Elliot(t) not new to area of Victoria Palace Theatre

[Sheepdog]

When the show opened, the area around the VPT was an unremarkable mish-mash of not very old buildings.

They have all gone in the past few years (See Google Maps for an image of the "development work".

The theatre is right on the edge of the demolition, looking quite "defiant".

One of the last of the old buildings to be pulled down was right behind the theatre, called, somewhat ominously I though, "Elliot(t?) House". (And one of the site contractors was also Elliott something or other.) A rather boring 1960's ish cuboid block, maybe 7 stories.

BUT.. I came across a page about a map from about 1827. Have a look at the image of the area where the theatre is, down at the bottom of that...

http://sheepdogsoftware.co.uk/Maps/Cruc ... ctoria.htm

[Eltonjohn]

To wit...

"Now! Friends of the amazing musical Billy Elliot, at the Victoria Palace Theatre... Look closely! There's an ironic coincidence present in the old map... See the bit of land belonging to J. Elliot, Esq? And just above that is "Eliots & Co, Brewery, in Brewer's Street. (Brewer's Street survived until the recent demolition of the area.) "Elliot" and "Elliott" appear on various editions of the map."

This quote is taken from the section "Area around present day Victoria Station'

[Borrobil]

Thanks EltonJohn/Sheepdog I find these things fascinating, and there's a huge amount of available history in the area. Here is the history of who owned that brewery. from http://www.british-history.ac.uk/report ... mpid=22171 seven paragraphs from the end.

At the close of the 17th century the brewery belonged to a Mr. Green, of whom nothing definite is known; nearly a century later, in 1786, the proprietor was one Matthew Wiggins, who two years afterwards disposed of it to Edward Moore and John Elliot. This Mr. Elliot, who was an active man of liberal education, built Pimlico House, already mentioned, and used it as his town residence. He was prominently connected with public affairs in the city of Westminster, where he was held in high esteem. Sir John Call joined the firm in 1792, and somewhat later Mr. Elliot was succeeded by his son J. Lettsom Elliot. The latter took into partnership Mr. James Watney of Wandsworth in 1837, and himself retired in 1856 in favour of Mr. Watney's two sons, James and Norman. From this time the firm consisted solely of members of the Watney family until the year 1884, when Mr. James Watney, the head of the firm, died, and the business was turned into a private limited company. The fame of the Pimlico Stag ales began to spread early in the 18th century, and in 1830 the business had developed into a great and important brewery, taking rank among the first-class breweries of London.

The Stag Brewery as it became was taken over by Watney Mann. Some of the older regulars may remember the Stag Pub behond the VP stage door, which I fear has been demolished recently. Part of the huge Stag Brewery was demolished by bombs during the Blitz. http://www.westendatwar.org.uk/page_id_ ... _0p2p.aspx

[kport]

Who cannot forget Watney's Red?