance given at the Metropolitan was a packed all-star farewell bill on Good Friday, 12 April 1963, compered by
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the following year, which made it easily accessible to
Londoners from other districts. After changes of management the building was renamed the Metropolitan Music-Hall, opening under that name on 28 March 1864. It prospered over the following three decades, but by the 1890s it was recognised that the
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had contained a well known inn, the White Lion, whose licence was believed to date back to 1524. It was rebuilt in 1836, when a hall or concert room was added to the premises. Performances there began to take the form later recognised as early music-hall; the rooms became known as
Turnham's after the
291:
commented in 1963 that during the first half of the twentieth century "the pattern of entertainment at the 'Met' follows the rise and fall of variety, the era of touring revue, through to its complete decline in recent years". During the 20th century the capacity of the theatre was reduced to 1,542,
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The first impression will undoubtedly be that of wonder at the transformation from its old irregular interior – defective in construction and deficient of modern decorative taste – to a strikingly handsome and elegant auditorium. Instead of one gallery there are now two … Every part of the theatre
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In the new
Metropolitan, indeed, everything that architectural skill can plan, everything that artistic taste can suggest, and everything that modern luxury demands have been combined. … The exterior is at once imposing and strikingly handsome, from the granite façade to the lofty
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In the last three years of the theatre's existence, various managements presented a range of shows, including Old Time Music-Hall, opera, an Irish
Variety season, visits from touring companies, including one from Dublin, presenting
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153:. Its origins were in an old inn on the site where entertainments became increasingly prominent by the early 19th century. A new theatre was built there in 1836, replaced in 1897 by a new building designed by the theatre architect
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Under
Turnham's management the hall was rebuilt on a large scale, with a capacity of 2,000, opening on 8 December 1862 as Turnham's Grand Concert Hall. The hall benefited from the opening of a new
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165:, but with the decline of the latter in the mid-20th century it struggled to survive, and was demolished in 1964 to make way for a road-widening scheme.
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earmarked the building for compulsory acquisition and demolition to make way for the widening of the
Edgware Road and the construction of the
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326:, recorded live at the theatre in 1961 in an attempt to capture the atmosphere of the theatre. The album features performances from
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Further alterations were made in 1905 when the old inn was demolished to make way for a central entrance. The theatre historians
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The new theatre opened on 22 December 1897 with a variety programme that included the singer and comedian
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Alexandra Dagmar, the
Villion Troupe of acrobatic bicyclists and "Mr Fred Leslie's leaping dogs".
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By the late 1950s the
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but even after this it remained one of the ten largest London theatres.
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Website with further details about the history of the
Metropolitan
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In 1897 it was decided to rebuild completely from designs by
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The television presenter, writer and Music Hall enthusiast
600:(fourteenth ed.). London: Sir Isaac Pitman and Sons.
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writes about the final days of "The Met" in his 1973 book
530:, Oxford University Press, 1996. Retrieved 6 July 2020.
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390:. The building was demolished in September 1963.
548:"The Days When Music Played at the Metropolitan"
643:(second ed.). London: Rupert Hart-Davis.
311:classic recording of comedy in performance".
157:. The Metropolitan was a leading theatre for
16:For similarly named buildings elsewhere, see
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177:, about a mile north-west along the road to
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528:The Concise Oxford Companion to the Theatre
615:London Theatres and Music Halls: 1850-1950
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542:"The Metropolitan Theatre of Varieties",
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99:2,000 (1836); 2,800 (1897) 1,542 (1963)
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481:"New Life for the Old Metropolitan",
173:From the 16th century the village of
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522:Hartnoll, Phyllis, and Peter Found.
324:Daniel Farson Presents... Music Hall
725:Theatres in the City of Westminster
559:"Flowers, Jewels and Floodlight",
420:Mander and Mitchenson, pp. 232–233
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322:. He also produced an L.P album,
32:1836 Turnham's Grand Concert Hall
186:owner and licensee John Tumham.
730:Music venues completed in 1897
710:Music venues completed in 1836
231:of 25 December 1897 reported:
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550:, w9w2. Retrieved 6 July 2020
546:, 27 April 1963, p. 629; and
463:Mander and Mitchenson, p. 234
40:1950s Metropolitan Music-Hall
34:1864 Metropolitan Music-Hall
563:, 28 September 1963, p. 460
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715:Theatres completed in 1897
320:Marie Lloyd and Music Hall
264:, the "Coster Comedienne"
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720:Former theatres in London
596:Gaye, Freda, ed. (1967).
581:. London: Preface Books.
524:"Metropolitan Music-Hall.
494:"Max at the Met", Pye LP
449:, 25 December 1897, p. 16
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598:Who's Who in the Theatre
445:"The New Metropolitan",
139:The Metropolitan Theatre
617:. Library Association.
561:Illustrated London News
544:Illustrated London News
532:(subscription required)
378:and new ones including
641:The Theatres of London
613:Howard, Diana (1986).
579:Funny Way to Be a Hero
485:, 11 April 1959, p. 33
394:References and sources
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577:Fisher, John (2013).
297:London County Council
289:Mander and Mitchenson
256:'s Metropolitan, 1897
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201:among the attractions
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36:1875 The Metropolitan
193:1896 playbill, with
26:Metropolitan Theatre
18:Metropolitan Theatre
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472:Gaye, pp. 1553–1554
356:Posterity be Damned
238:Of the auditorium,
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686:51.5204°N 0.1712°W
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624:978-0-85365-471-1
588:978-1-84809-313-3
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147:Edgware Road
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104:Construction
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689: /
340:G.H. Elliot
266:Kate Carney
242:commented:
209:station at
169:Early years
70:Designation
63:Westminster
704:Categories
674:51°31′13″N
649:1077976337
483:The Sphere
399:References
368:Hetty King
328:Hetty King
305:Max Miller
195:Harry Tate
159:music hall
151:Paddington
143:music hall
84:Music hall
74:Demolished
59:Paddington
677:0°10′16″W
500:755912483
372:Issy Bonn
277:yodelling
235:minarets.
639:(1963).
376:Ida Barr
336:Ida Barr
175:Padynton
95:Capacity
65:, London
606:5997224
571:Sources
447:The Era
388:Ted Ray
254:Matcham
240:The Era
229:The Era
217:The Era
179:Edgware
163:variety
125:Rebuilt
50:Address
647:
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275:, the
268:, the
183:Tyburn
128:1897 (
117:Closed
109:Opened
181:from
645:OCLC
619:ISBN
602:OCLC
583:ISBN
496:OCLC
386:and
374:and
346:and
197:and
161:and
120:1963
112:1836
86:and
80:Type
53:267
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309:the
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515:^
454:^
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132:)
20:.
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