Dagenham Roundhouse

Last updated

Dagenham Roundhouse
The Dagenham Roundhouse.jpg
The Roundhouse, September 2008
Dagenham Roundhouse
Alternative namesThe Village Blues Club [1]
General information
Type Public house
Location Dagenham, London, England
AddressLodge Avenue, Dagenham, RM8 2HY [2]
Coordinates 51°32′30″N0°06′48″E / 51.541584°N 0.113259°E / 51.541584; 0.113259 [3]
Inaugurated1969
LandlordKim Sullivan [4]
Dimensions
Diameter50 ft
Design and construction
Architect(s) Alfred W. Blomfield

Dagenham Roundhouse is a pub and music venue located in Dagenham, London, England. [5] It was established in 1969 as the "Village Blues Club", and from then until 1975 it was considered east London's premier rock music venue. [1]

Contents

In 2007, filmmakers Ken Gascoigne and "H" Curran produced a documentary about the club in which they interviewed some of the artists who appeared there in its heyday, including Mick Box of Uriah Heep, Brian May of Queen, the Roundhouse Promoter Andy Townsend, and various local residents, who recalled memories of the club. [1]

Behind the pub, in the location of the old car park, [1] is a road called Bragg Close. [6] This is named after the singer and poet Billy Bragg, whose family has lived in the area for over a century. [6] [7]

Bragg opened the street on 24 August 1999, dedicating it to his own brother, and paying tribute to Ben Tillett, the founder of the dockworkers union. [8] It consists of 12 housing association homes. [8]

Location

Side view Dagenham Roundhouse.jpg
Side view

It is located in the triangular segment formed by the junction of Porters Avenue (the A1153) and Lodge Avenue, and is adjacent to a boating lake and Mayesbrook park, the home of Barking & East Ham United F.C. [3] The main circular building is approximately 50 feet (15 m) in diameter, but the function room, which was used for concerts and bingo, is a long, low ceilinged, rectangular wing, extending along Lodge Avenue. It lies roughly halfway between Upney and Becontree stations on the District line in zone 5. The Roundhouse is a stop on London Buses route 368.

Acts

Acts that have appeared there include Led Zeppelin, [9] Genesis, [10] Thin Lizzy, [11] Rory Gallagher, Pink Floyd [12]

Killing Floor performing at the Roundhouse, 1971 Killing floor dagenham roundhouse 3.jpg
Killing Floor performing at the Roundhouse, 1971
Handbill from 1975 Dagenham roundhouse handbill.jpg
Handbill from 1975

Reunion

A Facebook nostalgia group was started for the Village Blues Club in 2008. It now has some 100+ members, and a private reunion was held in May 2012, back in the Roundhouse where it all started. The band who played there the most in its heyday, a total of 13 times, Stray, headlined the gig. [13]

A second reunion was held in May 2013, headlined by The Big Blues Jam (Jon Amor/Pete Gage/Mark Barrett/Dave Doherty & Friends), with support by Jon Amor. (Reunion II).[ citation needed ]

A third reunion was held in September 2013, with The Pink Torpedoes (Pete Gage/Paul Hartshorn/Pete Lowrey/Dave Raeburn). (Reunion III).[ citation needed ]

The fourth reunion took place in May 2014, once again starring Stray (Reunion IV).

Reunion V was in September 2014, again providing a link back to the original Roundhouse in that it starred Son of Man, which included George Jones, son of the original Man's Micky Jones, on guitar.

Reunion VI in May 2015 starred Martin Turner, playing the music of Wishbone Ash.

Public house

The Campaign For Real Ale (Camra) has included The Roundhouse in its database of heritage pubs in recognition of its historic interior. The entry reads: [14]

This daunting pub near the western edge of the vast Becontree Estate was built in 1936. It has a most unusual design, the work of specialist pub architect, Alfred W. Blomfield. As the name suggests the ground plan is round and on top of this there sits a T-shaped upper storey with a bulky square tower in the centre. This is a classic example of the large inter-war pubs that went up on housing estates to serve great swathes of housing and provide extensive facilities – and not just for alcohol drinkers. This one had a tea room and a wing containing an indoor bowling green. Blomfield also provided a huge oval lounge at the rear and this still survives but with a cut-through to the adjacent room at the front. This in turn is separated by a wall from the rest of the pub where one can still get some sense of the original spaces. The fittings, apart from some sub-Art Deco wall panelling, are largely replacements.

