Located at the corner of Oxford Street and Tottenham Court Road. The details of the Oxford Music Hall are as follows:
"'The entrance to the building from Oxford-street is through a bold Corinthian portico, thence by a passage, 12 feet wide, 38 feet long, and 16 feet high; the architectural treatment of which consists in detached Doric columns, supporting the entablature, over which spring semi-circular arches. These features divide the entrance into bays, which have a pleasing appearance, seen in perspective from the street. The floor is laid with coloured tiles, the pattern following the leading architectural lines. At the end of the entrance passage is the plaid staircase; this portion of the building is particularly attractive, both for its vastness and architectural treatment; the stairs are of stone, with moulded faces, and start on either side, by which access is given to the gallery."[1]
This music hall, out of the three in this assignment, is the most grandiose of all of them. It is the largest and in addition to this, it is the most well documented of the three. It is because of the combination of these aforementioned conditions that it can be determined that the Oxford Music Hall is one of the most well documented music halls in history.
The Oxford Music Hall is referred to as the climax of the grand music hall.[2] Throughout the Arthur Lloyd article it can be seen that the words used to describe the feeling within the Oxford Music Hall is nothing short of moving.
"[…] The proscenium has a bold and imposing appearance. The Corinthian columns appear, by contrast with the Ionic columns, much larger than if isolated. This portion is lavish in architectural ornament, but all is in such good taste that nothing appears out of place. The large looking-glasses, reflecting at the back of the proscenium the whole of the room, add richness to the general effect. […] On the right there is a promenade, or picture gallery, the whole of which is visible from the hall. The bar, on the opposite side of the Music-hall, has Ionic columns standing out boldly from the wall; and between the base of each column is the counter. […] The whole arrangements, both for appearance and working, have been well studied, and evince great care and knowledge of the requirements necessary in a place of entertainment of this kind. Considerable attention has been paid to the lighting. The glass chandelier in the hall is remarkably elegant, while the lighting is effected by crystal stars. The decorations are of a delicate and tasteful description, and the ventilation appears to have been well attended to."[3]
The descriptiveness of this article proves to be extremely helpful in aiding in the readers ability to picture the music hall in all its glory. However, it is seen that behind closed doors, there was a lot more than meets the eye.[4] Through the analysis of another source it can be understood that the engagement of patrons and prostitutes was something worth noting. This was something which was often times kept under wraps at the theatre as they did not want the information of them promoting prostitution getting out to the public. However, this generated further revenue for the music hall and raised more money for their promotion of plays, in addition to this, it also aided in their promotion of prostitutes.[5] It is because of these issues that the Oxford Music Hall was one of the most grandiose at the time.
This destination is the last stop on the Mass Entertainment in London Prior to 1939: Music Halls and Theatres of Variety Tour
Tour Overview
Located at the corner of Oxford Street and Tottenham Court Road. The details of the Oxford Music Hall are as follows:
"'The entrance to the building from Oxford-street is through a bold Corinthian portico, thence by a passage, 12 feet wide, 38 feet long, and 16 feet high; the architectural treatment of which consists in detached Doric columns, supporting the entablature, over which spring semi-circular arches. These features divide the entrance into bays, which have a pleasing appearance, seen in perspective from the street. The floor is laid with coloured tiles, the pattern following the leading architectural lines. At the end of the entrance passage is the plaid staircase; this portion of the building is particularly attractive, both for its vastness and architectural treatment; the stairs are of stone, with moulded faces, and start on either side, by which access is given to the gallery."[1]
This music hall, out of the three in this assignment, is the most grandiose of all of them. It is the largest and in addition to this, it is the most well documented of the three. It is because of the combination of these aforementioned conditions that it can be determined that the Oxford Music Hall is one of the most well documented music halls in history.
The Oxford Music Hall is referred to as the climax of the grand music hall.[2] Throughout the Arthur Lloyd article it can be seen that the words used to describe the feeling within the Oxford Music Hall is nothing short of moving.
"[…] The proscenium has a bold and imposing appearance. The Corinthian columns appear, by contrast with the Ionic columns, much larger than if isolated. This portion is lavish in architectural ornament, but all is in such good taste that nothing appears out of place. The large looking-glasses, reflecting at the back of the proscenium the whole of the room, add richness to the general effect. […] On the right there is a promenade, or picture gallery, the whole of which is visible from the hall. The bar, on the opposite side of the Music-hall, has Ionic columns standing out boldly from the wall; and between the base of each column is the counter. […] The whole arrangements, both for appearance and working, have been well studied, and evince great care and knowledge of the requirements necessary in a place of entertainment of this kind. Considerable attention has been paid to the lighting. The glass chandelier in the hall is remarkably elegant, while the lighting is effected by crystal stars. The decorations are of a delicate and tasteful description, and the ventilation appears to have been well attended to."[3]
The descriptiveness of this article proves to be extremely helpful in aiding in the readers ability to picture the music hall in all its glory. However, it is seen that behind closed doors, there was a lot more than meets the eye.[4] Through the analysis of another source it can be understood that the engagement of patrons and prostitutes was something worth noting. This was something which was often times kept under wraps at the theatre as they did not want the information of them promoting prostitution getting out to the public. However, this generated further revenue for the music hall and raised more money for their promotion of plays, in addition to this, it also aided in their promotion of prostitutes.[5] It is because of these issues that the Oxford Music Hall was one of the most grandiose at the time.
Bailey, Peter. "Conspiracies of Meaning: Music-Hall and the Knowingness of Popular Culture." Past & Present, no. 144 (1994): 138-70. http://www.jstor.org.proxy.library.brocku.ca/stable/651146.
