Exeter Hall
Encyclopedia
Exeter Hall was a hall on the north side of The Strand
, London
, England
. It was erected between 1829 and 1831 on the site of Exeter Exchange
, to designs by John Peter Gandy
, the brother of the visionary architect Joseph Michael Gandy
. The site was formerly part of Exeter House, the London residence of the Earls of Exeter (formerly Burghley House and Cecil House), almost opposite the Savoy. The official opening date was March 29, 1831.
The façade in The Strand featured a prominent recessed central extrance behind a screen of paired Corinthian columns
set into a reserved Late Georgian front of housing over shopfronts. The smaller hall's auditorium could hold around 1,000 people, and the main hall's auditorium could hold more than 4,000 people. Exeter Hall was used for holding religious and philanthropic meetings, including the Protestant Reformation Society (founded in 1827), and the Protestant Association (revived in 1835).
The meetings of the Anti-Slavery Society
were held there and such were the significance of the political meetings that the phrase "Exeter Hall" became a synonym for the Anti-Slavery lobby.
In addition to its primary function as a meeting place, it functioned as the YMCA
headquarters, and as a concert hall for the Sacred Harmonic Society. Hector Berlioz
first conducted concerts in Exeter Hall in 1852, and he conducted again there in 1855.
Exeter Hall was torn down in 1907. The site where Exeter Hall used to be located is today occupied by the Strand Palace Hotel
.
Strand, London
Strand is a street in the City of Westminster, London, England. The street is just over three-quarters of a mile long. It currently starts at Trafalgar Square and runs east to join Fleet Street at Temple Bar, which marks the boundary of the City of London at this point, though its historical length...
, London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
. It was erected between 1829 and 1831 on the site of Exeter Exchange
Exeter Exchange
The Exeter Exchange was a building on the north side of the Strand in London, with an arcade extending partway across the carriageway...
, to designs by John Peter Gandy
John Peter Gandy
John Peter Gandy , later John Peter Deering, was a British architect.-Family:John was the youngest child of the ten children of Thomas Gandy and his wife, Sophia, née Adams. His older brothers included the painter Joseph Michael Gandy ARA and the architect Michael Gandy...
, the brother of the visionary architect Joseph Michael Gandy
Joseph Michael Gandy
Joseph Michael Gandy was an English artist, visionary architect and architectural theorist, most noted for his imaginative paintings depicting Sir John Soane's architectural designs...
. The site was formerly part of Exeter House, the London residence of the Earls of Exeter (formerly Burghley House and Cecil House), almost opposite the Savoy. The official opening date was March 29, 1831.
The façade in The Strand featured a prominent recessed central extrance behind a screen of paired Corinthian columns
Corinthian order
The Corinthian order is one of the three principal classical orders of ancient Greek and Roman architecture. The other two are the Doric and Ionic. When classical architecture was revived during the Renaissance, two more orders were added to the canon, the Tuscan order and the Composite order...
set into a reserved Late Georgian front of housing over shopfronts. The smaller hall's auditorium could hold around 1,000 people, and the main hall's auditorium could hold more than 4,000 people. Exeter Hall was used for holding religious and philanthropic meetings, including the Protestant Reformation Society (founded in 1827), and the Protestant Association (revived in 1835).
The meetings of the Anti-Slavery Society
Anti-Slavery Society
The Anti-Slavery Society or A.S.S. was the everyday name of two different British organizations.The first was founded in 1823 and was committed to the abolition of slavery in the British Empire. Its official name was the Society for the Mitigation and Gradual Abolition of Slavery Throughout the...
were held there and such were the significance of the political meetings that the phrase "Exeter Hall" became a synonym for the Anti-Slavery lobby.
In addition to its primary function as a meeting place, it functioned as the YMCA
YMCA
The Young Men's Christian Association is a worldwide organization of more than 45 million members from 125 national federations affiliated through the World Alliance of YMCAs...
headquarters, and as a concert hall for the Sacred Harmonic Society. Hector Berlioz
Hector Berlioz
Hector Berlioz was a French Romantic composer, best known for his compositions Symphonie fantastique and Grande messe des morts . Berlioz made significant contributions to the modern orchestra with his Treatise on Instrumentation. He specified huge orchestral forces for some of his works; as a...
first conducted concerts in Exeter Hall in 1852, and he conducted again there in 1855.
Exeter Hall was torn down in 1907. The site where Exeter Hall used to be located is today occupied by the Strand Palace Hotel
Strand Palace Hotel
The Strand Palace Hotel is a large hotel on the north side of the Strand, London, England, positioned between Covent Garden, Trafalgar Square and the River Thames. It was built after Exeter Hall was demolished in 1907...
.