Royal Britannia Saloon and Britania Tavern 1913–1940 Gaumont Cinema | |
 c.1890 Playbill | |
 | |
| Address | Hoxton High Street (now Hoxton Street) Hackney, London |
|---|---|
| Owner | Sam and Sarah Lane |
| Designation | Demolished |
| Type | Theatre, melodrama and pantomime |
| Capacity | 3000 seated and standing |
| Current use | Block of flats (on site) |
| Construction | |
| Opened | Easter Monday 1841 |
| Rebuilt | 1858 Finch Hill and Edward Lewis Paraire |
| Years active | 1840–1900 (circa) |
The Britannia Theatre (1841–1900) was located at 115/117 High Street, Hoxton, London.[1] The theatre was badly damaged by a fire in 1900, forcing the sale of the lease. The site was reused as a Gaumont cinema from 1913 to 1940, before being demolished to make room for a more modern cinema which was never built. Housing has now been built on the site, which is marked by a London Borough of Hackney historic plaque.
A typical night's entertainment at the Britannia Theatre would include 3–4 plays, with variety acts in the intervals between. Many music hall acts would appear during the interval, and sometimes their acts were woven into the performance. The plays varied, from Shakespeare, Victorian melodrama and comedy. During the winter season pantomime was performed.[2]
Unusually for a theatre, food and drink were served in the auditorium, in the style of contemporary music halls.[1]
- ^ a b Britannia Theatre Hoxton (Arthur Lloyd theatre history) accessed 20 December 2006
- ^ Playbills, productions and cast lists (Britannia Theatre Hoxton), in the Templeman collection of the University of Kent accessed 20 December 2006