Vaudeville Court is in many ways a typical Council Estate in the centre of London. In other ways it is special. As a tower block of it’s era it is pretty well designed; it is a single block of 36 flats surrounded by green space, right in the urban heart of the city. As with any Council Estate in an inner city area, the block is not without its problems, and this web site and our tiny TV Station are here to document those and the projects we are starting with the hope of making things just that little bit better.
Vaudeville Court
It is a 1960’s Tower Block surrounded by a communal garden in the centre of Finsbury Park, London.
Finsbury Park Empire
The Finsbury Park Empire was built by Frank Matcham for Moss Empires Ltd at a cost of 45,000 and opened on the 5th of September 1910 with a capacity of around 2000. The Theatre closed on the 7th of May 1960 and was demolished in 1965.
It saw many top showbiz acts of the time like Max Miller and Arthur Askey, but is renowned for being the first theatre where the saw-the-woman-in-half magic act was performed.
It was performed by PT Selbit on January 17th 1921 causing an immediate sensation, reviews called it a ‘bloodthirsty … hair raising’ spectacle. Selbit responded with several publicity stunts such as ambulances parked outside the theatre. Between performances stage hands would take buckets of red liquid through the audience and pour into the gutter outside.
The act shut an attractive woman in a wooden box, with ropes holding her down, and cut the box in two. The audience loved it. Magicians everywhere rushed to make their own, bloodier versions.
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