Theatre Tickets - The London Palladium

History of The London Palladium

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The London Palladium is possibly the most famous theatre in the West End. The grade 2 listed building is located on Argyll Street, named after the Duke of Argyll’s private residence, Argyll House which originally stood on the site. Also laying testament to the history of the area is the Argyll Arms public house located opposite the London theatre.

Argyll House, with the exception of the façade, was demolished in the 1860’s, giving way to the first public entertainment venue to be built on the site in 1870 by the name the ‘Corinthian Bazaar’. The entirely wooden building was intended for use as an exhibition centre and consisted of a grand hall with an ornate fountain, refreshment room and an aviary. It was hoped by the owners of the site that the Corinthian Bazaar would attract customers from the recently closed 'Pantheon Bazaar' in nearby Oxford Street, but the venture proved to be unsuccessful.

In 1871 the land was acquired by a family of circus performers, the Hengler family. Following modifications and alterations to the building, it was re-opened as ‘Hengler’s Grand Cirque’. The circus proved to be a success and in 1884 the wooden structure was replaced with a larger building designed by Charles Phipps, architect of the Prince of Wales theatre. However by the end of the 19th century, circuses were becoming less popular which led to the demise of Hengler’s Circus. In 1895 the building was converted to an ice skating rink. Named the 'National Skating Palace', the rink was famed at the time for containing real ice.

The National Skating Palace did not prove to be a great success, and in 1905 another circus venture was attempted, opening by the name of the 'Royal Italian Circus'. By this time, the building was in need of expensive alterations in order to comply with safety standards stipulated by the London County Council. The Royal Italian Circus did not prove successful enough to finance the necessary alterations, and the lease was subsequently purchased by a syndicate with plans to build a music hall on the site.

The building was redesigned by Frank Mitchell, a well known theatre architect also responsible for the design of the London Coliseum, and opened as ‘The Palladium’ in 1910. With the original Argyll House façade still in place, the new theatre cost £250,000, and offered a huge seating capacity of 3435 over three tiers.

In contrast to the limited successes of previous ventures held at the site, The Palladium soon became one of the most prestigious theatrical venues in London, attracting the biggest names in show business. Indeed, achievement of top billing at the Palladium has historically signified that the star has made it to the big time.

Renamed the 'London Palladium' in 1934, the London theatre has been predominantly known for it’s variety acts, and became famous nationwide during the 1950’s through the televised show ‘Sunday Night at the Palladium’, one of the most successful television shows of it’s time viewed by millions every week. A similar format was introduced in the 1980’s with ‘Live at the London Palladium’. A number of legendary pop concerts have also been held there including Slade in 1973 and Marvin Gaye in 1976, but perhaps the most prestigious event billed at the London theatre is the annual ‘Royal Variety Performance’.

The London Palladium remains one of the UK’s most well known theatres, playing host to some of London’s biggest theatre shows. Recent productions at the London theatre include Sinatra the Musical, Scrooge and Chitty Chitty Bang Bang.

Currently Playing at the London Palladium

The London Palladium is currently home to The Sound of Music, the incredible West End theatre adaptation of the Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein family classic . Why not enjoy a pre-show drink in the Argyll Arms pub, just over the road, then go to see this wonderful musical in the famous London Palladium theatre.

Starring Connie Fisher, winner of the BBC’s talent show ‘How Do You Solve a Problem Like Maria’, this London show is a massive hit and theatre tickets often sell out well in advance. To secure seats for this superb London musical, take advantage of Concierge Desk’s live on-line booking system. With theatre tickets for performances sold out with many of our competitors, you can view exactly which seats are available prior to purchasing your Sound of Music tickets.

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Theatre Tickets - The London Palladium

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