Earls Court Exhibition Centre

Coordinates: 51°29′20″N 0°11′52″W / 51.48889°N 0.19778°W / 51.48889; -0.19778
Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
This article is about the defunct exhibition and concert venue. For the area of London, see Earl's Court. For the Underground station, see Earl's Court tube station.

Earls Court Exhibition Centre
Earls Court One (1991–2014)
Delancey
Capacity20,000
SurfaceVersatile
Construction
Built1935–37
Opened1 September 1937; 86 years ago (1937-09-01)
ExpandedEC II in 1991
Closed13 December 2014; 9 years ago (2014-12-13)
Demolished2014–2016
Construction cost£1.5 million
(£111 million in 2024 pounds[1])
ArchitectC. Howard Crane

Earls Court Exhibition Centre was a major international exhibition and events venue in

art moderne structure built between 1935 and 1937 by specialist American architect C. Howard Crane. With the active support of London mayor Boris Johnson, in an attempt to create Europe's "largest regeneration scheme", its proposed heritage listing was refused after it was acquired by developers, who promptly in 2008 applied for and were granted a Certificate of Immunity from Listing by English Heritage, and its demolition was completed in 2017.[2]

Located in

Royal Household.[3]
This was followed by numerous other exhibitions representing countries such as Canada, France and India.

Earls Court was widely known for serving as London's and the country's premier exhibition venue for many decades, hosting the

pop concerts in addition to hundreds of trade shows, such as the London Book Fair.[4] It was also used as one of the venues for both the 1948 and 2012 Olympic Games
.

History

the 1894 Great Wheel at Earl's Court
Aerial view of Earls Court, 2008 L-R Empress State Building, Earls Court Two and Earls Court

Before 1887,

Columbian Exposition, and went on to found nearby White City
in 1908.

In 1935, Earls Court was sold and the new owners decided to construct an exhibition centre, with an internal pool, to rival any other in the world and to dominate the nearby

Olympia exhibition hall. The plan was to create Europe's largest structure by volume. The project did not go exactly to plan; it ran over budget and was late in completion. Designed by the specialist American theatre architect, C. Howard Crane, with over 40,000 sq m of space over two levels, Earls Court finally opened its doors to the public for the Chocolate and Confectionery Exhibition on 1 September 1937.[5] The British International Motor Show
immediately followed and later the Commercial Vehicle show. In spite of all the problems during the latter part of its construction, the project was eventually completed at a cost of £1.5 million.

At the centre of Earls Court was its internal pool or "lake" (its basin being 60m long and 30m wide), which for use took four days to fill and four days to empty; 21⁄4 million gallons of water were required to fill it. These operations could only be accomplished at night, so as not to put undue strain on local services. A 750-tonne retractable floor in three sections covered the pool when not in use and was lowered using water hydraulic rams.[6] The pool was used for watercraft exhibitions and lastly as a feature for the Ideal Home Show in 2011.

A new entrance to Earl's Court tube station was constructed on Warwick Road to facilitate easy access to the exhibition centre, including a direct entrance from the underground passage which connected the District and Piccadilly lines. However, this was closed in the 1990s after the capacity of the exhibition centre had been expanded by the construction of a second hall, Earls Court Two, in an effort to compete with the National Exhibition Centre in Birmingham.[7]

Earls Court Two

Earls Court Two
Capital and Counties Plc
Capacity10,750 or 6,000 (seated)
Construction
Opened17 October 1991
Closed13 December 2014
Demolished2015
Construction cost£100 million
(£322 million in 2024 pounds[1])

In 1985 it was decided by the then owners

P&O
to expand the covered venue to fend off competition from rival national venues, such as the NEC in Birmingham and in response to the drastic need to increase exhibition space.

Earls Court II was built over the London Underground and

Muslim
community.

Earls Court Two was demolished by

Capco Plc
in 2015.

