DIVA chats to Ellie Browning about 160 years of innovation at this iconic London building
BY ELLA GAUCI, IMAGES BY VON DYKE STUDIO
In 1866, Shoreditch Town Hall was completed, described as “the grandest vestry hall in London” at the time. Later, the inside would be embellished with the borough’s motto: More Light, More Power. In the 1900s, this referred to the pioneering opening of Britain’s first combined refuse destructor and electricity-generating station in Shoreditch.
Now, in 2026, as The Cocoa Butter Club’s NTC. does a pole performance to the track Dirty Diana, this motto takes on new meaning. Shoreditch Town Hall’s 160th birthday celebration, entitled 16 Acts, brought several queer artists into the light, including Travis Alabanza and Pecs Drag Kings’ Sigi Moonlight. With these acts under the spotlight, you could certainly say the room was filled with queer power.
For Ellie Browning (she/her), programmer and producer of live performance at Shoreditch Town Hall, including LGBTQIA+ acts in this landmark event was a no-brainer. Towards the end of the 19th century, the building became a Music Hall, which hosted performances that spanned drag to clog dancing. “I try to recreate a contemporary version of that coming together of people to celebrate a variety of performances,” Ellie explains to DIVA. “Music Hall programming was really alternative. There were a lot of the kinds of things that queer artists are up to today.”
Alongside platforming LGBTQIA+ artists for its 16 Acts celebration, Shoreditch Town Hall also helps queer artists to grow all year round. This year marked its third annual Summer In The Ditch, which boasts a queer, experimental lineup of up-and-coming artists. Since becoming an arts and events venue in 2012, the building has also seen many LGBTQIA+ cabaret and drag artists transition from performing in the club circuit to putting on their own shows.
“I find it incredible that the people who built [Shoreditch Town Hall] were really pioneers and innovators for the time because they said this had to be a place where people could come together and celebrate culture,” Ellie adds.
Outside of raucous performances and touching tributes on stage, Shoreditch Town Hall is inviting all parts of the LGBTQIA+ community inside. Ellie warmly tells me that they are launching a Queer Family Story Time in February 2027. As part of Hackney’s PRIDE365 programme, this Queer Family Story Time will take place monthly on Sundays for children aged two to six. With music, games and stories that represent queer families, it’s a place for community and togetherness.
Queerness runs through everything the team at Shoreditch Town Hall does. “We have a really queer staff team. I am often the person we’re trying to offer this thing to! We’ve also added really simple small things like a rainbow flag on our door,” Ellie explains. “It’s this big, grand, old, beautiful 160-year-old town hall… with an LGBTQIA+ flag! I think it’s a really recognisably queer venue when you’re in that space. We don’t shy away from it.”
With 160 incredible years of innovation under its belt, I ask what Ellie hopes Shoreditch Town Hall will do next. “I would love it to still be a cultural community space. I would like for the community to have more ownership. That’s really at the heart of how we think about the space. I think in 160 years people will still be desperate to be in a live space together, and I hope that it’s even more cherished than it is now.”
You can find out more about Shoreditch Town Hall here: shoreditchtownhall.com/
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