Wilton’s Music Hall is one of the few remaining music hall in the UK, and the oldest one in London. Talk about a hidden gem! Hidden because it’s tucked in a tiny alley way behind Cable street in the East End. It’s not a place you stumble upon randomly… And gem because, behind crumbling plaster and a battered wooden door, you’ll find a place of haunting beauty.

Wilton’s underwent an extensive (and expensive) restoration over several years that stripped the original building to its bare bones. Think exposed bricks, wrought iron staircases and tactile wooden fittings, while retaining many original fixtures. The result is a moody and atmospheric space, one of the most unique in London.

Also unique is Wilton’s programme of events: a mix of dance, magic shows, poetry, cabaret, classical music, puppetry and – that most British of entertainment! – panto. A modern day music hall?

Wilton’s Music Hall: practical information

Address: 1 Graces Alley, E1 8JB

Website: http://www.wiltons.org.uk/

Wilton’s on Google Maps: https://maps.app.goo.gl/KD7NmGWJQ8RwZSRs6

How to get to Wilton’s: the nearest stops are Tower Hill (Circle line) or Tower gateway (DLR). Shadwell (Overground) would work too.

Opening hours for food and drinks: https://www.wiltons.org.uk/eat-drink

But what is a music hall, exactly?

Music halls were the people’s theatres, hugely popular in Victorian times. To a mostly working class audience, they offered a lively mix of comedy, music, and “speciality acts”, together with food and drinks. There were dozens, maybe hundreds, of such music halls in London at that time. Their popularity started to wane after the First World War, with the rise of variety halls (music halls’ more respectable offspring), theatre and cinema.

The early days: sailors and sea merchants

Wilton’s Music Hall started life as a pub serving sailors and sea merchants from the nearby Port of London, at number 1, Grace Alley, in the first half of the 18th century. A hundred years later, it was still going strong and had acquired fine bar made of mahogany. This was so impressive that the pub became known as the Mahogany Bar. In 1839, a concert room was built behind the bar space.

The heyday: John Wilton and his magnificent New Music Hall

Around the 1850s, the site is bought by one John Wilton, who builds a first music hall in 1853. He then set out to acquire the lease of the neighbouring houses and knock them together. Soon, in 1859, he opened a “Magnificent New Music Hall”. By all accounts, it was glorious, with state-of-the-art ventilation and heating and opulent interior décor. The performance space even had its own sun, or as close to it as you can get indoors, in the shape of a “sun-burner” chandelier: 300 gas jets and 27,000 cut crystals. The heat traces from the output are still imprinted on the rafters today.

John Wilton sold up in 1868 and moved on as a restaurateur in the West End. The music hall carried on under a string of owners until 1881, when it closed its doors as an entertainment venue.

The later days: A space on a mission

In 1888, it was bought by the East London branch of the Methodist Mission. It performed a much-needed role in helping East End families survive at a time when the East End was one of the darkest and most deprived areas of London, during Victorian times and well beyond. (It’s no coincidence that the Jack the Ripper museum is just around the corner. Life in the East End was the grimmest of grim for most people.)

The dark days: not so long ago

The Mission closed the doors of the hall in 1956. The building was used as a rag storage warehouse for a few years and became slated for demolition. It was saved from that fate by a number of public figures, notably poet John Betjeman. (Betjeman was a founder member of the Victorian Society, a charity dedicated to preserving Victorian architecture and heritage. Their best known campaign was probably the one that saved St Pancras Station.)

Wilton’s music hall might have escaped demolition, but there was no money for its rescue. So it was left to decay for several more years. And from the 1960s onwards, it was a very long, very arduous road to get the building listed and carry out the necessary repairs to make it safe for the public. Wilton’s was given a Grade II* listing at the start of the 70s, but money was slower to come in. (In the end, it would take several millions.)

You can read all about the fight to save Wilton’s on their history page and see a fascinating pictorial history on Wilton’s page in Google Arts and Culture. It’s a heart-warming story of resilience and overcoming the odds.

Wilton’s Music Hall nowadays

Since 2015, the building has been secure, a living piece of London past, no longer at risk of collapsing. Even if nothing on the program appeals, you can visit the bar to experience the magic of the space. (Sadly, the counter is no longer made of mahogany. )

There are also tours you can take, and I cannot recommend these enough; I took one last month, and it was terrific! You learn so many quirky facts about Wilton’s. For example, what the performance space was used for during the second World War (I swear you’d never guess), and where the two “Wiltons” signs each side of the door come from, and so much more. You can keep an eye on the tour schedule here.

Where to go from here?

Want to visit another unique space that’s full of history? Sutton House in Hackney is a historical house with many lives, and a squatters bedroom on the top floor. Or you could visit Trinity Buoy Wharf and get a glimpse of the history of Docklands.

Or you could explore more of the East End by heading to Brick Lane.