War Hall: A Theatre of the Mind

WAR HALL: A Theatre of the Mind begins with an extraordinary question: how and why was a gold and glass concert hall built in London while the city was under bombardment?In this opening episode, Professor John Thomas and legendary script supervisor Angela Allen introduce the hidden wartime story of Walthamstow Assembly Hall — a sublime music hall born in the middle of the Second World War, standing at the very heart of London’s civil defence effort.What begins with a chance meeting — and John’s research into women who built Gibson guitars during WWII — unfolds into a far larger story about sound, resistance, feminism, fascism, and cultural survival. From wartime guitars stamped “Only a Gibson Is Good Enough” to a concert hall whose acoustics would later shape the future of recorded music, the episode traces unexpected connections between America and Britain, industry and art, war and beauty.Through eyewitness memories, archive discoveries, and haunting sound design, we hear how concerts took place as bombs fell outside, how the neighbouring Town Hall was occupied by Air Raid Precautions units, and how music persisted as a form of defiance. Scribbled on a bundle of wartime programmes is a single, mysterious note:“Bombs were falling all around but the music was divine.”As rumours swirl — from Nazi architectural fantasies to aviation pioneers and anti-fascist artists — the hall emerges as a beacon of hope. After the war, it would become one of the world’s most important recording spaces, hosting Benjamin Britten, Adrian Boult, Leonard Bernstein, Vera Lynn, Julie Andrews, and pioneering some of the earliest stereo recordings.This is not nostalgia. It is a story about what was built when the world was being torn apart— and why it still matters.In the next episode, WAR HALL takes you back to 1939.Selected audio excerpts featured in this episode:Peter Grimes — Benjamin Britten (1958 recording, Decca)Mars, the Bringer of War from The Planets — Gustav Holst, conducted by Sir Adrian Boult (recorded at Walthamstow Assembly Hall, 1953, Nixa)All You Fascists — Woody GuthrieAll other music by Simon MillsAudio excerpts are used under UK fair dealing provisions for the purposes of criticism, review, and historical illustration. Full rights remain with the respective rights holders.War Hall is an independent production. If we ever make a profit, half will go to War Child, with the rest supporting our small team. If you’d like to help us make future episodes, you can join our Patreon — even the smallest contribution helps us pay artists fairly.Follow War Hall: A Theatre of the Mind wherever you get your podcasts, and please leave a review to help others find the show.Some clips are used under fair dealing and fair use for historical illustration.Music and sound design by Simon Mills.Produced by Alison Williams, Professor John Thomas, and Susie Williams. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.