London Pavilion Ltd. Engagement Books and Reviews for The Oxford
by the V & A
London Pavilion Ltd / Variety Theatres Consolidated, theatre management companies: records, 1887-ca.1950
History
The history of London Pavilion Ltd and Variety Theatres Consolidated is complex and the relationship between the two companies, and the theatres they controlled, is not entirely known.
After the demolition of the first London Pavilion theatre in Tichborne Street in 1885 (to make way for the construction of Shaftesbury Avenue), the proprietor, Robert Edwin Villiers, built a new London Pavilion on a triangular plot of land at the heart of Piccadilly Circus. Shortly afterwards, Villiers sold the theatre to a limited company, London Pavilion Ltd, in which a key player was the accountant and entrepreneur Henry Newson-Smith.
Newson-Smith, in partnership with George Adney Payne and others, brought financial prudence and business acumen to the music halls, despite ill-health limiting his active involvement to less than a decade. He established a syndicate of London theatres, including the Tivoli and Oxford halls, and left Payne in charge of a virtual monopoly of West End music halls during their most successful period.
After 1900, George Adney Payne, along with Henry Gros, took control of the suburban music-hall `Palaces' of Euston, South London, Chelsea, and Tottenham, as well as two in East London, the Walthamstow Palace (1903-1960), and the East Ham Palace Theatre (1906-1958). After his death in 1907, he was succeeded by his son, Walter Payne.
In 1925 many of the suburban halls became part of the circuit operated by Variety Theatres Consolidated. Eventually most were demolished or converted to other uses.
The V&A Theatre Collections holds a number of objects relating to London Pavilion Ltd including: Records of shares and transfers (1889-1947); Journals and minute books (1887-1913); Salary records / takings records (1914-1946); Engagement books for Chelsea, Euston, South London, Walthamstow, East Ham, Tottenham (1908-1931); and other business records (1909- ca.1950).
Objects used for the ELTA project and how to use them
The following objects have been digitised for the East London Theatre Archive project:
Four Engagement books (in manuscript) covering the London Pavilion Ltd. theatres of Chelsea Palace, Euston Palace of Varieties, South London Palace of Varieties, Walthamstow Palace, East Ham Palace, and Tottenham Palace, the Metropolitan, and the Empress, Brixton, for the years 1911-1913, 1914-1916, 1920-1923, 1928-1931. (Engagement books for 1908-1910 and 1917-1919 are also held, but not used in the project).
The Engagement books have an index at the front, arranged alphabetically by the artiste's name, which lists the theatre(s) where they performed and the date(s) of the performance. Following on from this, the main section is arranged by date, and lists the artistes who appeared, along with a brief comment on their act, and the amount they were paid.
The Oxford: Reports on music-hall acts at various theatres 1909-1917 (in typescript), contains reviews of music-hall acts at various theatres to be considered for performance at The Oxford Music Hall. It consists of an alphabetical index listing the acts, along with a page number. Following on from this, the main section is numbered by hand, and lists the review of each act. Some acts took place in East London theatres.
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Search Terms
Subject Terms: Engagement books,The Oxford Reports,East London Theatre Archive
