Thomas Panton, who amassed a great fortune through gambling, made the decision to never gamble again. Instead, he used his wealth to purchase Shaver’s Hall, named after an incident involving Lord Dunbar who reportedly lost £3000 in a single sitting.
Despite its name, Shaver’s Hall was not a barbershop but rather a gambling hall located on the northeast corner of the Haymarket and Coventry Street, extending to what is now Panton Street.
Panton decided to demolish the gambling hall and build over it.