In 2005, the pub was called a "serious cause for concern". [15]

The licensee in 2008 was Kim Sullivan. [4] Kim was still the licensee in 2014.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Becontree</span> Human settlement in England

Becontree or is an area of approximately 4 square miles (10 km2) in the London Borough of Barking and Dagenham. It is located 11 miles (17.7 km) east-northeast of Charing Cross and was constructed in the interwar period as the largest public housing estate in the world. The Housing Act 1919 permitted the London County Council to build housing outside the County of London and Becontree was constructed between 1921 and 1935 to cottage estate principles in the parishes of Barking, Dagenham and Ilford, then in the administrative and ceremonial county of Essex. The official completion of the estate was celebrated in 1935, by which time the estate had a population of around 100,000 people in 26,000 homes.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">London Borough of Barking and Dagenham</span> London borough in United Kingdom

The London Borough of Barking and Dagenham is a London borough in East London. It lies around 9 miles (14.4 km) east of Central London. It is an Outer London borough and the south is within the London Riverside section of the Thames Gateway; an area designated as a national priority for urban regeneration. At the 2011 census it had a population of 187,000, the majority of which are within the Becontree estate. The borough's three main towns are Barking, Chadwell Heath and Dagenham. The local authority is the Barking and Dagenham London Borough Council. Barking and Dagenham was one of six London boroughs to host the 2012 Summer Olympics.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dagenham</span> Town in east London, England

Dagenham is a town in East London, England, within the London Borough of Barking and Dagenham. Dagenham is centred 11.5 miles (18.5 km) east of Charing Cross.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Barking, London</span> Human settlement in England

Barking is a town in East London, England, within the London Borough of Barking and Dagenham. It is 9.3 miles (15 km) east of Charing Cross. The total population of Barking was 59,068 at the 2011 census. In addition to an extensive and fairly low-density residential area, the town centre forms a large retail and commercial district, currently a focus for regeneration. The former industrial lands to the south are being redeveloped as Barking Riverside.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Becontree tube station</span> London Underground station

Becontree is a London Underground station located to the south of Becontree in the London Borough of Barking and Dagenham, east London. It is on the District line between Upney to the west and Dagenham Heathway to the east. It is 9.1 kilometres (5.7 mi) along the line from the eastern terminus at Upminster and 25.1 kilometres (15.6 mi) to Earl's Court in central London where the line divides into numerous branches. It is in Travelcard Zone 5.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Barking (UK Parliament constituency)</span> Parliamentary constituency in the United Kingdom, 1945 onwards

Barking is a constituency in Greater London represented in the House of Commons of the UK Parliament. Since its formation in 1945, it has consistently returned a member of the Labour Party as its Member of Parliament (MP). Since 1994, its MP has been Margaret Hodge.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rush Green, London</span> Human settlement in England

Rush Green is a suburban area in Romford in East London, England. It straddles the boundary of the London Borough of Barking and Dagenham and the London Borough of Havering, and is located 13.5 miles (22 km) east-northeast of Charing Cross.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">East London Transit</span> Bus rapid transit system in Barking, Goodmayes, Ilford and Dagenham

East London Transit (ELT) is a part-segregated bus rapid transit, operated as part of the London Buses network. The East London Transit opened in phases between 2010 and 2013. The scheme for this system was developed by Transport for London to meet the existing and anticipated demand for public transport in East London caused by the Thames Gateway redevelopment, and has been planned to allow for a possible future upgrade to tram operation.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Municipal Borough of Barking</span>

Barking was a local government district, and later civil parish and borough, in southwest Essex, England from 1882 to 1965. It was known as Barking Town from 1882 to 1931. The district included the town of Barking, eastern Beckton and the southwestern part of the Becontree estate. The district was within the Metropolitan Police District and experienced a steady increase in population during its existence. It now forms the western part of the London Borough of Barking and Dagenham and the eastern extremity of the London Borough of Newham in Greater London.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Municipal Borough of Dagenham</span>

Dagenham was a local government district in south west Essex, England from 1926 to 1965 covering the parish of Dagenham. Initially created as an urban district, it was incorporated as a municipal borough in 1938. It was established to deal with the increase in population and the change from rural to urban area caused by the building of the Becontree estate by the London County Council and the subsequent movement of people from Inner London. Peripheral to London, the district formed part of the Metropolitan Police District and London Traffic Area. It now forms the eastern sections of the London Borough of Barking and Dagenham and the London Borough of Redbridge in Greater London.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Barking and Dagenham London Borough Council elections</span>

Barking and Dagenham London Borough Council in London, England is elected every four years. Since the last boundary changes in 2002, 51 councillors have been elected from 17 wards.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Barking Abbey School</span> State secondary school in London, England

