Wapping Autonomy Centre
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Wapping Autonomy Centre (also known as The Anarchist Centre) was a
Project
The centre was set up in a rented space in Metropolitan Wharf,
The warehouse had been suggested by
Activities
During its short lifespan, the Autonomy Centre became an important focal point for the
Albert Meltzer records that the centre was "Ronan Bennett's brainchild." He goes on to say that "the punk support, especially from followers of Crass and Poison Girls, was substantial. Punk has lasted a couple of decades, long outlasting the proposed club. With the punks' money came the punks, and in the first week they had ripped up every single piece of furniture carefully bought, planned and fitted, down to the lavatory fittings that had been installed by Ronan from scratch, and defaced our own and everyone else's wall for blocks around. In the excitement of the first gigs where they could do as they liked, they did as they liked and wrecked the place. Loss of club, loss of money, loss of effort. End of story."[7]
The centre eventually folded when the benefit parties failed to pay the rent.[8]
Legacy
Many of those involved with the centre went on to become active at the Centro Iberico, a squatted project with similar aims and ethos in west London.[5]
The centre also inspired other squatted self-managed projects in London such as the Ambulance Station on
Penny Rimbaud from Crass commented "It was a good try. We’d made all this money to defend Persons Unknown and it wasn’t needed. I think it was something in the region of ten grand, which was a lot of money in those days."[10]
See also
- Self-managed social centres in the United Kingdom
- 1 in 12 Club
- 121 Centre
- ABC No Rio
- St Agnes Place
- Warzone Collective
References
- ISBN 978-1846094026.
- S2CID 216899500.
- ISBN 978-1846094026.
- ^ Jenkins, Tom (10 July 2015). "Remembering Jo Brocklehurst, the Artist Who Documented London's 1980s Anarcho-Punk Squatters". Vice. Archived from the original on 3 October 2019. Retrieved 3 October 2019.
- ^ a b Martin, Andy (1994). "Autonomy Centres, Riots & The Big Rammy". Smile 12. London. Archived from the original on 18 July 2019. Retrieved 30 March 2019.
- ^ Vive Le Rock!. "HAGITATION FOR THE NATION!". London Music Hall UK. Archived from the original on 3 October 2019. Retrieved 3 October 2019.
- ISBN 9781873176931, archivedfrom the original on 8 September 2015, retrieved 28 December 2013
- ^ "Autonomy Centre, Wapping, London E1 – 06/12/81". KILL YOUR PET PUPPY. 17 May 2009. Archived from the original on 15 January 2018. Retrieved 3 October 2019.
- ISBN 978-1846094026.
- ISBN 978-1846094026.
External links
- Photographs from the centre on the Kill Your Pet Puppy website
- The Autonomy Centre record label