London Timewarp #9

M@
By M@ Last edited 203 months ago
London Timewarp #9
pavillionoldnew.jpg

This week, a trip down Whitechapel Road, courtesy of reader Konstantin Binder. His images show the Pavilion theatre and music hall around 100 years ago and - in the modern image - the gaping maw where once it stood.

The Pavilion stood at 193 Whitechapel Road from 1894, replacing two previous Pavilions on the same site that both succumbed to fire. Its heyday was in the early 20th Century, when it was so popular for music hall and pantomime it was known as the Drury Lane of the east. It also became home to Yiddish theatre and a cultural centre for Jewish immigrants.

The Yiddish-speaking population declined in the 1930s, and so did the fortunes of the theatre. The Pavilion closed in 1935 and was left empty. It was damaged by a bomb in WWII, and eventually finished off by a fire in 1961. The site has remained empty ever since.

The tall building next door still stands. It was built in 1898 and has served as a Salvation Army soup kitchen, a Pentecostal church and a furniture shop. Most recently, it housed the Academy Drama School, which closed earlier this year due to bankruptcy and the death of the principal, Tim Reynolds.

Last Updated 30 April 2007