The Music Hall Guild of Great Britain and America

The Music Hall Guild of Great Britain & America and the Theatre and Film Guild of Great Britain and America

Official logo
Formation 18 September 1985
Type Charitable organization
Purpose Education, History of Music Hall
Region served
 UK, USA
Founder
 Adrian Barry
Main organ
 Board of Trustees
Website www.themusichallguild.com

The Music Hall Guild of Great Britain and America and the Theatre and Film Guild of Great Britain and America is a registered theatre charity and non-profit making theatre organisation based in London.[1] The Guild's patrons include Brian Croucher, Anita Dobson, Fenella Fielding, Sheila Ferguson, Jessica Martin, Lorraine Chase, Mark Lester, Jessie Wallace, Barbara Windsor and Shani Wallis.[2]

The aims of the Guild are:

  1. To advance education through the presentation of music hall and theatre productions and encouragement of the Arts; and
  2. To advance education in the history of Music Hall and Theatre performers by undertaking research and identifying, restoring, erecting and beautifying memorials which are of educational Interest.[1]

The Guild's activities include research, the collection of theatre archive, exhibitions, professional theatre productions, reminiscence, educational and restoration projects.[3] The Guild erects commemorative blue plaques and cares for the final resting places of many music hall, variety, vaudeville, musical comedy, theatre and pantomime artistes, including Nelly Power, George Leybourne, Albert Chevalier, Herbert Campbell, Edmund Payne, Joseph Tabrar, Lupino Lane, Will Hay, Gabrielle Ray and Tom Costello.[4]

The Guild had an income of £57,854 in 2009–10, the majority of which was spent on restoration and commemoration projects.[5]

Projects

Date Subject Memorial Venue Notes
2009 Various Variety Artistes Benevolent Fund memorial stone Streatham Park Cemetery The stone commemorates over 200 music hall and variety performers buried there. They received a grant from the Heritage Lottery Fund to create a new memorial garden and create an on-line database.[6][7][8]
2009 Lupino Lane Restoration of gravestone Streatham Park Cemetery Erected to mark the 50th anniversary of Lane's death, and held a memorial service at the Actors' Church, Covent Garden with a reception at the Theatre Royal, Drury Lane.[9]
8 November 2010 Male impersonator Hetty King Blue plaque 19 Palmerston Road, Wimbledon Hetty King's last home[9]
25 September 2011 Music Hall star Marie Kendall Blue plaque Okeover Manor, Clapham Common Northside Marie Kendall's last home in Clapham[9]
26 November 2011 Music Hall comedian Herbert Campbell Restoration of gravestone Abney Park Cemetery[9]
10 March 2012 Musical Comedy actress Marie Studholme Blue plaque and restoration of gravestone East Finchley Cemetery[9][10]
11 May 2012 Music Hall star Nelly Power Restoration of gravestone Abney Park Cemetery[11]
3 August 2012 Music Hall star Dan Crawley Restoration of gravestone Abney Park Cemetery Rededicated his memorial on 21 October 2012 to mark the 100th anniversary of Crawley's death.[12]
27 August 2012 Composer G. W. Hunt Restoration of gravestone Abney Park Cemetery[13]
30 September 2012 Music Hall impresario Fred Karno Blue plaque Clockwork Studios, Southwell Road, Camberwell[14] Erected at Fred Karno's former Fun Factory where the likes of Charles Chaplin and Stan Laurel learn their skills.[14]
20 October 2012 Music Hall star Walter Laburnum Restoration of gravestone Abney Park Cemetery[15]
8 May 2013 Music Hall star Fred Albert Restoration of gravestone Abney Park Cemetery[16]
22 September 2013 Actress Kay Kendall Restoration of gravestone St John-at-Hampstead Church in Hampstead, London[17]
28 September 2013 Music Hall star Alice Lloyd Restoration of gravestone All Saints Churchyard, Banstead, Surrey[18]
7 October 2013 Music Hall star Marie Lloyd Blue plaque 37 Woodstock Road, Golders Green[19] Marie Lloyd's last home.
20 October 2013 Music Hall star Alice Lloyd Blue plaque 239 Banstead Road, SurreyErected to mark the 50th anniversary of Lane's death, and held a memorial service at the Actors' Church, Covent Garden with a reception at the Theatre Royal, Drury Lane.[9] Alice Lloyd's last home.
15 June 2014 Lupino Lane Blue Plaque 32 Maida Vale, London[20] Lupino Lane's former home.
29 June 2014 Comedian & Actor Edmund Payne Restoration of memorial Abney Park Cemetery[21]
21 August 2014 Music Hall performer Joe O'Gorman Restoration of memorial Putney Vale CemeteryErected to mark the 50th anniversary of Lane's death, and held a memorial service at the Actors' Church, Covent Garden with a reception at the Theatre Royal, Drury Lane.[9]
6 September 2014 Kay Kendall Commemorative blue plaque 61 Hull Road, Withernsea, East Yorkshire[22] The house where Kay Kendall was born
2 October 2014 Nellie Farren Restoration of memorial Brompton Cemetery[23]
2 October 2014 Farren Soutar Restoration of memorial Brompton Cemetery[24]
18 October 2014 Gus Elen Restoration of memorial Streatham Park Cemetery Gus Elen grave restored[25]

