Wilton's Music Hall

The lowdown

Hidden down a Wapping back alley is the oldest surviving grand music hall on the planet. Wilton's has stood since the 1850s, survived demolition threats, fire and decades of decay, and it has been deliberately left in its gloriously crumbling state, all peeling paint, worn stone and faded grandeur.

You do not need a ticket to feel it. The Mahogany Bar at the front is free to walk into, a candlelit Victorian room where you can have a drink and just sit in the atmosphere of the place. It is no surprise that film and music video crews queue up to use it.

Shows in the main hall are ticketed, and worth it, but the building itself is the draw and the bar lets you experience it for the price of a pint, or nothing at all if you just want to stand and stare.