3-015-998 - Heritage Art/Heritage Images

Demolition of St. James' Hall, exterior, 1907. Located on a site between Regent Street and Piccadilly, St James' Hall was a celebrated London concert hall where handsome performances were held for almost half a century between 1858 and 1905. The demolition of the hall occurred in 1905. The artist captures the cavernous rib cage of the structure lying stark and bare, the vaults of the building bleaching in dramatic sunlight. Workmen swarm around the remains of the hall, their ropes and pulleys delicately hanging off the structure, while horses and carriages pass the demolition through the street in the foreground.