Murder, Mayhem and Music Hall

The Dark Side of Victorian London

In this book, Barry Anthony explores the criminal and socially subversive behaviourwhich abounded in and around the Victor- ian Strand. He introduces us to a vast range of characters - from prostitutes, confidence tricksters, vagrants and cadgers, to the actors, comedians and music-hall stars who trod the boards of the Strand's early theatres. He tells the stories of Lottie Collins, whose music-hall song Ta-Ra-Ra-Boom-De-Ay was said to have heralded the 'Naughty Nineties'; the disappearance of young actress Mabel Love which created a national sensation; and the murder of William Terriss, slain by a fellow actor at the stage door of the Adelphi Theatre. These stories, and many more, are played out against the physical geography of the Strand - entertainment venues such as the Coal Hole, the Cyder Cellars, the Tivoli Music Hall and the Adelphi, Gaiety and Strand theatres; vari-ous taverns, oyster bars, barbers' shops, tobacconists; the ancient and disreputable area of Holywell Street and Wych Street; and, below all, the dark, subterranean world of the Adelphi Arches.