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 "The Music Hall Guild of Great Britain and America". opencharities.org. 2011. Retrieved 14 August 2011.
  2. ↑ "About Us". themusichallguild.com. 2011. Retrieved 14 August 2011.
  3. ↑ Morkunas, pp. 2–3
  4. ↑ "Resting Places". themusichallguild.com. 2011. Retrieved 14 August 2011.
  5. ↑ Morkunas, p. 6
  6. ↑ "Music Hall and Variety Artistes Burial Places". arthurlloyd.co.uk. 2011. Retrieved 14 August 2011.
  7. ↑ "Music Hall stars to shine once more". Heritage Lottery Fund. 1 August 2009. Retrieved 14 August 2011.
  8. ↑ Burnett, Craig (13 July 2009). "Spotlight to shine again on Wimbledon music hall stars". Streatham Guardian (Newsquest South & West London). Retrieved 14 August 2011.
  9. ↑ 9.0 9.1 9.2 9.3 9.4 9.5 9.6 "News". themusichallguild.com. 2011. Retrieved 14 August 2011.
  10. ↑ "Marie Studholme Memorial Restored", the Music Hall Guild of Great Britain and America, accessed 10 March 2012
  11. ↑ "Nelly Power Memorial Restored", the Music Hall Guild of Great Britain and America, accessed 16 April 2012
  12. ↑ "Dan Crawley Memorial Restored", the Music Hall Guild of Great Britain and America, accessed 11 August 2012
  13. ↑ "G.W.Hunt Memorial Restored"), the Music Hall Guild of Great Britain and America, accessed 28 August 2012
  14. ↑ 14.0 14.1 "Fred Karno Commemorated", the Music Hall Guild of Great Britain and America, accessed 30 September 2012
  15. ↑ "Walter Laburnum Memorial Restored", the Music Hall Guild of Great Britain and America, accessed 22 October 2012
  16. ↑ "Fred Albert Memorial Restored", the Music Hall Guild of Great Britain and America, accessed 22 October 2012
  17. ↑ "Kay Kendall's Grave Restored", the Music Hall Guild of Great Britain and America, accessed 22 September 2013
  18. ↑ "Alice Lloyd's Grave Restored", the Music Hall Guild of Great Britain and America, accessed 22 September 2013
  19. ↑ "Marie Lloyd Commemorated", the Music Hall Guild of Great Britain and America, accessed 7 October 2013
  20. ↑ "Lupino Lane is Commemorated", the Music Hall Guild of Great Britain and America, accessed 15 June 2014
  21. ↑ "Edmund Payne is remembered", the Music Hall Guild of Great Britain and America, accessed 29 June 2014
  22. ↑ "Kay Kendall is commemorated with blue plaque", the Music Hall Guild of Great Britain and America, accessed 6 September 2014
  23. ↑ "Nellie Farren grave restored", the Music Hall Gulid of Great Britain and America, accessed 2 October 2014
  24. ↑ "Nellie Farren grave restored", the Music Hall Guild of Great Britain and America, accessed 2 October 2014
  25. ↑ "Gus Elen Grave Restored", the Music Hall Guild of Great Britain and America, accessed 18 October 2014

Further reading