Lillie Langtry made her acting debut in 1881 in Twickenham Town Hall in King Street after coaching sessions at Pope’s Villa from Henrietta Hodson, the actress wife of Henry Du Pre Labouchere. 

Rehearsals occupied a fortnight, but apparently she was not helped by “Labby” making caustic remarks. 

Henrietta’s next efforts to make an actress out of Lillie led to endless rehearsals of “She stoops to Conquer” on the Pope’s Villa lawn, with Henrietta playing all the other parts to her “Kate Hardcastle”. This eventually came to an end with “Labby” commenting that “a flock of sheep couldn’t have played more havoc with his grass”.

Town Hall and Library

Twickenham Town Hall, built in 1877