Oswald Stoll
Encyclopedia
Sir Oswald Stoll was an Australian
-born British
theatre manager and the co-founder of the Stoll Moss Group theatre company. He also owned a film production company and studio in Cricklewood
, Stoll Pictures, which was one of the leading British studios of the Silent era.
Born in Melbourne
, Australia
as Oswald Gray, Stoll moved to England with his mother after the death of his father. When his mother re-married, he took his stepfather's last name. At a young age, he left school to help his mother manage first the Parthenon music hall in Liverpool, and later a regional theatre company.
The company was a success, and Stoll began to buy or build city theatres. The theatre business made Stoll a wealthy man, and during 1898 he merged his business with that Edward Moss
, one of his competitors to form Moss Empires
. By 1905, almost every large town in Great Britain
had an "Empire" or a "Coliseum" theatre, managed by Stoll.
Beginning with the first event in 1912, and continuing through to 1926, Stoll was instrumental in presenting the Royal Variety Performance
(originally Royal Command Performance) a now-annual charity show benefiting the Entertainment Artistes' Benevolent Fund.
His film company Stoll Picture Productions was founded in April 1918, and acquired a one-stage studio in Surbiton which the company retained until 1923. A former aeroplane factory in Cricklewood was purchased in 1920 and converted to film use. Particularly associated with director Maurice Elvey
, Stoll's company maintained a connection with the film industry until 1938 when the Cricklewood studio was closed.
Stoll married twice. He married his first wife, Harriet Lewis, in Cardiff during 1892, and they had one daughter. Harriet died in 1902, and Stoll married Millicent Shaw the following year. Oswald and Millicent Stoll had three sons. Lady Stoll became President of the Sir Oswald Stoll Foundation following her husband's death.
Stoll was a philanthropist who donated the land in 1916 for the Sir Oswald Stoll Foundation, a charity in Fulham, London for disabled soldiers returning from World War I and their families. The Sir Oswald Stoll Foundation continues to house disabled ex-Servicemen and women to this day, but in addition also provides supported housing for Veterans suffering from mental ill health, and those who having left the Forces have found themselves homeless. The Foundation provides rehabilitative support, IT tuition, health and well-being activities and back-to-work apprenticeships to over 230 Veterans. The Foundation is committed to building and sustaining communities within which ex-Service people can live independently, positively and healthily.
Oswald Stoll was knighted by King George V
in 1919. He died in his Putney
home.
For an analysis of Stoll's writings see Vincent Barnett, 'A Creditable Performance? Sir Oswald Stoll as Business Strategist and Monetary Heretic', Journal of the History of Economic Thought, September 2009.
on at least three theatres:
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
-born British
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
theatre manager and the co-founder of the Stoll Moss Group theatre company. He also owned a film production company and studio in Cricklewood
Cricklewood
Cricklewood is a district of North London, England whose northeastern part is in the London Borough of Barnet, western part is the London Borough of Brent and southeastern part is in London Borough of Camden.-History:...
, Stoll Pictures, which was one of the leading British studios of the Silent era.
Born in Melbourne
Melbourne
Melbourne is the capital and most populous city in the state of Victoria, and the second most populous city in Australia. The Melbourne City Centre is the hub of the greater metropolitan area and the Census statistical division—of which "Melbourne" is the common name. As of June 2009, the greater...
, Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
as Oswald Gray, Stoll moved to England with his mother after the death of his father. When his mother re-married, he took his stepfather's last name. At a young age, he left school to help his mother manage first the Parthenon music hall in Liverpool, and later a regional theatre company.
The company was a success, and Stoll began to buy or build city theatres. The theatre business made Stoll a wealthy man, and during 1898 he merged his business with that Edward Moss
Edward Moss
Sir Horace Edward Commitment Moss was a British theatre impresario and the founder chairman of the Moss Empires Ltd theatre combine which he created in the 1890s after first joining forces with Richard Thornton of Newcastle and later with Oswald Stoll then operating in Wales...
