London Pavilion

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The London Pavilion is a building located on the corner of Shaftesbury Avenue and Coventry Street on the northeast side of, and facing, Piccadilly Circus in London. It is currently a shopping arcade, and part of the Trocadero Centre.

The first building bearing the name was built in 1859, and was a music hall.

In 1885, Shaftesbury Avenue was built through part of the site and a new London Pavilion Theatre was constructed, which also served as a music hall with appearances by Sir Harry Lauder, and, in October 1921, the American actor and vocalist Clifton Webb appeared here in The Fun of the Fair and again in October the following year as Phidas in Phi-Phi. In 1923, electric billboards were erected for the first time on the side of the building.

In 1934, the building underwent significant structural alteration, and was converted into a cinema. In 1986, the Pavilion closed its doors forever as a theatre. The interior of the building was gutted, and converted into a shopping arcade, preserving only the 1885 facade and the outer walls and roof. A wax figure exhibition opened in the building that same year, run by the Madame Tussauds Group, called Rock Circus. The exhibition consisted of waxworks of famous rock and pop musicians. The Rock Circus exhibition closed in September 2001.

In 2000, the building became part of the Trocadero Centre, and signage on the building was altered in 2003 to read London Trocadero.

The basement of the building connects with Piccadilly Circus tube station and the rest of the Trocadero Centre.

[edit] References

• Who's Who in the Theatre, edited by John Parker, 10th edition revised, London, 1947, p.1429.