"Collins' Music Hall, 10/11 Islington Green, London." Collins' Music Hall, 10/11 Islington Green, London. Accessed March 29, 2019. http://www.arthurlloyd.co.uk/Collins.htm#today.
"Collins Music Hall | Blue Plaques." English Heritage. Accessed March 29, 2019. https://www.english-heritage.org.uk/visit/blue-plaques/collins-music-hall/.
"Collins' Music Hall." Cinema Treasures. Accessed March 29, 2019. http://cinematreasures.org/theaters/30321.
"Collins Music Hall." Collins Music Hall. 2004. Accessed March 29, 2019. http://knowledgeoflondon.com/musichalls.html.
"Collins' Music Hall." Collins' Music Hall | Theatres Trust. Accessed March 29, 2019. https://database.theatrestrust.org.uk/resources/theatres/show/557-collins-music-hall.
Gelder, Sam. "Incredible 400-seater UNDERGROUND Theatre beneath Islington Green Could Finally Open Sally Greene." Islington Gazette. Accessed March 29, 2019. https://www.islingtongazette.co.uk/news/collins-theatre-400-seater-underground-venue- islington-green-finally-open-1-5657302.
"Islington: Social and Cultural Activities." British History Online. Accessed March 29, 2019. https://www.british-history.ac.uk/vch/middx/vol8/pp45-51.
Kathleen M. D. Barker. "Dance and the Emerging Music Hall in the Provinces." Dance Research: The Journal of the Society for Dance Research 5, no. 2 (1987): 33-42. http://www.jstor.org.proxy.library.brocku.ca/stable/1290622.
"London Concerts." The Musical Times 63, no. 951 (1922): 342-46. http://www.jstor.org/stable/910177.
"The Oxford Music Hall, 6 Oxford Street, London." The Oxford Music Hall, 6 Oxford Street, London. Accessed March 29, 2019. http://www.arthurlloyd.co.uk/TheOxfordMusicHall.htm.
Roe, Ken. "Shoreditch Empire Theatre." Cinema Treasures. Accessed March 28, 2019. http://cinematreasures.org/theaters/40956.
Scott, Derek B. "The Music-Hall Cockney: Flesh and Blood, or Replicant?" Music & Letters 83, no. 2 (2002): 237-58. http://www.jstor.org.proxy.library.brocku.ca/stable/3526497.
Sell, Michael. "Frank Matcham - Theatre Architect." Frank Matcham - Theatre Architect. Accessed March 28, 2019. http://www.arthurlloyd.co.uk/Matcham.htm.
"The Shoreditch Empire." The Shoreditch Empire | Christchurch Art Gavllery Te Puna O Waiwhetū. Accessed March 28, 2019. https://christchurchartgallery.org.nz/collection/69- 366/walter-richard-sickert/the-shoreditch-empire.
"Shoreditch Theatres and Halls." Shoreditch Theatres and Halls. Accessed March 28, 2019. http://www.arthurlloyd.co.uk/Shoreditch.htm#empire.
Spain, Geoffrey, and Nicholas Dromgoole. "Theatre Architects in the British Isles." Architectural History 13 (1970): 77-89. doi:10.2307/1568315.
Summerfield, Penny. "Patriotism and Empire." Imperialism and Popular Culture. July 03, 2018. Accessed March 29, 2019. https://www.manchesterhive.com/view/9781526119568/9781526119568.00006.xml.
[1] "The Oxford Music Hall, 6 Oxford Street, London." The Oxford Music Hall, 6 Oxford Street, London. Accessed March 29, 2019. http://www.arthurlloyd.co.uk/TheOxfordMusicHall.htm.
[2] Bailey, Peter. Music Hall: The Business of Pleasure. Open University Press: Milton Keynes,
1986.
[3] "The Oxford Music Hall, 6 Oxford Street, London." The Oxford Music Hall, 6 Oxford Street, London. Accessed March 29, 2019. http://www.arthurlloyd.co.uk/TheOxfordMusicHall.htm.
[4] Bailey, Peter. Music Hall: The Business of Pleasure. Open University Press: Milton Keynes,
1986.
[5] Bailey, Peter. Music Hall: The Business of Pleasure. Open University Press: Milton Keynes,
1986.
This tour aimed to highlight a period of growth, decline and transition in forms of mass entertainment in areas of London, England during the late 19th and early 20th century. By visiting places of theatre, music hall, cinema, and other forms of visual entertainment, this tour explains how this period in London was a time where entertainment for the most part involved a heavy intermingling of the classes, and how class interests in entertainment changed dramatically as the period progressed. Music Halls were the birthplace of local mass entertainment, often converting taverns or meeting places into places where nightly entertainment could occur weekly. Through our research, we found that operations of music halls and theatres of variety opened nightly at free or cheap admission, suggesting that the halls appealed to the demographic of the poor-working class or middle working-class neighborhoods. While some halls, like those of John Wilton or Edward Morton claimed to invite anyone of any class or gender, the majority of these theatres of entertainment were filled by the mass of the lower and middle class. Some attempt at social cohesion was made however, and the variety theatre era into cinema marks the start of visual entertainment being available to all classes in the same place. Sadly, despite an overwhelmingly majority of the original halls being torn down or demolished, few do exist in original form for viewing or tour, or are in the process of restoration (Wilton's Music Hall & Collins Music Hall). While this tour did not fully cater to the mass entertainment prior to 1939 topic, it still seemed crucial to understanding where the ideas of mass entertainment and where to find it around the turn of the century.
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