Closure

With falling attendances and the sale of Earls Court-Olympia to a newly formed developer group in 2008 confidential plans were drawn up to demolish Earls Court. These were approved in outline by the two local authorities in 2013, along with a swathe of public housing, existing retail and the historic Lillie Bridge Depot in Fulham in order to make way for four new urban "villages" inspired by Terry Farrell on the 80-acre site, which was expected to be completed in 2033. Demolition work began on the site in December 2014 following its closure on 13 December.[8] The final event in the main Earls Court was a concert by indie rock band Bombay Bicycle Club.[9] The final event to be broadcast from the venue was the 2014 BBC Music Awards two days earlier. The site remains derelict to this day (2023).

Events

Exhibitions

Ideal Home Show (March 2011)

Earls Court hosted many shows and exhibitions throughout the years, including the

MPH Show, one of Britain's largest motoring exhibitions and shows, hosted by Jeremy Clarkson and others, took place there each winter after an earlier showing at the National Exhibition Centre
in Birmingham.

Each summer from 1950 to 1999, Earls Court was home to the Royal Tournament, the first, oldest and biggest military tattoo in the world. For this the area now occupied by Earls Court Two became a stables, artillery and vehicle depot for some two months, with several hundred military personnel from all three services billeted 'on site'.

The

Professional Lighting and Sound Association held its annual trade show, the PLASA Show
, at Earls Court between 1992 and 2012. The 2013 show was held at ExCeL.

London Film and Comic Con was hosted at Earls Court 2, held every July. The convention held autograph and photoshoot sessions with celebrity guests as well as providing a place to play games and buy collectables. In July 2014, due to the increase in the event's popularity, it was hosted in both Earls Court 1 and Earls Court 2.

Historical

Earl's Court station

Notable historic exhibitions at the centre included:

  • The American Show, 1887.
  • The Italian Exhibition in London, 1888.
  • The Spanish Exhibition, 1889.
  • French Exhibition, 1890.
  • German Exhibition, 1891.
  • Captain Boynton's Water Show, 1893.
  • Empire of India Exhibition, 1895.
  • Empire of India & Ceylon Exhibition, 1896.
  • International Universal Exhibition, 1898.
  • Greater Britain Exhibition, 1899.
  • Paris in London, 1902.
  • International Fire Exhibition, 1903.
  • Italian Exhibition, 1904.
  • Imperial-Royal Austrian Exhibition, 1906.
  • Balkan States Exhibition, 1907.
  • Old Japan, 1907.
  • Golden West Exhibition, 1909.[10]
  • Shakespeare's England, 1912.

Boat shows

The central area of the main hall concealed a massive pool area, formerly used for the London Boat Show which was held annually from 1960 until 2003. The event transferred to ExCeL in the London Docklands the following year. It was also briefly used for the Earls Court Boat Show in 2007 and 2008.

War refugees camp

During the

British Government. From 15 October 1914 onwards until 1919, more than 100,000 Belgian refugees stayed in this camp.[11]

Sports

Earls Court hosted the volleyball matches during the 2012 Summer Olympics.

Empress Hall was the site of the first game played outside of North America by any of the major North American professional sports leagues, when on 21 April, 1938 the

NHL played the starting game of the 1938 Detroit Red Wings–Montreal Canadiens European tour there.[12]

Earls Court hosted the volleyball competitions in the

Olympic Park.[13] At the 1948 Summer Olympics, the venue hosted the boxing preliminaries, gymnastics, weightlifting, and wrestling events.[14]

The London leg of the 2010 FIFA World Cup Trophy Tour was held at Earls Court Two on 11 March, with Wayne Rooney making an appearance with the trophy.

Religious gathering

Earls Court was the venue for the visit or mulaqat of the Aga Khan during the inauguration of the Ismaili Centre at Cromwell Gardens on 24 April 1985.

Musical events

Earls Court was one of the most popular arenas to play in the UK, with a capacity of around 19,000 including standing room, meaning it was often chosen over other venues by bands with a large fan base.

World of Our Own Tour supporting their album World of Our Own.[citation needed] However, after the opening of the O2 Arena in 2007, concert performances at Earls Court were rarer. Iron Maiden performed at Earls Court in 2000, 2003 and two nights in 2006 - each time sold out with circa 21,000 in attendance.[17]

Pink Floyd seating collapse, 1994

On the night of 12 October 1994, Pink Floyd were scheduled to begin a 14-night residency of the venue as part of The Division Bell Tour. During their opening song, "Shine On You Crazy Diamond"[18] a section of seating, containing 1,200 attendees, collapsed, injuring 90 people with[19] no fatalities.[19] The show was immediately cancelled and rescheduled for 17 October.[19][18]

Spice Girls incident, 1999

On 11, 12, 14 and 15 December 1999, the Spice Girls performed Christmas in Spiceworld Tour.

