Britannia

The Britannia was one of the most important saloon theatres operating in London in the mid-nineteenth century. Saloon theatres were quasi-drama houses attached to pubs, operating precariously within the law before the liberating Theatres Act of 1843.

From 1843 the restrictions relating to dramatic performance were relaxed so that the Lord Chamberlain could grant full theatre licences to any suitable persons, but a condition invariably attached to such licences forbade the sale or consumption of alcoholic beverages in the auditorium.

The saloons, with their robust, popular entertainments aimed largely at working class audiences, relied heavily on the sale of drink and most of them went under. The Grecian in City Road and the Britannia in Hoxton were striking exceptions.

Sam Lane built his first saloon theatre behind the Britannia pub in 1841. This enjoyed such success that he was able, in 1858, to employ leading theatre, music hall and pub architects, Finch Hill & Paraire to build a huge new building on fully theatrical lines with a horseshoe-shaped auditorium. Under the management of Sara Lane (Sam's widow, and a fine actress and singer) 'The Brit' became known as 'The Drury Lane of East London' presenting spectacular melodrama, extravaganzas and pantomimes.

The theatre became a full-time cinema in 1923 and closed after bomb damage in the Second World War. The last fragments were demolished in the 1970s.