Roundhouse
The Roundhouse is a venue at Chalk Farm, in London, England.
On 15 October, 1966 the Roundhouse hosted a concert by Syd Barrett?s Pink Floyd to launch the Underground Press paper International Times. At the time The Roundhouse was a complete fire trap and hadn't been used since before the second World War. Although it appeared to be a locomotive-turning shed it had never been used for that purpose! Its original purpose was to house the winding gear to pull the trains up hill from Euston Station and once steam power was strong enough, it became redundant. By 1966, it was grimy, derelict and (certainly in October at the time of the ??IT?? launch gig), very, very cold. In the late 1960?s/1970?s, after the success of this initial gig the Roundhouse became an important venue for UK Underground and music events. The Rolling Stones, Jimi Hendrix, Led Zeppelin, and The Doors played at the Roundhouse. In the case of The Doors it was their only UK gig. It also hosted Punk gigs in the latter part of the 1970?s closing in 1983. It remained until 1998 when the ??Roundhouse Trust?? was set up to lead its redevelopment. It is currently (2004) still closed though the Trust hope to reopen the Roundhouse again in 2005 to return it to London's cultural life.
?The redeveloped Roundhouse will house up to 3300 people standing or up to 1700 seated. It will provide a highly flexible and adaptable performance space that will give artists and audiences opportunities and experiences they cannot find elsewhere. And it will accommodate a programme of work that reflects the excitement and diversity of 21st century culture. It will include a wide range of the performing arts including music, theatre, dance, circus and digital media and will include the ??Roundhouse Youth Arts??.?, (1).
The Roundhouse briefly hosted the UFO Club after its original venue was closed down due to police pressure and the imprisonment of founder John Hopkins.
References
- 1) Retrieved Aug. 8, 2004
