THE MAGIC CIRCLE

“I believe that you are a wizard, Mr. Holmes.  I really do sometimes think that you have powers that are not human.”  (Abbey Grange)

The 2026 Richard Lancelyn Green Lecture will be held on Thursday 19^th November 2026.  As a change from our usual lecture, we will be spending the evening at The Magic Circle Headquarters, 12 Stephenson Way, London, NW1 2HD.  The nearest Underground Station is Euston Square or Warren Street.  It is probably best to avoid Euston Station due to the on-going work on HS2.

• From Euston Square – Leave the exit marked the NORTH SIDE of Euston Road, turn right on Euston Rd, turn right again into North Gower St past Euston Square Hotel and immediately right again into Stephenson Way. Follow the road until you get to number 12. (Avg. time 2 mins)
• From Warren Street – Cross the three lanes of traffic and you will be on the corner of Tottenham Court Road (With UCLH Hospital on the corner) and six lanes of Euston Road in front of you. Cross Euston Road and when you get to the north side immediately turn right and walk (with a big silvery building to your left and traffic on your right until you reach North Gower St (2 – 3 mins). Turn left into North Gower Street and immediately take the first right into Stephenson Way.

We will gather from 7pm for a 7.30pm start.  There will be a cash bar, but no food.  There are plenty of watering holes in the area for those who wish to get something to eat beforehand, though sadly Speedy’s will have closed mid-afternoon.

The cost of the evening is £60 a head.  Members may initially book for 1 guest, as numbers are strictly limited.  There will be an option to tick to say you would like to bring a second guest, and we will contact you closer to the meeting should places still be available.  The meeting charge includes VAT but not drinks, which must be paid for on the night.

We will split into two groups: one group will be shown some close-up magic, while the other group has a tour of the Museum.  The two groups will then swap over.  At about 8.30pm, the President of The Magic Circle, Marvin Berglas, will give a short talk with some immersive magic, we hope surrounded by Houdini cabinets and other material.  There will then be a one-hour show in the theatre.  Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, of course, knew Harry Houdini, and famously fell out with him over the questions of Spiritualism.  The Magic Circle has said they will try to customise the evening around the effects used by Spiritualists.  The formal business should finish around 10pm, allowing time to revisit the cash bar with the cast.  The evening finishes at 10.30pm.

London has a long history of magic shows.  When the Egyptian Hall was built in 1812, it was primarily a museum.  Over the years, magic shows replaced lectures and other programs until 1873, when magicians John Nevil Maskelyne and George Cooke moved in permanently.  Maskelyne and Cooke brought audiences back by constantly changing and adding to their show.

Have you ever wondered how Harry Houdini started his career?  As a card magician, but he gained fame for his spectacular escapes from handcuffs, straight-jackets and more.  He created the illusions of “The Chinese Water Torture Cell” “Walking Through a Brick Wall” and “The Vanishing Elephant.”  He took his stage name from Jean Eugene Robert-Houdin, who was probably the most famous and innovative illusionist of his, or any other, time with his stage shows being played out to nobility across Europe including performances in front of Queen Victoria and Napoléon III.  And just who was the magician Chung Ling Soo, who performed at London’s Hippodrome from January 1905?  Was he really the Chinese magician that he seemed to be?  What was his relationship to Ching Ling Foo, who was born in 1854 in Beijing, China?

The motto of The Magic Circle is ‘Indocilis Privata Loqui’ — ‘Not apt to disclose secrets’.  All members give a written undertaking not disclose magical secrets other than to magicians or bona fide students of magic.  It has been called the most exclusive club in the world. Founded in 1905 by a small group of amateur and professional magicians, the first president was David Devant who was in turn succeeded by Nevil Maskelyne in 1906.  The club’s early meetings took place in St George’s Hall, Langham Place where Maskelyne and Devant delighted audiences with magic shows for many years.  The Magic Circle moved to its first permanent headquarters close to Euston Station in 1998.  The Magic Circle today has 1,500 members in over forty countries.  It is without doubt the premier magical society in the world.

Some members may remember our previous visit to The Magic Circle, nearly 20 years ago.  The headquarters building has been widely acclaimed as the finest magic headquarters in the world with three floors packed with displays and posters from The Magic Circle archives.  There is a fully equipped purpose-built theatre, the Devant Room featuring priceless magical memorabilia, a clubroom and bar, and museums showcasing one of the largest magic collections in Europe.  This is a rare opportunity to see magic performed in the premier home of magic and to enjoy a guided tour of the museum at a very advantageous price.  Book early as places are strictly limited.

Applications for the meeting should be made no later than 4^th November.

Anyone attending a Society function for the first time should bring along and display their yellow cards of introduction, so that we can identify them and introduce them to our members.  We look forward to seeing everyone on the night.

The Society likes to keep a record of its activities, including photographs of our meetings which are published in the Journal and on the Society’s website.  If you do not want to appear in a Society photograph please avoid being in any posed photographs and advise one of the meeting organisers.

Book Now

The Meetings Secretary’s e mail address is: c.cooke@dsl.pipex.com