The West End
The West End of London was in many ways the heart of Polari, with numerous theatres where chorus boys adopted Polari as ‘the walloper’s language’. The Polari-speaking stars of Round the Horne, Julian and Sandy were based on two real-life theatre men, Julian Slade (who co-wrote Salad Days) and Sandy Wilson (who wrote The Boyfriend). Additionally, the Dilly Boys used Polari as a trade language, literally.
First expand the bijou map below by clicking on the little icon (top right hand side). Then click on the hot-spots for information about the locations.
London
The map below incorporates influences on Polari beyond the West End – taking into account Victorian music halls, the docklands and other locations of interest.