 London was the centre of music hall with hundreds of venues , often in the entertainment rooms of public houses . With the decline in popularity of music hall , many were abandoned , or converted to other uses , such as cinemas and their interiors lost . There are a number of purpose @-@ built survivors , including the Hackney Empire , an outstanding example of the late music hall period ( Frank Matcham 1901 ) . This has been restored to its Moorish splendour and now provides an eclectic programme of events from opera to " Black Variety Nights " . A mile to the south is Hoxton Hall an 1863 example of the saloon @-@ style . It is unrestored but maintained in its original layout , and currently used as a community centre and theatre . In the neighbouring borough , Collins Music Hall ( built about 1860 ) still stands on the north side of Islington Green . The hall closed in the 1960s and currently forms part of a bookshop . 
