Some history on Shoreditch in London

London | Shoreditch

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© Image from author's photographic archive. DO NOT COPY

An inter-war photograph of St. Leonard's Church, a building dating from around 1740. An earlier place of worship became known as the "Actors' Church" as many Tudor stage performers were buried here. Moreover, it is thought that the building staged some early productions of Shakespeare's plays. The building suffered from a partial collapse in 1716, the church being rebuilt by George Dance the Elder between 1736 and 1740. He added a Doric portico, clock tower, belfry and a tall 192 foot steeple. Sadly, the Victorians ruined much of the interior.

© Image from author's photographic archive. DO NOT COPY

A photograph of Shoreditch High Street, showing the Olympia Theatre. An old auditorium on the site was replaced by a new Royal Standard Theatre. It opened to the public on October 12th, 1835. Despite the efforts of Captain Shaw and the Metropolitan Fire Brigade, the building was completely destroyed by fire on October 22nd, 1866.² William Lucas designed a replacement theatre for proprietor, John Douglass. It was constructed by Messrs. Fooks and Barnes. Nine houses were purchased and demolished in order to facilitate the construction of a larger theatre. It was opened just in time for the Christmas season of 1867, the doors swinging open on December 18th. Andrew Melville acquired the theatre in 1889 and undertook extensive renovations and decorating.³ Building regulations imposed by the County Council in 1897 resulted in Melville instructing Bertie Crewe to design a completely new theatre. The Era, in describing the interior, stated that "there are three spacious arcaded corridors leading into the theatre, with handsomely decorated walls divided by Italian pilasters, with coved ceilings and marble mosaic floors, the one on the right leading to the orchestra stalls, the centre one by two broad flights of steps to the grand crush room, and the left hand one to pit stalls and pit. At top of the grand staircase is the main crush room, a spacious apartment with marble mosaic floor and walls and ceiling decorated in Florentine renaissance. Directly communicating with this is the grand saloon, another very handsome and much larger room from which a door leads direct on to the grand circle. From the crush-room stairs lead direct to the grand circle and first circle. The auditorium is one of the largest in London, being about 70ft. square, and has been treated as a three-tier house." ⁴ The Shoreditch Olympia Theatre acted as a variety theatre in the early 20th century, with some films being occasionally screened. It was announced in April 1926 that Arthur Gilbert, of The Empress, Hackney, and a director of the Suburban Super Cinemas, had taken over the Shoreditch Olympia.⁵ The building became a full-time cinema later in the year. The manager brought in to run the enterprise was Hubert W. Harward, who transferred from the Queen's at Forest Gate.⁶ In the late 1930s it was proposed to replace the Shoreditch Olympia with a new ABC Art Deco-styled super cinema. Indeed, demolition of the building started in 1939 but the war meant that the project was never completed. The Germans further demolished the cinema during bombing raids.

© Image from author's photographic archive. DO NOT COPY

This photograph captured a procession heading along Shepherdess Walk at Hoxton. Clearly there is a religious aspect to the event so perhaps it was related to Holy Trinity Church a short distance away at the end of Alford Place, previously known as Edmond's Place. There had used to be an annual procession of the Guilds and various parish organisations at Hoxton,⁷ so perhaps it was such an event?

© Image from author's photographic archive. DO NOT COPY

I have included this zoomed-in image of the banner being carried during the procession in case it helps with identifying the event. Returning to the first image, the procession is heading southwards along Shepherdess Walk, having just passed Murray Street [seen to the right of the image]. This side of the road has been redeveloped but the long row of housing seen to the left has largely survived. The photographer would have been stood near the William IV pub on the corner of Edward Street, a thoroughfare now known as Micawber Street. In the photograph a row of shops can be seen along the eastern side of the road, between Murray Street and Edmond's Place. In 1902 the shop on the corner at No.62 was occupied by the corn dealer Charles George Austin.⁸ By the time of this photograph, as seen by notices and lettering on the doors, the premises had changed into an emporium retailing oils, colours, varnishes and stains, along with china and general hardware. The manager of the store was William Thomas Dicks, who lived on the premises with his wife Elizabeth.⁹

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"Robert Williams, aged twenty-seven, a cabinet-maker, in the service of Messrs. Burrell and Watts, billiard-table makers, of Soho Square, was charged at the Romford Petty Sessions, at the instance of the Great Eastern Railway Company, with an indecent assault on Charlotte Martin, aged seventeen, in the service of Mr. Brown, 227, Shoreditch. Mr. Wood, in stating the case, remarked that the prosecutrix was an orphan, and from the age of ten to thirteen had been brought up at the Shoreditch Industrial Schools. From the age of thirteen she had been out at service, having been in four situations, being a modest, well-conducted girl. On Wednesday, the 17th inst., her mistress, Mrs. Brown, gave her a holiday to go and see her sister, who was at the Shoreditch Schools, at Brentwood. After spending the day at the school, she left at eight o'clock in the evening for the purpose of returning home. When she got to the Brentwood station, the prisoner, who was on the platform, accosted her, and there being a train in the station, she walked with him up the platform to see where it was going. Prisoner asked her where she lived, but she did not reply, and he then said, "You ought to say that it is a very rude question to ask a lady." The girl then got into a third-class carriage, next to the engine, by herself. Immediately afterwards the prisoner got in and sat beside her, and when the train started they were alone. After describing the defendant's conduct, the learned gentleman said that he then moved to the seat opposite to her and acted in a most indecent and cowardly manner. In fact, but for the engine-driver, he would have stood at the bar upon a much more serious charge than the present. It would be proved that the engine-driver had observed the conduct of the prisoner before he got into the carriage. He had three times during the journey from Brentwood to Romford climbed from his engine on to the buffer of the carriage in which the parties were; hanging on to the lamp iron, and standing on the buffer, he had looked into the carriage, and on the first two occasions he had seen the prisoner kissing the prosecutrix, and she resisting as well as the poor terrified girl could. On the third occasion he saw the prisoner acting in a grossly indecent manner, and he called upon him to desist, and on the arrival of the train at Romford the prisoner was removed from it and sent to the company's police-office at Shoreditch. The girl in a most excited state, and the prisoner said be would go down on his knees if he could be forgiven, as he had a wife and four children. The prosecutrix was called, and fully bore out this statement. The prisoner was convicted in a fine of £20 or in default six months' imprisonment. The fine of £20 was paid, and the prisoner was discharged."
"Charge Of Indecent Assault In A Railway Carriage"
Corydon Times : January 31st 1866 Page 2

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References
1. "Royal Standard Theatre, Shoreditch" : Morning Advertiser; October 9th, 1835. p.2.
2. "Destruction Of The Standard Theatre" : Oxford Journal; October 27th, 1866. p.3.
3. "Standard Theatre" : The People; May 19th, 1889. p.6.
4. "The New Standard, Shoreditch" : The Era; December 18th, 1897. p.18.
5. "Men And Movements" : Kinematograph Weekly; April 22nd, 1926. p.60.
6. "Men And Movements" : Kinematograph Weekly; October 28th, 1926. p.62.
7. "Holy Trinity, Hoxton" : Islington News and Hornsey Gazette; October 15th, 1909. p.3.
8. "Post Office London Directory for 1902" London High Holburn : Kelly's Directory Limited; Page 748.
9. 1911 Census Piece No.1349 : London > Shoreditch > District 16, Enumeration District 04 Schedule 53.

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