, one of his competitors to form Moss Empires
Moss Empires
Moss Empires was a British company formed in Edinburgh from the merger of the theatre companies owned by Sir Edward Moss and Sir Oswald Stoll in 1898. This created the largest British chain of music halls...
. By 1905, almost every large town in Great Britain
Great Britain
Great Britain or Britain is an island situated to the northwest of Continental Europe. It is the ninth largest island in the world, and the largest European island, as well as the largest of the British Isles...
had an "Empire" or a "Coliseum" theatre, managed by Stoll.
Beginning with the first event in 1912, and continuing through to 1926, Stoll was instrumental in presenting the Royal Variety Performance
Royal Variety Performance
The Royal Variety Performance is a gala evening held annually in the United Kingdom, which is attended by senior members of the British Royal Family, usually the reigning monarch. In more recent years Queen Elizabeth II and The Prince of Wales have alternately attended the performance...
(originally Royal Command Performance) a now-annual charity show benefiting the Entertainment Artistes' Benevolent Fund.
His film company Stoll Picture Productions was founded in April 1918, and acquired a one-stage studio in Surbiton which the company retained until 1923. A former aeroplane factory in Cricklewood was purchased in 1920 and converted to film use. Particularly associated with director Maurice Elvey
Maurice Elvey
Maurice Elvey was the most prolific film director in British history. He directed nearly 200 films between 1913 and 1957. During the silent film era he directed as many as twenty films per year....
, Stoll's company maintained a connection with the film industry until 1938 when the Cricklewood studio was closed.
Stoll married twice. He married his first wife, Harriet Lewis, in Cardiff during 1892, and they had one daughter. Harriet died in 1902, and Stoll married Millicent Shaw the following year. Oswald and Millicent Stoll had three sons. Lady Stoll became President of the Sir Oswald Stoll Foundation following her husband's death.
Stoll was a philanthropist who donated the land in 1916 for the Sir Oswald Stoll Foundation, a charity in Fulham, London for disabled soldiers returning from World War I and their families. The Sir Oswald Stoll Foundation continues to house disabled ex-Servicemen and women to this day, but in addition also provides supported housing for Veterans suffering from mental ill health, and those who having left the Forces have found themselves homeless. The Foundation provides rehabilitative support, IT tuition, health and well-being activities and back-to-work apprenticeships to over 230 Veterans. The Foundation is committed to building and sustaining communities within which ex-Service people can live independently, positively and healthily.
Oswald Stoll was knighted by King George V
George V of the United Kingdom
George V was King of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions, and Emperor of India, from 6 May 1910 through the First World War until his death in 1936....
in 1919. He died in his Putney
Putney
Putney is a district in south-west London, England, located in the London Borough of Wandsworth. It is situated south-west of Charing Cross. The area is identified in the London Plan as one of 35 major centres in Greater London....
home.
Writings
- The People's Credit. London : E. Nash, 1916.
- Freedom in Finance. London : T.F. Unwin, 1918.
- "Broadsheets" on National Finance. London : W.J. Roberts, 1921.
- More "broadsheets" on the National Finance. London : W.J. Roberts, 1922.
- National Productive Credit. London : George Allen & Unwin, 1933.
For an analysis of Stoll's writings see Vincent Barnett, 'A Creditable Performance? Sir Oswald Stoll as Business Strategist and Monetary Heretic', Journal of the History of Economic Thought, September 2009.
Theatre architecture
Stoll worked with noted theatre architect Frank MatchamFrank Matcham
Frank Matcham was a famous English theatrical architect. He is buried in Highgate Cemetery.-Early career:...
on at least three theatres:
- Nottingham Palace (1898).
- Hackney EmpireHackney EmpireThe Hackney Empire is a theatre on Mare Street, in the London Borough of Hackney, built in 1901 as a music hall.-History:Hackney Empire is a grade II* listed building...
(1901). - London Coliseum (1904).