Spotlight on Music Hall

Free display

On display from 6 October 2025 to 5 February 2026

View some of the treasures on the theme of the Music Hall from the collection of The London Archives in a small but striking display! Discover stars of the music hall stage, the architectural development of the music hall theatres and how the people and spaces of Music Hall were licensed, regulated and commented upon in contemporary documents.

Book your free ticket

We encourage everyone to book a free ticket as it helps us to manage visitor numbers. You are welcome to turn up without a ticket to see the display, but please notify us if you are visiting in a group larger than 6 people by emailing ask@tla.libanswers.com

You can visit during our normal opening hours and the display is located within the Information Area on the first floor at The London Archives.

Book your free ticket

Please note: There will be no access to the display during our annual closure from 4.30pm on Thursday 30 October until Monday 17 November 2025 at 10am. Also, no access during our Christmas closure from 4.30pm on Tuesday 23 December 2025 until 10am on Monday 5 January 2026.

a woman in a tutu dances with a tambourine on the stage of a theatre — LCC/MIN/10803Cover of an Empire Theatre programme, 1894

Music Hall

Music Hall was the dominant form of popular entertainment in London and Middlesex from the 1890s to the 1920s, far removed from its humble beginnings in pub back-rooms. Purpose-built venues sprang up along high streets and in every district, offering variety bills of comedy, song, dance, and spectacle to packed houses night after night. Music Hall was truly mass entertainment—accessible, lively, and beloved across class divides, shaping the cultural life of the capital like no other art form of its time.

Images pictured here are not featured in the display but are to show the range of our collections.

front of collins music hall building with bold signs and a cart parked outside and two people chat. — SC/GL/PHO/C/028Exterior of Collins's Music Hall, Islington Green

London Picture Archive

Search the London Picture Archive for more images relating to London theatres and music halls.

Search London Picture Archive

Featured Event

Interested to know more about Music Hall? Join our one day Symposium and Showcase on Saturday 1 November. Details and tickets: Centre Stage: Music Hall at The London Archives.