 The establishment often regarded as the first true music hall was the Canterbury , 143 Westminster Bridge Road , Lambeth built by Charles Morton , afterwards dubbed " the Father of the Halls " , on the site of a skittle alley next to his pub , the Canterbury Tavern . It opened on 17 May 1852 and was described by the musician and author Benny Green as being " the most significant date in all the history of music hall " . The hall looked like most contemporary pub concert rooms , but its replacement in 1854 was of then unprecedented size . It was further extended in 1859 , later rebuilt as a variety theatre and finally destroyed by bombing in 1942 . 
