Building    From 1887  To 1931

People's Palace

Proposed by Walter Besant, the first People's Palace was built by the Beaumont Trustees, ‘Unitarian philanthropists’, to replace Beaumont's Philosophical Institution which had been in Beaumont Square. 

It was built on 5 acres of land on the Mile End Road, starting with the Queen's Hall, opened in 1887. By 1892 a library, swimming pool, gym and winter garden had been added. Entertainment and education were provided and by 1900 the University of London introduced a Bachelor of Science degree. It burnt down in 1931 but the educational sections were quickly rebuilt as Queen Mary College. In 1937 a hall, called the People's Palace (pictured here), was built and in 1954 was subsumed into QMC.

Queen Marys hold a plan of the original Palace (annoyingly that link is dead, 2024).

The Theatre Trust has a description of the 1937 hall and how it has been restored and used.

Sources include: Elizabeth Doyle Research, Queen Mary College archives.

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This section lists the memorials where the subject on this page is commemorated:
People's Palace

Commemorated ati

Baron de Stern clock tower

Ornamental Passions has a photo of the seagull relief and explains that "Time...

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Clement Attlee statue

It's rather disconcerting that the plaque refers to "Queen Mary College" as "...

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People's Palace

The plaque names only 6 relief panels but there are 7, music being represente...

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Other Subjects

Naonobu Sameshima

Naonobu Sameshima

Became a student at UCL in 1865.

Person, Education, Japan

1 memorial
Marjorie Hewson

Marjorie Hewson

Nursery nurse. She worked for over forty years at Christ Church School, in Brick Lane, Spitalfields, (the area in which she grew up and lived herself). A popular character, remembered by many for h...

Person, Children, Education

1 memorial
Pumphouse Educational Trust and Museum

Pumphouse Educational Trust and Museum

The museum is located on land that until 1970 was part of the Surrey Docks. After these closed, the area was refurbished and the old pumphouse became a museum. It also houses the Rotherhithe Herita...

Group, Education, Museums / Libraries

1 memorial
Sir Roderic Maxwell Hill

Sir Roderic Maxwell Hill

Air Chief Marshall.  Born Hampstead.  Fought in both world wars, earning his wings in 1916.  On retirement became Rector of the Imperial College of Science and Technology 1948 - 54, Vice-Chancellor...

Person, Armed Forces, Education

1 memorial
UCL Institute of Archaeology

UCL Institute of Archaeology

75th anniversary of the UCL Institute of Archaeology in 2012. From the picture source website: Thanks to his {Mortimer Wheeler's} efforts and those of his wife, Tessa Verney Wheeler, his ambitions...

Group, Education, History

1 memorial