43 King Street

The Evans Music-and-Supper Rooms once stood at 43 King Street in Covent Garden. Built in 1712 by Thomas Archer for Admiral Edward Russell’s grandson, the house later became the Grand Hotel. W. H. Evans turned part of the dining room into a song-and-supper venue in the 1840s. It was known as Evans Late Joy’s after its former owner. The room measured 113 feet long and 56 feet wide. The venue became the most popular song-and-supper room in London’s West End. Performers included comic singers Sam Cowell, Charles Sloman and Sam Collins. Arthur Roberts, a comedian with risqué acts, often appeared there in the 1870s. His performances led to the venue losing its licence for a year in 1879. Writer William Makepeace Thackeray described it in his novels as “The Cave of Harmony” and “The Back Kitchen.” The rooms closed in 1880 and were later used by the Players’ Theatre Club. The club revived music hall traditions under the name “Late Joys.” Women were not admitted until the 1860s, when John Paddy Green allowed their entry. The Players’ Theatre kept the spirit of the old venue alive.