Built
in 1829-31 on what had been the gardens of Exeter House, this building was
designed as a non-sectarian hall for religious and scientific meetings and
gatherings. It was also to be used by various philanthropic organizations such
as the Ragged School Union, the Bible Society,
the Anti-Slavery Society, The Temperance Society and the
YMCA. John Hullah (later professor of vocal music at Kings College in
the Strand) ran a well known series of classes to train day and Sunday school
teachers in vocal music from 1841 on). The Hall was to have a particular
connection to evangelicalism. As well as the organizations and activities
already mentioned, many famous preachers such as Charles Spurgeon, could be
heard there.
Containing three halls, the largest of which held 3000, and office space it was a major building. Binfield (1973: 95) nicely encapsulates its significance:
For fifty years of the nineteenth century it was the centre of Evangelical England, the very portals of Orthodoxy. For twenty years more it was the headquarters of the London YMCA. It was also, until the building of the Royal Albert Hall, the centre of London's musical world. The three causes intermingle. It was at the Exeter Hall that the pious middle-classes could listen, at first suspiciously, to sacred oratorios and then because the surroundings were so blameless, learn to accept them and even to participate in them. It was also at the Exeter Hall that the great May Meetings of the Nonconformist sects, the Missionary Societies, and all the triumphant paraphernalia of Evangelicalism were held. Briefly, in that religious month of May, 'the Church and Conventicle meet together, the Platform and the Pulpit kiss each other', and although in an increasingly political age such vocal unity was bound to be a prelude to less polite activity elsewhere.
The
Hall has a particular place in YMCA history. It represented for
George Williams, 'all that is best in the outside world'. From 1845 for
twenty years or more it was the setting for an annual winter course of lectures
(The Exeter Hall Lectures). Attended by very large numbers, these lectures
found a much larger audience through publication. When the Hall hit problems, an
it looked like it might be turned into a music hall, the lease of the Hall was
purchased by the YMCA (1880). For Williams this was a triumph, for others such
as Morley, the Hall was a white elephant that would be a continuing diversion (Binfield
1973: 304).
The refitted building opened in April 1881. The large hall was retained, but with additional facilities. In the basement there was a double gymnasium (this was to transfer to a building in Long Acre seven years later). While the building had great symbolic value to the movement and beyond, making full use of it was a problem. It also cost a great deal to maintain. However, it did host some great occasions such as the fiftieth anniversary celebrations of the YMCA (in 1894) and was the starting point for Williams' funeral procession on 14th November 1905. For nearly two hours there was an almost continuous line of carriages as far as St Pauls (ibid.: 380).
With changes required by new building regulations, and continuing questions of finance and suitability, the decision was taken by the YMCA to leave Exeter Hall and to build new premises in Tottenham Court Road. The new Central YMCA was to be a memorial to George Williams. As Binfield (1970: 340) comments, 'It cannot of escaped shrewd observers that his memorial replaced what many regarded as his most cherished mistake'.
Demolition followed in 1907.
Binfield, C. (1970) George Williams and the YMCA. A study in Victorian social attitudes, London: Heinemann.
Note: This page is part of our virtual walk around the history of informal education (in central London).
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© Mark K. Smith 2000. First published August 30, 2000. Last update: July 01, 2008
