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     London Theatre Tickets » List of London Theatres » New London Theatre » History
New London Theatre - Information & History
The New London Theatre, as the name implies, is the West End's newest theatre, although there has been a tavern or a place of entertainment on this site since Elizabethan times. The New London Theatre is situated on London's most famous theatrical street, namely Drury Lane the home of London's most famous theatre.
The original Elizabethan tavern on the site was a focal point for 'Ale & Music' to pacify the ordinary citizen on London's bustling, noisy and thriving capital city streets. It was known that Nell Gwynn, the former fruit seller, famous actress and mistress of King Charles the II, lived nearby as she worked in the Theatre Royal Drury Lane on the same street as where the New London Theatre now stands and where the tavern once stood.
It was said that Nell Gywnn visited the tavern, which was known as the Great Mogul by the end of the 17th Century, and it is likely she joined in with the musical sing songs that took place in the tavern. One can only imagine the boisterous activities of drinking, dancing and singing that probably went on in the tavern after the nearby theatre Royal Drury Lane finished and theatre goers spilled out onto the streets to continue their enjoyment in nearby taverns, particularly the Great Mogul.
It was early in the 18th Century when 'Century Glee Clubs' met for sing-alongs in the adjoining hall to the tavern. The old timber framed Elizabethan tavern was pulled down, probably destroyed by fire which was a common problem with old timber structures where smoking was permitted. Carelessness caused many a fire in the close knit streets.
The new Mogul Saloon, which was built in 1848 and had been called after the Great Mogul of Hindustan, was sometimes known as the Turkish Saloon or the Mogul Music Hall. By 1851, the year of the great Victorian Exhibition of international achievements, the Mogul Music Hall lost its middle eastern name and was renamed the Middlesex Music Hall, a far less romantic name and underwent further reconstruction during 1872.
The Drury Lane area was synomonous for the growing theatre land, with the Theatre Royal being the heart and soul of London's Theatres, and had been so for 300 years until, that is, the creation of the Aldwych Theatre development in 1900. It was the end of the Victorian era and the end of the Drury Lane's monopoly with the closure of the following theatres: The Opera Comique; the Gaiety in the Strand; The Olympic Theatre in the lost Wych Street; and a similar fate happened to the Globe Theatre in the removed Newcastle Street.
The turn of the century saw yet further changes and, in 1911, the building was demolished and replaced with a new building which was known as the Middlesex Theatre of Varieties. It was under the watchful eye and control of Oswald Stoll, who was an accomplished theatre impresario and theatre owner. Sir Oswald Stoll, who was knighted in 1919, took over the London Coliseum in 1904 and quickly gained a controlling interest in numerous theatres throughout Britain, including the new Middlesex Theatre of Varieties. This was later changed once again to the Winter Garden Theatre, with the interior completely redecorated, and was re-opened under new management of George Grossmith and Edward Laurillard. Despite the name changing several times, true Londoners still called it 'The Old Mo'.
The Winter Garden Theatre opened in 1919 with a musical show to match its new twenties décor, 'Kissing Time'. The Winter Garden Theatre continued to stage performances throughout the 20's 30's and post-war period and was finally sold to the Rank Film Organisation in 1959. Then it was sold to a property developer and was finally demolished in 1965, and a brand new complex was constructed to include the New London Theatre, car parks, restaurant, and flats above in 1973.
The New London Theatre was designed by Architects Paul Tvrtkovic, Sean Kenny and Michael Percival and opened in 1973. The New London Theatre was used as a television studio from 1977 to 1980 before reverting back to theatre use. Probably the most memorable production would be the period between May 1981 and May 2002, when the New London theatre was home to Sir Andrew Lloyd Webber's "Cats", which was the longest playing musical in British history.
The New London theatre is currently owned by Really Useful Theatres.
Showing: War Horse
Saturday 28th March 2009 to Saturday 18th February 2012 New London Theatre | Performances | Information | Directions | History
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