The London Encyclopaedia (Third Edition) by Ben Weinreb Christopher Hibbert Julia Keay & John Keay

Author:Ben Weinreb, Christopher Hibbert, Julia Keay & John Keay
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Macmillan

The Angel Hotel, now a bank, in 1890. A coaching inn had stood on this site since Jacobean times.

Although the west side beyond Liverpool Road is named UPPER STREET, Islington High Street continues on the east. The former Grand Theatre of 1860 and other buildings on this side were replaced in the 1980s by the oversized Royal Bank of Scotland and on the north-east corner in 1990–1 by buildings on a slightly smaller scale. It passes behind free-standing blocks, of which the southernmost (destroyed in the 1970s) was built in 1850 as a fashionable shopping ‘bazaar’. The next adjoining, formerly a transformer station in the style of Newgate Gaol for the tramways, now echoes the bazaar theme as a two-storey antiques mall.

Beyond High Street, Camden Passage was once a quiet alley, but since the 1960s has become a lively centre for antique and bric-a-brac shops and stalls. Alexander Cruden, author of the Biblical Concordance, died in his lodgings hereabouts (the exact address is unknown) in 1770. A plaque in his memory was unveiled above the shop-front of No. 45 by Sir John Betjeman in 1965.

ANGELL TOWN – see BRIXTON.

APOLLO THEATRE • Shaftesbury Avenue, W1. Designed for musicals in 1901 by Lewen Sharp. Early successes were The Three Little Maids (1902), The Girl from Kays (1902), Veronique (1904) and Tom Jones (1907), in which Cicely Courtneidge made her London debut. From 1908 to 1912 the theatre was the home of the Follies. Since then it has consistently staged successful plays but has never been the home of a great management. Previously owned by Stoll Moss Theatres Ltd, the Apollo has been part of the Really Useful Group since 2000. It seats 775.

APOLLO HAMMERSMITH • Hammersmith W6. Opened as the Gaumont Palace in 1932, the 58-metre façade of this erstwhile cinema was one of the widest in the country. It is now somewhat obscured by a flyover. The Gaumont from 1946, the Apollo from 1992 and known since 1999 as the Carling Apollo, it is probably best remembered as the Hammersmith Odeon (1962–92). In this incarnation it enjoyed its heyday as a venue for pop concerts, hosting performances by such legendary artists as the Beatles, the Rolling Stones, Johnny Cash, Otis Redding, Ziggy Stardust (David Bowie), The Who, Queen, Bruce Springsteen, Bob Marley, Genesis, Ray Charles, Meat Loaf, Aretha Franklin, Blondie, Kate Bush, Cliff Richard, Tina Turner and many others. The last film was shown in 1984. In 1990 the building was given a Grade II listing and in 1995 it underwent major refurbishment for the opening of Riverdance, which has returned many times since. Owned by Clear Channel Entertainment, the seating capacity is 3,417 plus 302 standing places.

APOLLO VICTORIA • Wilton Road, SW1. Formerly the New Victoria Cinema, it was taken over in 1979 by Apollo Victoria UK Ltd and completely redecorated and converted to a theatre for the presentation of full-scale musicals. It opened on 2 February 1980 with pop concerts featuring the best-known stars in this field, among them Shirley Bassey, Cliff Richard and Sammy Davis Jnr.

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