Important dates and events
From the start, the Usher Hall was used for more than concerts.
In 1914 Prime Minister Asquith gave a speech in the Hall entitled The War, using the occasion to recruit from the all-male audience.
May Day celebrations in 1921 were not allowed to take place for fear of the Red Menace, as the assembled audience would have been singing The Red Flag.
The end to political rallies in the Usher Hall came after a serious incident in 1934. On 1 June, 2800 people had come to hear Sir Oswald Moseley speak. The crowds included 387 blackshirts. Between five and six thousand people protested outside and the occasion reached near riot proportions. Buses on the Lothian Road were stoned and one blackshirt lost an eye.
Curiously, In 1958 the Labour Party considered holding their conference at the Usher Hall but were put off by the anti-smoking policy.
In the early 1950's, end of season concerts for Hearts and Hibs football fans were held.
In 1986 the Commonwealth Games came to Edinburgh with the Usher Hall providing the venue for the Boxing Tournament.
Various proposals to use the Hall as a cinema were considered but did not seem to have been actioned. The earliest example being the request to screen Cecil B De Milles The King of Kings in 1928, described as a silent film with an orchestra.
The extensive basement rooms of the Usher Hall made the building ideal for use as an air-raid shelter and the venue was equipped for use during the war years. There are no records of it being used as such, but painted signs on internal doors, such as "No Dogs" indicate that preparations were made.
Still owned and managed by the City of Edinburgh Council, the Usher Hall continues to play a key role in the city's civic life. Recently, the Holocaust Memorial Ceremony and the Colin O'Reardon Memorial Concert have taken place here along with occasions such as the Scottish Business Achievement Awards lunch attended by Her Royal Highness Princess Anne. Freedom of the City ceremonies have taken place at the hall over the years, with the most recent being for film star and Scottish icon Sir Sean Connery in 1991
