a series of twelve
symphonies especially written in celebration of London. From 1833 to 1866 the Philharmonic Concerts were held here and from 1846 it served as home to the Amateur Music Society.
Balls and masques were also hosted regularly, thrown by some of the most famous dandies of their day, such as Lord Alvanley, Henry Pierrepoint, Sir Henry Mildmay and Beau Brummel. One such event
gave rise to one of the great put-downs of the age. Having been forced to invite the Prince Regent despite being on opposite sides of the political fence, when Brummel saw the Prince he cried out,
‘Alvanley, who’s your fat friend?’ The Prince was apparently cut to the quick by the unerring accuracy of the barbed question.
The very last musical performance given at the Rooms wason Saturday, 19 December 1874. The following year it was turned into a gentleman’s club – The Hanover
Square Club – which lasted until 1900, when the building was demolished.
Harringay Stadium
I N 1927 THIS BECAME THE THIRD GREYHOUND racing stadium to open in the country after Manchester (1926) and White City (1927).
It had a capacity of 50,000, mostly on banked terracing, and a reputation for violence, with at least three major incidents garnering national attention.
In 1946, for instance, The Guardian reported that, following a disqualification, spectators ‘invaded the track and for over half an hour indulged in senseless
destruction. They started bonfires which they fed with pieces of the hare trap ... smashed electric lamps and arc lights, tore down telephone wires, and broke windows, wrecked the inside of the
judge’s box, overturned the starting trap ... They also attacked the tote offices.’
The involvement of gangsters was also a fact of life at the stadium and it is said that Joe Coral, founder of the famous bookmakers, was forced to resort to threatening a local gang boss, Darby
Sabini, with a gun to deter the mob from taking a slice of his income. But Harringay’s most extraordinary incident involved an attempt to introduce cheetah racing to the public.
On Saturday, 11 December 1937, twelve Kenyan cheetahs, which had been trained and acclimatized in Harringay, wereraced in front of a packed house in Romford, Essex. The
venture, though, was not a success, with the cheetahs losing interest in the competition after covering only a short distance.
Harringay was also used for speedway and stockcar racing but a decline in popularity led to the stadium closing for good and being sold to the supermarket chain, Sainsbury’s, for £10
million in 1987. Some of its banked terracing can still be seen in the supermarket car park.
Highbury Barn
F AMOUS SINCE 1740 FOR ITS CREAM CAKES , IN the period 1770–1818 Highbury Barn was extended to
include a bowling green and supper rooms under the management of the Willoughby family.
As host of the annual Licensed Victuallers’ dinner in the 1840s, the Barn could seat 3000 diners at a time, more than twice the population of the village of Highbury
itself.
Becoming known as ‘The Cremorne of the North’, the addition of an enormous raised, outdoor dance floor covering 4000 square ft won the venue renewed popularity. Known as ‘the
Leviathan’, the floor was lit by huge gas globes and its advertising literature boasted that it had ‘half a million lights’. It was to become the spiritual home of ‘La
Varsovana’, a dance somewhere between a waltz and a polka.
In 1861, under the management of Edward Giovanelli, the venue was further extended to cover over five acres.Acts who performed there included Giovanelli himself, a noted
comedian, as well as famous hire-wire acts including Blondin and acrobats such as Léotard. There was also the spectacle of balloon ascents, a thriving music hall scene and novelties such as
the appearance of the original Siamese twins. However, an increasingly rowdy and down-market clientele brought trouble to the Barn. In 1869, for instance, there was a
symphonies especially written in celebration of London. From 1833 to 1866 the Philharmonic Concerts were held here and from 1846 it served as home to the Amateur Music Society.
Balls and masques were also hosted regularly, thrown by some of the most famous dandies of their day, such as Lord Alvanley, Henry Pierrepoint, Sir Henry Mildmay and Beau Brummel. One such event
gave rise to one of the great put-downs of the age. Having been forced to invite the Prince Regent despite being on opposite sides of the political fence, when Brummel saw the Prince he cried out,
‘Alvanley, who’s your fat friend?’ The Prince was apparently cut to the quick by the unerring accuracy of the barbed question.
The very last musical performance given at the Rooms wason Saturday, 19 December 1874. The following year it was turned into a gentleman’s club – The Hanover
Square Club – which lasted until 1900, when the building was demolished.
Harringay Stadium
I N 1927 THIS BECAME THE THIRD GREYHOUND racing stadium to open in the country after Manchester (1926) and White City (1927).
It had a capacity of 50,000, mostly on banked terracing, and a reputation for violence, with at least three major incidents garnering national attention.
In 1946, for instance, The Guardian reported that, following a disqualification, spectators ‘invaded the track and for over half an hour indulged in senseless
destruction. They started bonfires which they fed with pieces of the hare trap ... smashed electric lamps and arc lights, tore down telephone wires, and broke windows, wrecked the inside of the
judge’s box, overturned the starting trap ... They also attacked the tote offices.’
The involvement of gangsters was also a fact of life at the stadium and it is said that Joe Coral, founder of the famous bookmakers, was forced to resort to threatening a local gang boss, Darby
Sabini, with a gun to deter the mob from taking a slice of his income. But Harringay’s most extraordinary incident involved an attempt to introduce cheetah racing to the public.
On Saturday, 11 December 1937, twelve Kenyan cheetahs, which had been trained and acclimatized in Harringay, wereraced in front of a packed house in Romford, Essex. The
venture, though, was not a success, with the cheetahs losing interest in the competition after covering only a short distance.
Harringay was also used for speedway and stockcar racing but a decline in popularity led to the stadium closing for good and being sold to the supermarket chain, Sainsbury’s, for £10
million in 1987. Some of its banked terracing can still be seen in the supermarket car park.
Highbury Barn
F AMOUS SINCE 1740 FOR ITS CREAM CAKES , IN the period 1770–1818 Highbury Barn was extended to
include a bowling green and supper rooms under the management of the Willoughby family.
As host of the annual Licensed Victuallers’ dinner in the 1840s, the Barn could seat 3000 diners at a time, more than twice the population of the village of Highbury
itself.
Becoming known as ‘The Cremorne of the North’, the addition of an enormous raised, outdoor dance floor covering 4000 square ft won the venue renewed popularity. Known as ‘the
Leviathan’, the floor was lit by huge gas globes and its advertising literature boasted that it had ‘half a million lights’. It was to become the spiritual home of ‘La
Varsovana’, a dance somewhere between a waltz and a polka.
In 1861, under the management of Edward Giovanelli, the venue was further extended to cover over five acres.Acts who performed there included Giovanelli himself, a noted
comedian, as well as famous hire-wire acts including Blondin and acrobats such as Léotard. There was also the spectacle of balloon ascents, a thriving music hall scene and novelties such as
the appearance of the original Siamese twins. However, an increasingly rowdy and down-market clientele brought trouble to the Barn. In 1869, for instance, there was a
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