Collins's (sometimes written as Collins') was a music hall in Islington, north London. It opened in 1863, named after its original proprietor, the comedian, singer and impresario Sam Collins.

Venue: Collins's Music Hall
Address: 10 Islington Green, London, N1 2XH, England
Town: London, GB

Collins's (sometimes written as Collins') was a music hall in Islington, north London. It opened in 1863, named after its original proprietor, the comedian, singer and impresario Sam Collins. He died not long after the hall opened, and after continuing under his widow and others, the hall was rebuilt and extended in 1897, with a much enlarged capacity. Collins's, like other music halls and variety theatres, declined in the years after the Second World War; it closed in 1958 after a fire. Among the performers seen at Collins's were Tom Costello, Joe Elvin, Harry Randall, Harry Tate and Bessie Wentworth. Later performers there included Wilkie Bard, George Robey, Charlie Chaplin, Gracie Fields and Tommy Trinder. The façade survived the 1958 fire and from 1994 onwards it has fronted a large bookshop built behind it. Collins's was built on a west-facing site at Islington Green, between Upper Street and Essex Road. A public house with a small theatre had reportedly been opened there in 1794, and by the 1840s was trading as the Lansdowne Arms and Music Hall. In 1861 Sam Collins was appearing at the nearby Philharmonic Hall and discovered the Lansdowne. Collins, whose original surname was Vagg, was a popular performer, who - although he was English - was best known for his performance as an Irishman, singing comic songs such as "Limerick Races", "Paddy O'Blarney" and "Beautiful Biddy of Sligo". He was also a theatre manager, having bought a pub in Marylebone High Street and rebuilt the adjacent auditorium as Collins's Music Hall in 1858. At the time when he encountered the Islington premises the hall was shut and its licence to present music had lapsed. Collins bought both the pub and the hall, selling his establishment in Marylebone to finance the purchase and reconstruction of the Islington premises. Collins had some difficulty at first in obtaining an official licence to present music, but was successful in October 1863. His hall opened on 4 November 1863. The Era descri