Britannia Theatre

The Britannia Theatre stood on High Street in Hoxton, a mile north of St Luke’s Hospital. Built in 1841 on the site of an old tavern and tea gardens, it seated three thousand and rose to a record attendance of nearly five thousand. The building had two circles, a pit and a gallery, all carefully designed for sight and sound. Food and drink were served in the auditorium, a feature borrowed from music halls. After a fire in 1900 the theatre closed and the site became a cinema, later housing. The theatre owed its success to Samuel Haycraft Lane, who arrived in London in 1821 and worked his way from tavern performances to opening the Britannia. Lane staged Shakespeare, Victorian melodrama and pantomime, including the first adaptation of Sweeney Todd in 1847. His wife Sarah took over on his death in 1871 and ran the theatre until her own death in 1899. Charles Dickens praised the theatre in 1861 for its ventilation, lighting and perfect sightlines. Visitors found a vast yet intimate space where every face could be seen from the stage. Pantomimes like King Doo-Dah featured fourteen scenes, acrobats, singers and flying ballets. The Lupino family appeared regularly, with George Lupino Hook taking the role of Harlequin. Today a plaque marks the spot where the theatre once stood, recalling a place where drama, music and spectacle drew crowds night after night.