-
The Titanic Band Memorial Concert
24 May 1912
This concert was hailed as the greatest professional orchestra ever assembled, with 50 performers from the Queen's Hall Symphony Orchestra, London Symphony Orchestra and Royal Opera Orchestra amongst others. They were conducted by Sir Edward Elgar, Henry Wood, Landon Ronald and Thomas Beecham. The concert was in honour of the musicians who perished in the Titanic disaster.
-
Rachmaninov performs his Piano Concerto No 2 in C minor
1 February 1914
On 1 February 1914 Rachmaninov performed his Piano Concerto No 2 in C minor at the Hall.
-
Sir Ernest Shackleton
19 December 1919
Sir Ernest Shackleton showed pictures from his Antarctic expedition of 1914 - 1917.
-
The North entrance to the Hall
Around 1920
The North entrance to the Hall around 1920.
-
Jascha Heifetz
20 June 1920
A handbill advertising Jascha Heifetz, the violin virtuoso and a regular visitor to the Hall, playing with the New York Symphony Orchestra.
-
Madam Lily Payling
14 April 1923
Madam Lily Payling, a well known Australian contralto who performed regularly at the Hall from 1921, pictured in her programme for 14 April 1923 singing into a wireless transmitter at the Hague. Her Payling Musical Society which promoted young artists, continued to perform at the Hall until 1960.
-
Hiawatha
1924 to 1939
From 1924 to 1939 Samuel Coleridge-Taylor's Hiawatha was produced in a fully staged version by Thomas Fairbairn, with 10,000 square feet of backdrop, snow storms, ballet and a genuine Mohawk chief – Chief Os-Ke-Non-Ton. Shown is a scene from June 1933.
-
Happy New Year Ball
1925
The spectacular Happy New Year Ball of 1925 was held on the Great floor. This illustration shows the complexities of erecting the structure over the arena and stalls seating, which took three days. This floor was last used in the mid 1980's.
-
Paul Whiteman
11 April 1926
A handbill for Paul Whiteman and his band. George Gershwin attended the concert and it is rumoured he played Rhapsody in Blue.
-
Charleston Ball
15 December 1926
The programme for the Charleston Ball of 15 December 1926, where one of the judges was Fred Astaire, and one of the winners was the impresario Lew Grade.
-
Leo Theremin
12 December 1927
A programme of 12 December 1927 for the Russian Professor Leo Theremin with his 'Music from the Ether'. He was introducing his new Theremin apparatus which requires no physical contact with the instrument. It produces an eerie sound and is still used today by rock musicians and classical composers.
-
Ford Motor Show
1932 - 1937
The Ford Motor Show ran from 1932 until 1937, featuring all the latest technology in motor transport, including the 100 pounds car. Cars were driven onto the Great floor, and the Loggia boxes were used as sales rooms.
-
British Medical Association Dinner
28 July 1932
The British Medical Association dinner of 28 July 1932 to celebrate their centenary. The Great Floor, which stretched over the arena and stalls, was able to accommodate almost 2,000 diners. The guest of honour was the Prince of Wales.
-
Yehudi Menuhin
20 November 1932
Yehudi Menuhin first appeared at the Hall aged 13 years on 10 November 1929. This handbill for 20 November 1932 shows him conducted by Edward Elgar in a programme featuring the music of Elgar, Mozart and Bach. His last performance at the Hall was as a conductor on 22 December 1998. He died 3 months later.
-
Italian Tenor Beniamino Gigli
23 March 1933
The programme for 23 March 1933 for Italian tenor Beniamino Gigli who was a great favourite at the Hall, appearing here many times between 1933-1955.
-
Einstein
3 October 1933
On 3 October 1933 Einstein spoke at a mass meeting in the Hall, organised by refugee aid workers assisting Jewish academics to escape from Nazi persecution. He told a packed audience that 'freedom itself is at stake....one can only hope that the present crisis will lead to a better world'.
-
Mass Baptisms
2 April 1934
The Elim Evangel of the Foursquare Gospel held mass baptisms from 1928, pictured here on 2 April 1934. On the stage surrounded by grass and flowers stood a galvanised iron tank representing the River Jordan, while helpers, waist deep in water and wearing shirts and ties, helped hundreds to immerse in the baptismal tank.
-
Event in aid of the Spanish Civil War
24 June 1937
Paul Robeson spoke at the mass rally against General Franco and the Hall was packed with famous artists, writers, scientists & politicians such as Virginia Woolf, Henry Moore, C D Lewis and Julian Huxley. Picasso designed the programme cover, dedicated to the mothers and children of Spain.
-
Gracie Fields Tribute Concert
28 October 1938
Gracie Fields Tribute concert programme of 28 October 1938. She came from humble roots in Lancashire, rising to be a huge star of the cinema and music hall.
-
Projectionist
1940's
The projectionist in the 1940's. The Hall was regularly used to show films from 1905 to the mid 1940’s. There was a projection booth in the gallery, showing such films as 'With Allenby in Palestine and Lawrence in Arabia' which had 56 viewings in 1919, 'King Solomon's Mines' in 1920, 'The Nibelungs' in 1924 and propaganda films during the war. Recently the premieres of '101 Dalmatians' (1996), 'Die Another Day' (2002) and 'The Chronicles of Narnia' (2005) have been screened.