While dismantling the stage on 16 December, a worker died from falling more than 80 ft.[20]

Brit Awards

The Brit Awards, the British Phonographic Industry's annual pop music awards, were first held at Earls Court in 1996 and 1997. The awards show returned in 2000 at Earls Court Two, before moving back to the main Earls Court in 2006. The awards show moved to The O2 Arena
in 2011.

Dog Show

Before moving to the Birmingham's NEC,

Discover Dogs. The last show in London was held in 2014.[citation needed
]

Demolition and redevelopment

Green corridor

The owner of Earls Court and

Capital & Counties Properties (also known as Capco), opened discussions in 2010 with the London Borough of Hammersmith & Fulham and the Royal Borough of Kensington & Chelsea to demolish the existing landmark centre and redevelop the area with up to 8,000 residential flats, retail outlets and, possibly, a new convention centre.[21][22][23]

Demolition work began on the site in December 2014.

Earls Court Exhibition ancillary site in Fulham

Lillie Sports Ground, c. 1875

Since the 1970s, Earls Court-Olympia had acquired parcels of industrial land west of the West London Railway in Fulham to use as a marshalling yard and overspill car park for the exhibition centre. Prior to its early 20th-century mixed industrial use, as a coal yard and for the automotive industry, the 20 or so acres were known as the "Lillie Bridge Grounds", a popular sports destination.[24] Since the site's acquisition by Capco plc as part of the Earls Court Exhibition Centre deal, it is being redeveloped as "Lillie Square", an estate of apartment blocks, some of them high-rise.[25]

Opposition to demolition

1865 heritage buildings in Empress Place SW6, named in honour of Queen Victoria's visit, backing onto Earls Court 2 also due for demolition

The demolition of Earls Court was opposed by the 'Earl's Court Area Action Group', which began a 'Save Earl's Court' campaign.[26] The Group is composed of local residents and interested parties who would be affected by the exhibition centre's destruction and subsequent 20 years of proposed redevelopment.

Darren Johnson, a Green Party member of the London Assembly, wrote to the Mayor of London, Boris Johnson, and argued that "the Earl's Court demolition plans are a recipe for a disaster, with massive economic, social and environmental consequences. The winners will be the wealthy developers and overseas property speculators while the losers will be the community, local businesses and Londoners who will lose one of the capital's key exhibition centres."[27]

The Guardian's London blogger Dave Hill cited concerns over the number and relative affordability of the housing units that will be constructed on the site after the proposed demolition of Earls Court, as well as concerns over the views of local residents.[28]

Despite the opposition, Boris Johnson approved the redevelopment plans on 3 July 2013.[29]

H&F Council bid to take over scheme

Since the election of a Labour majority on the Hammersmith and Fulham side of the boundary in 2014, relations between the developers and elected representatives have soured if not stalled. Sensitivities on the Conservative Kensington and Chelsea side have grown since the

RBKC, with a view to "remastering" the plans, a decision to be considered at a full council meeting in September 2019. A spokesman for the developers responded that the council had not demonstrated their capacity to do this.[30]

Earls Court sold on

Capco plc sold their declining interest in Earls Court to APG, a Dutch pension fund, and to the British firm Delancey for £425 million in November 2019. In 2015 Capco plc was valued at £1.4 billion. The two Hammersmith and Fulham housing estates are to be sold back to the Council at cost.[31]

