Hoxton Hall celebrates 150 years
Burlesque: performer Immodesty Blaize
Hoxton Hall, one of the last surviving music halls in East London, is this month celebrating its 150th birthday with a series of fundraising events.
Having provided entertainment and support to the local community since the days of Queen Victoria, the hall is now in need of critical repairs and is looking to raise £30,000.
Headlining the celebrations will be international burlesque star Immodesty Blaize, whose fi rst solo performance in London was held on stage at Hoxton Hall back in 2004.
The anniversary festivities also include a vintage variety day which incorporates live music, a ballroom tea dance and a market at which treasures unearthed from the hall’s wardrobe department will be sold.
Hayley White, Group Director of Hoxton Hall, says: “Over our history we have presented an array of talent, often those starting out.
“It is a delight to celebrate the history of the building with a diverse and stunning showcase of events presenting our past alongside our future ambitions for the space.”
In Victorian London, often dubbed ‘the music hall era’, Shoreditch boasted more than ten music halls. But over the years these numbers dwindled and now there are just two remaining in East London.
Hoxton Hall fi rst opened its doors to the public in 1863, hosting its first entertainment evening in the November of that year.
The year 1878 saw the site o ffer an entirely diff erent service, when Quaker W. I. Palmer bought the hall and used the space to house and clothe local women and children, as well as to provide the period’s equivalent of Alcoholics Anonymous meetings.
The hall was then used as an air raid shelter during the Second World War, once more highlighting the crucial role it has played in the community over the years.
Hoxton Hall, 130 Hoxton St, N1 6SH