Built in 1857 by Thomas Gildard and H. M. McFarlane, the Britannia Panopticon Music Hall hosted some of the biggest names on the Music hall circuit and quickly became famed as being the most popular place of amusement in the city. It was one of the first buildings in Glasgow powered by electricity, and the auditorium was one of the first places in Glasgow to show moving or animated pictures.

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In 1906 management of the old Britannia was taken over by A.E Pickard. Inspired by the great American showman, P.T. Barnum, Pickard converted the empty attic above the auditorium into a roof top carnival, waxworks and freak show. Soon afterwards he also converted the basement of the public house on the ground floor into a zoo and renamed the building Panopticon which he took from the Greek; Pan = everything, Optika = to see, as the paying visitor could see everything from attic to basement for one admission price.

The Panopticon survived until 1938 when it was finally closed, sold to a tailor and converted into a workshop. Today the Britannia Panopticon Music Hall Trust and Friends of Britannia Panopticon are working to ensure its preservation for future generations to enjoy. As such the hall is now protected as a category A listed building and as part of the campaign the Britannia Panopticon is open to the public five days a week, with the trust regularly performing traditional shows in the auditorium.

It should also be noted that Stan Laurel made his stage debut here performing a comedy routine. The Panopticon hosts regular Laurel and Hardy evenings in his honor.