THE PALACE OF WONDER by Jonny Magnanti & Jason Quinn 31 Balgowan Road Beckenham BR3 4HJ Kent United Kingdom Tel: 0208 650 0215 Email:
[email protected] [email protected] PAVING THE WAY TO GREATNESS Whitechapel, London. August 1888 Some said it was the worst street in London, but at least the rent was cheap in Dorset Street. That was the most important thing. The Palace of Wonder was neither a palace, nor wonderful, but Stan Garrideb always believed that from small acorns, oak trees grow. According to the sellers, this particular acorn had once been home to a rich dynasty of coffee merchants, but Stan didn't believe them. When he bought it, it was a doss house, filthy and crawling with vermin. He had ripped down walls, turning the warren of ground floor rooms into one large open space, with an office and two modern WC's, complete with running water. He had then installed a bar and a stage, and spent a fortune on new gas fittings. The lights could even be dimmed or raised depending on the effects needed. With the upstairs he had been even more ambitious, he had removed the floor and created a gallery, with a grand view of the stage and another bar. You don't open up a new business in a place like Dorset Street without making sure your doors are strong and your locks sound. It pays to be safe. Stan agreed with these sentiments but was just beginning to realise that security comes at a price; and the price at this moment was his bladder.