Marie Lloyd

Take a look at the woman who transformed Victorian entertainment and gave a voice to working class Britain, all from a stage that once stood exactly where you are now. Marie Lloyd was born Matilda Wood in 1870 in nearby Hoxton, one of the toughest districts in the city. At just 15 years old, she made her professional debut at the Eagle Tavern on Shepherdess Walk in 1885. This music hall venue, part of the Grecian Theatre complex, sat on this very spot before being replaced by the current police station.

Her father worked here as a waiter, and young Marie started as an unpaid table singer before conquering the proper stage. She became the Queen of the Music Hall, earning £100 a week by 1886, a fortune for the time. Her songs like The Boy I Love Is Up in the Gallery and My Old Man Said Follow the Van captured the struggles and spirit of ordinary people with wit and warmth. She toured internationally, performing across Europe, America and Australia.

Lloyd fought for fellow performers during the 1907 music hall strike, standing on picket lines despite her wealth. When excluded from the 1912 Royal Command Performance, she staged her own rival show the same night, proclaiming every Marie Lloyd performance was commanded by the British public. She collapsed on stage in 1922 and died days later. Over 100,000 mourners lined the streets for her funeral.