Royal Victoria Hall

The Royal Victoria Hall stands on London Road in Southborough, Kent. It opened in 1900 to mark Queen Victoria’s Diamond Jubilee. The building was the first municipally funded theatre in England. Sir David Lionel Goldsmid-Stern-Salomons, a local baronet, raised most of the construction money. He lived nearby at Broomhill and secured permission to display the Royal Coat of Arms above the stage. The theatre’s design copied his Science Theatre at Broomhill. Bricks came from High Brooms, and local workers built it. The seating slope improved comfort for audiences. A proscenium arch survives, and there were green rooms for performers. The basement kitchen allowed large catering when the hall hosted functions. The front once had an iron canopy and fence, later replaced by brick. In the 1970s the façade was refurbished to match the Council Offices next door. A plaque from 1909 credits Sir David’s contribution. The hall hosted concerts, radio shows and pantomimes. Fleetwood Mac played there in 1971, and Enoch Powell spoke twice. It was demolished in 2017 to make way for new council buildings.