The Roundhouse – A Popular London Performing Arts Venue

The Roundhouse is Music and Theatre Venue in Camden, London:

The Roundhouse London – Image by R Sones CC

For live music, theatre, dance and other performing arts in London, the Roundhouse in Camden is one of the more popular venues with an international program of events. From rock concerts to classical music, stand-up comics to poetry slams, i-Tunes Festivals to the Camden Fringe, the Roundhouse’s calendar of events is packed throughout most of the year round.

Tickets to music concerts at the Roundhouse are always in big demand so if you’re planning on attending a music event here, it is advisable to book early.  See what’s on at the Roundhouse and you can also buy tickets online here.

A Legendary Cultural Venue

The Roundhouse is located in the Borough of Camden in the north of London. The building itself has had an interesting history in terms of its usage. It was originally built in 1846 as a steam-engine repair shed.

The circular building housed a railway turntable but its role as a repair shed lasted for only a decade.  Larger locomotives and advancement in technology soon made the Roundhouse redundant.

The Roundhouse was then used for various purposes. Although it was built as a railway repair shed, it served as a bonded warehouse  for Gilbey’s Gin’s for a much longer period – over 50 years.  In 1964, it was transformed into Centre 42, a cutting-edge arts venue and between the 1960s and 1970s, music legends like Jimi Hendrix, Pink Floyd and others performed here. Sadly, Centre 42 closed in 1983 due to lack of funding.

The Roundhouse went through a period of disuse and disrepair and it was not until 1996 that there were hopes for its redevelopment. Sir Torquil Norman, a philanthropist, bought the building and in 2004 the Roundhouse was closed for a £30m redevelopment which included restoring its orignal features and building a state-of-the-art creative studio for 11-25 year olds.  The Roundhouse is not only a concert venue. The Roundhouse Studios provide a state of the art creative environment to nurture young artists.

Since its refurbishment, many great artists have performed here and great shows have taken place here.

Getting to the Roundhouse:

By Tube
The Northern Line goes to Camden Town and Chalk Farm

• From Camden Town station it is a 10 minute walk to Roundhouse. Turn right out of the station onto Chalk Farm Road and continue until you pass under the railway bridge. The Roundhouse is on your left.
• From Chalk Farm station it is a 2 minute walk to Roundhouse. Turn left out of the station, take a right at Chalk Farm Road and the Roundhouse is on the right.

By Bus

• To/from Camden: 24, 27, 29, 31, 134, 135, 168, 214, 253, 274, C2.
• To/from Chalk Farm: 24, 27, 31, 46, 168, 393.

By Train
Kentish Town West (London Overground) on Dalby Street is the closest station to the Roundhouse. Turn right out of the station, right at Prince of Wales Road, left at Crogsland Road, then left at Chalk Farm Road and the Roundhouse on the opposite side of the road.

Address:
The Roundhouse
Chalk Farm Road
Camden
London
NW1 8EH
Website: www.roundhouse.org.uk

Map of London:

Click here to get a free PDF of this post