Evans Music-and-Supper Rooms

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Evans Music-and-Supper Rooms, 43 King Street, Covent Garden, was a famous venue for music and singing in early nineteenth century London, providing the type of entertainment which later evolved into music hall.^[1] Formerly the dining room of the Grand Hotel, a 'song and supper' room was established here in the 1840s by W.H. Evans.^[2] It was also known as Evans Late Joy's - the venue previously being owned by a man named Joy. In 1844 the rooms were taken over by 'Paddy' Green, who had been one of Evans' entertainers. Paddy Green reconstructed the rooms and maintained their reputation. The room was 113 feet (34.4 m) long by 56 feet (17.1 m) wide.^[3]

Entertainment was provided by choir boys singing madrigals and glees, followed by older comic singers such as Sam Cowell, Charles Sloman and Sam Collins. The patrons would eat, drink and talk at tables provided and themselves engage in singalongs, sometimes of a 'lewd' nature.^[4] The venue was patronised by William Makepeace Thackeray, who presented it (in a composite portrait with the Coal Hole and the Cyder Cellars: two other nearby song-and-supper rooms) as "The Cave of Harmony" in his novel The Newcomes and as "The Back Kitchen" in Pendennis.^[5] The Coal Hole is still an established venue to this day, and is located on the Strand.

Unlike the later music halls the patrons were male only, until the 1860's when women were at last admitted. The venue closed in 1880, and in 1930 upstairs rooms in the building were taken by the Players' Theatre Club who wished to revive the music hall tradition. The cast became known as the 'Late Joys' and have since provided old time music hall entertainment at a variety of other venues.

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