Take a look at this....it's a back alley in Wapping, East London which I discovered last week. I was looking for a building which once offered a noisey, bawdy, beery night out. It's Wilton's Music Hall but sadly it is now in desperate need of a large injection of cash to save it from collapse.
Imagine a night out here. Everything from opera to saucy sing-alongs went on here; sometimes as many as 1500 were inside; Prostitutes, sailors, merchants, street-sellers, rich and poor, young and old - they packed the gas-lit hall from six in the evening to six in the morning. If you fancied musical debauchery then Wilton's was the place.
Those days of 150 years ago are part of the fast-disappearing Victorian heritage of the East End. This is one of London's last surviving music-halls and should be saved so send some donations to Wilton's Music Hall, Graces Alley, London E1 8JB. And to find out more visit www.wiltons.org.uk
Less than a mile away the City of London is booming. Wiltons also had a period of prosperity but not any more. It doesn't deserve to be lost forever.
No comments:
Post a Comment