The Philharmonic Hall, 97 Great Portland Street, London, originally the St James's Hall, was built in 1907–08 to replace the St James's Hall that once stood in Regent Street. The building was then used by the BBC and known as Brock House. It is now leased to The Office Group.

Location

The Hall occupies the whole of the area bounded by Langham Street, Hallam Street, Gildea Street and Great Portland Street. The building today has a street address of 19 Langham Street BBC. Retrieved 23 November 2014. and the main entrance is now on the west side of the building in that street.

History The Philharmonic Hall was built on the site of the former St Paul's Church (once known as the Portland Chapel) to replace the St James's Hall in Regent Street which had been demolished in 1905. The foundation stone was laid by the Lord Mayor of London on 20 April 1907"Court Circular", The Times, 6 April 1907, p. 7. and the building opened on 25 April 1908 with a series of promenade concerts performed by the newly formed St. James's Hall Orchestra."Concerts", The Times, 6 April 1908, p. 8.

By 1914, the hall had changed name to the Philharmonic and a Ward Lock guide to London produced soon after the end of the First World War (1918) reported that the hall was "mainly used for cinematograph displays".

In 1917, the hall was photographed for the Howard de Walden Estate of which it was then, and may still be, a part. The photograph shows that Intolerance was playing and that on the ground floor at number 95A was a car dealership by the name of Watkins and Doncaster Limited.Reference No. BL23834. English Heritage Archives. Retrieved 14 October 2014. Great Portland Street up to the Second World War was known as one of London's "Motor Row"s due to the over 30 car showrooms in the street.Motor, 1942, Vol. 77-78, p. 112.

Events

The Hall presented a variety of material, including concerts and film, but developed a specialism in travel films from remote regions. Often, these were accompanied by a commentary or lecture from someone connected with the film.

In 1919, the Southern Syncopated Orchestra, who are sometimes credited with introducing Jazz to Britain, performed at the hall. The orchestra had arrived in Britain earlier that year for a European tour and was a notable success at the Philharmonic Hall and elsewhere. They were complimented for their varied repertoire and performed for the Prince of Wales (later King Edward VIII) at Buckingham Palace.London's jazz legends. BBC, 15 May 2008. Retrieved 11 October 2014. In March 1919, Herbert Ponting was "telling the story of" the film With Captain Scott in the Antarctic."Court Circular: Arrangements for To-Day", The Times 10 March 1919, p. 13. Later in 1919, Lowell Thomas's film With Allenby in Palestine, was showing until the end of the year. The explorer, Ernest Shackleton, appeared there from December 1919 to May 1920 providing a commentary or lecture to accompany the silent film and slides of his expedition to Antarctica which had previously been shown at the Royal Albert Hall. The appearances were necessary to raise funds to pay for former and future expeditions. The event was advertised as much as a celebrity appearance as the showing of a named work as the slides and pieces of film exhibited had not yet received a name or an identity separate from Shackleton's words. The rent of the hall cost £200 per week and Shackleton employed two operators, one for slides and one for film, at £10 each per week. In 1922, documentary films titled Wildest AfricaCinema publicity programme: Philharmonic Hall, London / Wildest Africa The Bill Douglas Cinema Museum, University of Exeter. Retrieved 15 October 2014. and Through Romantic India were shown.Cinema publicity programme: Philharmonic Hall, London / Through romantic India The Bill Douglas Cinema Museum, University of Exeter. Retrieved 15 October 2014. In 1923, George Lattimore was promoting with Pathé, Cradle of the World, the "most marvellous and thrilling travel film ever screened". In a letter to the pan-Africanist W.E. Du Bois, Lattimore reported that he was having a "successful run" at the Philharmonic Hall.Letter from George W. Lattimore to W. E. B. Du Bois, 21 August 1923. W.E.B. Du Bois Papers, credo. Retrieved 13 October 2014. In fact, the show received indifferent reviews"Films Of The Week", The Times, 13 August 1923, p. 6. and lasted only one month. The show, which seems to have been based at least partly on Wildest Africa, included a musical interlude to enliven the proceedings and to cover up the changing of the film reels. Sol Plaatje, the first General Secretary of the South African Native National Congress (later the African National Congress), who was desperately in need of money, was recruited by Lattimore to take the role of an African tribesman.Topp Fargion, Janet. "Sol t Plaatje: The hidden recording" in Playback, Bulletin of the British Library National Sound Archive, No. 12, Autumn 1995, pp. 2-4.

BBC use The Philharmonic Hall was one of more than twenty locations considered for the new headquarters of the British Broadcasting Corporation in 1927.Broadcasting House: The BBC is Born. Broadcasting House a Potted History, 27 May 2002. Retrieved 23 November 2014. The site was discounted as a headquarters and in 1932 the BBC's Broadcasting House was opened on the other side of Hallam Street. The Philharmonic Hall became a BBC building known as Brock House. The exterior is now much changed with a different facade and windows and additional space added on the roof.Great Portland Street. Google Street View, July 2014. Retrieved 23 November 2014.

During the Second World War, the building was the home of the BBC Radio drama department. In later years, the building was used mainly for administration and the BBC Mechanical Workshop. By 2018 the BBC vacated the building, with the original plan for it to be redeveloped as a boutique hotel.BBC Television Centre to be redeveloped as a 'digital experience'. Tara Conlan & John Plunkett, The Guardian, 31 March 2013. Retrieved 23 November 2014. However, as of 2018, it is being developed into office space for The Office Group.

See also Queen's Hall

References

External links