See also

References

  1. ^ a b UK Retail Price Index inflation figures are based on data from Clark, Gregory (2017). "The Annual RPI and Average Earnings for Britain, 1209 to Present (New Series)". MeasuringWorth. Retrieved 11 June 2022.
  2. ^ Hill, Dave (21 November 2013). "Earls Court: Boris Johnson's borough chums sell lump of London cheap". The Guardian. Retrieved 18 May 2019.
  3. ^ Charles Lowe (1892). Four National Exhibitions in London and their Organiser. London: T. Fisher Unwin. Retrieved 11 October 2019.
  4. ISBN 978-0750929981
    .
  5. ^ "The final curtain for Earls Court: last gig at legendary music venue". London Evening Standard. 12 December 2014.
  6. ^ Jessel, Anne (2 July 2001). "Earls Court Exhibition Centre Pool - 1935". Finding Lidos - Dive into Lost Lidos. Retrieved 27 March 2019.
  7. ^ Glanfield, John. (2003). Earls Court and Olympia: From Buffalo Bill to the Brits. London: Sutton Publishing.
  8. ^ "Earls Court Exhibition Centre, London". www.modernistbritain.co.uk. Archived from the original on 17 January 2018. Retrieved 24 March 2019.
  9. ^ "The final curtain for Earls Court: last gig at legendary music venue". Evening Standard. 12 December 2014. Retrieved 24 March 2019.
  10. ^ Board of Trade Journal. H.M. Stationery Office. 1908.
  11. ^ "Fork CMS". Fork CMS. Archived from the original on 17 August 2017.
  12. ^ "Canadiens, Wings Play at London Thursday". The Montreal Gazette. Canadian Press Cable. 18 April 1938. p. 14. Retrieved 17 November 2023.
  13. ^ London2012.com profile. Archived 2 October 2011 at the Wayback Machine – accessed 29 September 2010.
  14. ^ 1948 Summer Olympics official report. Archived 16 July 2011 at the Wayback Machine pp. 43, 46, 49–50.
  15. ^ "Slade Earls Court London 1973 Live Review".
  16. ^ "Bowie and Sid at Earl's Court 45 years ago". David Bowie. 12 May 2018. Retrieved 24 March 2019.
  17. ^ "Tours". ironmaiden.com. 15 February 2022. Retrieved 15 February 2022.
  18. ^ a b "Pink Floyd - 1994 Earls Court seating collapse report". Brain Damage magazine. Retrieved 15 March 2018.
  19. ^ a b c Penman, Danny (13 October 1994). "Pink Floyd 'very angry and upset' over accident: Human error could have caused temporary stand's collapse at rock concert attended by 15,000 fans". The Independent. Retrieved 15 March 2018.
  20. ^ "Workman dies on Spice set". The Guardian. 17 December 1999. Retrieved 5 January 2017.
  21. ^ yourearlscourt.com Archived 16 January 2010 at the Wayback Machine
  22. London Evening Standard. Archived from the original
    on 26 January 2012. Retrieved 7 August 2012.
  23. ^ (registration required) Hatcher, David (19 June 2009). "Olympian Effort". Property Week. Retrieved 5 August 2012.
  24. ^ "Lillie Bridge". www.runtrackdir.com. Retrieved 31 May 2016.
  25. ^ "Earls Court gets 808 new homes at Lillie Square". Evening Standard-Homes and Property. 4 April 2014. Retrieved 19 May 2019.
  26. ^ "Save Earl's Court! – Home". Saveearlscourt.com. Retrieved 15 January 2014.
  27. ^ "News from Darren Johnson AM: Mayor urged to refuse Earl's Court planning application | Greater London Authority". London.gov.uk. 5 March 2013. Archived from the original on 23 April 2013. Retrieved 15 January 2014.
  28. ^ Hill, Dave (26 November 2012). "Earls Court: Kensington and Chelsea's go ahead can't hide the contradictions". The Guardian. Retrieved 15 January 2014.
  29. ^ "Earls Court demolition plan approved by Mayor of London". BBC News. 3 July 2013. Retrieved 4 July 2013.
  30. ^ Jonathan Prynn (17 May 2019). "Council make 200m bid to seize earls Court land for affordable housing". Evening Standard. Retrieved 17 May 2019.
  31. ^ Megan Kelly (18 November 2019). "Capco sells Earls Court estate for £425m". Construction News. Retrieved 28 November 2019.

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Earls Court Exhibition Centre.
Preceded by Miss World venue
2011 		Succeeded by
Dongsheng Fitness Center Stadium
China Ordos City
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