The fundraising circular was distributed throughout London requesting funds to support the People’s Palace scheme for East London.
The People’s Palace came into being as a result of the combination of factors. During the 1880’s there was growing awareness of poverty and deprivation in East London. The popular novel ‘All Sorts of Conditions of Men’ by Walter Besant described a ‘Palace of Delights’ in East London, and provided the vision of the People’s Palace. The closure of philanthropic institutions in the area, the Beaumont Institute in 1879 and the Bancroft Hospital and Almshouses in 1884, left a void in charitable provision in the area, and also created opportunities.