Prince Charles and Camilla are just minutes away from arriving at the world’s last surviving music hall in Whitechapel. The Prince is the Patron of Wilton’s and this is his first visit since 2006 when the building stood derelict.
Volunteers are now anticipating his return and keen to show the work that has been done.
The royal couple will learn about the restoration works and get a taste of the entertainment today in the music hall.
Tucked away, in Graces Alley, behind Cable Street, Wilton’s Music Hall is a Grade II*-listed building and the only one surviving intact from London’s early Grand Music Hall era.
Originally comprising four houses and an alehouse from around 1690, it served the sea captains, sailors and wealthy merchants in the area.
It became a concert room and then a small music hall until the current auditorium was built in 1858 by John Wilton.
In 1888, the hall was bought by a Wesleyan Mission and used as a chapel until the 1950s.
When the Methodists left in 1956, Wilton’s became a rag warehouse and was eventually left empty, falling much structural damage and decay.
It opened to audiences once again in 1997 and Wilton’s Music Hall Trust was set up in 2004 with former artistic director Frances Mayhew at the helm.
The music hall In recent years has had to limber up in its fight for survival.
But after various funding campaigns, volunteers have managed to restore Wilton’s to its former glory.
The Prince of Wales and the Duchess of Cornwall begin their tour speaking to architects, historians, volunteers and staff as they toured the complex which has been restored to its original exposed brick walls.
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