Archive

Throughout the building repair and conservation project we have been hard at work rehousing and sorting Wilton’s archive, making fascinating discoveries that uncover our past. We have partnered with Google Arts and Culture to enable us to share this rich resource. On our new digital archive you can explore first-hand documents that trace the history of Wilton’s, from Victorian Music Hall, to Methodist Mission, through years of dereliction and campaigning to its hard won rebirth as the much-loved venue it is today.

Items can be seen in high definition, allowing us to identify minute details hidden in photographs and drawings, whilst protecting the fragile originals. Our prize possession, a sketch drawn in the hall in 1871, can now be explored to see the faces of the audience, the fashions of the times, and numerous other insights yet to be discovered.

We are releasing many of these documents and items for the very first time. The Wilton’s archive sadly does not hold much material from its music hall heyday but is a thorough record from the 1930s onward. In the archive you can find personal stories of the ministers who served the East End Mission, such as Rev. Tom Collins who met his wife whilst both were working at the Old Mahogany Bar, and whose commemorative marriage certificate signed by their guests is in the archive. Sketches and proposals document the many varied schemes for restoring Wilton’s throughout the latter part of the 20th century, including documents from behind the scenes of the final, award-winning project by Tim Ronalds Architects.

We have created an online exhibition that documents 50 years of campaigning, showing the deteriorating condition of the building and the bitter fights needed to bring it back from the brink and transform it into the popular venue of today. Having learned so much about our history through the publication A History of the Hall and Houses researched and written by our historian Carole Zeidman, we are now able to bring the story of Wilton’s up to modern day. By telling this part of the story through the original documents we are able to get closer to those who worked tirelessly for Wilton’s. Full documents are available to read and research, such as Peter Honri’s An Artistic Blueprint for Wilton’s Grand Music Hall (1978).

To compliment the greater access to our archival documents we are opening up access to the building. New StreetView images allow you to visit hidden parts of the building, such as the void, a fascinating space between the Georgian houses and Victorian hall, that demonstrates the unique structure of Wilton’s but is physically out of bounds to visitors.

Finally we have a new option for discovering Wilton’s: You can now visit Wilton’s wherever you are in virtual reality through Google Expeditions. The app, designed for schools, takes you on a tour through the building, learning about the stars of the Victorian Music Hall stage who performed at Wilton’s, as well as John and Ellen Wilton themselves. With a fully curated guide for teachers and three levels of questions for students the tour brings the East End landmark to an international audience. The tour, along with iconic sites around and beyond the world are on the Google Expeditions, available for free via the app store.

We are really excited to open up our collections, and hope that you enjoy exploring the archive and making new discoveries along with us.