Stanley Halls

A tour of Stanley Halls which opened in 1903 and is now home to Stanley Arts (https://stanleyarts.org), as part of the Open House London festival.

"The Stanley Halls were designed and built by William Ford Robinson Stanley: manufacturer of precision mathematical, optical and drawing instruments; traveller; philanthropist; patron of musicians, writers and Flinders Petrie: self-taught architect, engineer, inventor, author, playwright, artist and musician.

The building was described by Pevsner as “one of the most eccentric efforts anywhere at a do-it-yourself free-style”. It displays influences from a range of architectural styles and demonstrates Stanley’s talent for solving the practical problems presented by the site. Stanley recognised the need for a venue dedicated to the performing and visual arts since the available public rooms in South Norwood were already proving inadequate by the end of the 19th century. When the Stanley Halls opened, they provided increased opportunities for local young musicians such as William Hurlstone and Samuel Coleridge Taylor, and artists such as Lily Martin, to establish themselves: a tradition that continues today."

South Norwood, Croydon
5 September 2021