| AdminHistory | The origins of the Queen's Theatre lie in the Queen's Arms pub built on the site in 1863. In 1867, a hall was built at the back, and the theatre became the Oriental Music Hall. In 1867. The Christian Mission, predecessor of the Salvation Army, rented the building for religious meetings. Its Annual Report for 1867 notes that the building could seat 1000. Services would be crowded in winter, although 'summer congregations have averaged around 600'.(1) The theatre was demolished in 1873 and rebuilt as the New Albion Theatre. Following a complete reconstruction in 1898, the building reopened as The Queen's Palace of Varieties.
By 1910, the building was a cinema, featuring live performances. WW1 had been under way for two years when the owners gave local MP Alfred Yeo a platform from which to make an appeal for blind soldiers (2). The building was remodelled in 1922, as The Queen's Theatre.
The Queen's Theatre's staples were variety shows, and as a launchpad for aspiring entertainers. One highlight was when an audience of ' 500 delighted children' were entertained by newspaper cartoon characters Pip, Squeak and Wilfred (3). Audiences could watch performances from a Midget Music Hall, 'featuring forty-five performers, including ponies, an elephant and artistes (4).
The theatre was remodelled again in 1937. Following closure at the height of the Blitz, it reopened for live performances. Like other provincial theatres, the advent of TV heralded its decline. It finally closed in the 1950s. It lay empty until 1964 when the building was demolished, and the land purchased for development by the LCC. One viewpoint is that had the building survived longer, it would have acquired listed status (5).
Sources of information:
1. layersoflondon.org: Leisure, Sport & Culture; Religious Communities 5
2. 'Personal' : p.6 in The East London Observer, Saturday 17th June 1916
3. 'The Pets At Poplar ': p.8 in The Daily Mirror, Saturday 10th February 1928 (Photo)
4. 'John Lester's Tiny Town Circus Midget Music Hall': p.23 in The Stage, 22nd January 1931
(References 1-4 : The British Newspaper Archive)
5. theatrestrust.org.uk
arthurlloyd.co.uk/poplar
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