Roundhouse (venue)

For other uses, see Roundhouse (disambiguation).

Roundhouse
Main entrance to the Roundhouse
Map
LocationChalk Farm, London, England
Coordinates51°32′36″N 0°09′07″W / 51.5432°N 0.1519°W / 51.5432; -0.1519
Public transitLondon Underground Chalk Farm
Capacity1,800 standing; 1,500 seated[1]
Construction
Built1846–1847
Renovated2004–2005
ArchitectRobert Stephenson, Robert B. Dockray (original)
John McAslan & Partners (renovation)
Website
roundhouse.org.uk

The Roundhouse is a performing arts and concert venue at the Grade II* listed former railway engine shed in Chalk Farm, London, England. The building was erected in 1846–1847 by the London & North Western Railway as a roundhouse, a circular building containing a railway turntable, but was used for that purpose for only about a decade. After being used as a warehouse for a number of years, the building fell into disuse just before World War II. It was first made a listed building in 1954.[2]

It reopened after 25 years, in 1964, as a performing arts venue, when the playwright Arnold Wesker established the Centre 42 Theatre Company and adapted the building as a theatre.[3] The large circular structure has hosted various promotions, such as the launch of the underground paper International Times in 1966,[4] one of only two UK appearances by The Doors with Jim Morrison in 1968,[5] and the Greasy Truckers Party in 1972.[6]

The Greater London Council ceded control of the building to Camden Council in 1983. By that time, Centre 42 had run out of funds and the building remained unused until a local businessman purchased the building in 1996 and performing arts shows returned. It was closed again in 2004 for a multi-million pound redevelopment. On 1 June 2006, the Argentine show Fuerzabruta opened at the new Roundhouse.[3]

Since 2006, the Roundhouse has hosted the BBC Electric Proms[7] and numerous iTunes Festivals,[8] as well as award ceremonies such as the BT Digital Music Awards[9] and the Vodafone Live Music Awards.[10] In 2009, Bob Dylan performed a concert, and iTunes promoted a music iTunes Festival, at the venue. In line with the continuing legacy of avant-garde productions, NoFit State Circus performed the show Tabú during which the audience were encouraged to move around the performance space.[11]

  1. ^ "The Roundhouse – The Space". The Roundhouse. Retrieved 5 November 2023.
  2. ^ "The Roundhouse". Historic England. Retrieved 4 February 2018.
  3. ^ a b "The history of Roundhouse". roundhouse.org.uk. Retrieved 29 July 2013.
  4. ^ "Archive 1966–1986". international-times.org.uk. Retrieved 3 April 2010.
  5. ^ "The Doors: The Doors Are Open – The Roundhouse, London (1968)". Movies & TV Dept. The New York Times. 2007. Archived from the original on 14 November 2007. Retrieved 3 April 2010.
  6. ^ "The Greasy Truckers Party (1972)". gsd.harvard.edu. Archived from the original on 7 September 2007. Retrieved 3 April 2010.
  7. ^ "About Electric Proms". BBC. Retrieved 3 April 2010.
  8. ^ "About the iTunes Festival". itv.com. Retrieved 7 April 2011.
  9. ^ Oates, Joanne (30 August 2007). "GCap strong contender for BT Digital Awards". BBC. Retrieved 3 April 2010.
  10. ^ "The 2006 Vodafone Live Music Awards". vodafonemusic.co.uk. Archived from the original on 2 April 2012. Retrieved 3 April 2010.
  11. ^ Tabu my Fear and Yours (programme). No fit State (2009). Reg charity no: 1102850. pp. 1–10.