Barking Abbey School is a secondary school and specialist sports and humanities college located in the London Borough of Barking and Dagenham. It serves students from the London Boroughs of Barking and Dagenham, Redbridge, and Newham. Years 7 to 11 are at the Longbridge Road site and years 7 to 13 at the Sandringham Road site. Barking Abbey also has a Sixth Form of over 400 students which is at the Sandringham Road site. A Level and BTEC courses are available to 16 - 18 year-olds in the Sixth Form. Both sites are situated to the west of Mayesbrook Park and to the north of Upney Underground station.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Becontree Heath</span> Human settlement in England

Becontree Heath is an open space in the London Borough of Barking and Dagenham. The name has also been applied to the local area, in particular to the RM8 postal district.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Valence House Museum</span> Building in London, England

Valence House Museum is the only surviving of the five manor houses of Dagenham. The timber-framed museum building, partially surrounded by a moat, is situated in Valence Park off Becontree Avenue, in the London Borough of Barking and Dagenham, London, England. The building has been used as a manor house, a family home, a town hall, the headquarters of the library service and now houses a museum.

There are various formal and informal subdivisions of London Borough of Barking and Dagenham and of parts of that borough.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Castle Green, London</span> Human settlement in England

Castle Green is a park and suburb in the London Borough of Barking and Dagenham, United Kingdom. The locality is close to Creekmouth and is part of the Becontree estate.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mayesbrook Park</span>

Mayesbrook Park is a 43 hectare public park in Dagenham in the London Borough of Barking and Dagenham. It is owned and managed by the borough council. The southern end, which is mainly a large lake, is a Local Nature Reserve. The area covered by the park was once part of the historic Manor of Jenkins, seat of the Fanshawe family. For reasons which remain obscure, the park is sometimes nicknamed "Matchstick Island".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Parsloes Park</span> Park in Becontree, East London, England

Parsloes Park is a 58 hectare public park in Dagenham in the London Borough of Barking and Dagenham. It is owned and managed by the borough council. A small area opposite the Wren Road entrance is managed for wildlife and designated as a Local Nature Reserve called Parsloes Park Squatts.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 Smith, Geoff (November 2006), Citizen, London Borough of Barking and Dagenham (council), p. 10, archived from the original on 9 February 2013, retrieved 18 August 2009
  2. ↑ "Live Music Venues. Entertainment". London Borough of Barking and Dagenham (council). Retrieved 18 August 2009.[ permanent dead link ]
  3. 1 2 Mapping, London Borough of Barking and Dagenham (council), archived from the original on 17 August 2011, retrieved 18 August 2009
  4. 1 2 Environmental and Enforcement Services Temporary Event Notice (PDF), London Borough of Barking and Dagenham (council), retrieved 18 August 2009[ permanent dead link ]
  5. ↑ "Dagenham Roundhouse [Classic Rock Concerts]". Classic-rock-concerts.com. Archived from the original on 30 December 2010. Retrieved 18 August 2009.
  6. 1 2 Ross, Deborah (11 November 2002), Billy Bragg: Rebel with a cause – Profiles, People – The Independent, archived from the original on 26 December 2008, retrieved 21 August 2009
  7. ↑ Moreton, Cole (7 September 2003), "A LIFE IN FULL: Still looking for a New England During the Thatcher years", The Independent on Sunday, London
  8. 1 2 Saturday Profile Billy Bragg The Red Bragg Article, The Scotsman Article, 28 August 1999, archived from the original on 26 October 2012, retrieved 21 August 2009
  9. ↑ "Dagenham Roundhouse | Led Zeppelin – Official Website". Led Zeppelin. Archived from the original on 6 May 2008. Retrieved 18 August 2009.
  10. ↑ Russell, Paul (2004), Genesis: Play Me My Song: A Live Guide, 1969–1974, SAF Publishing, p. 216, ISBN   978-0-946719-58-7 , retrieved 18 August 2009
  11. ↑ Peter Nielsen. "Thin Lizzy tour 1974 Thin Lizzy Guide made by Peter Nielsen". Thinlizzyguide.com. Archived from the original on 11 October 2008. Retrieved 18 August 2009.
  12. ↑ Povey, Glenn; Russell, Ian (1998), In the flesh: the complete performance history, St. Martin's Griffin, p. 97, ISBN   978-0-312-19175-7
  13. ↑ Barking & Dagenham Post. "Dagenham rock club revellers plan Village Blues Club reunion 30 years on". Archived from the original on 29 September 2022. Retrieved 6 February 2012.
  14. ↑ "Real Heritage Pubs Online Guide". Heritagepubs.org.uk. Archived from the original on 29 September 2022. Retrieved 13 February 2016.
  15. ↑ Barking & Dagenham Post. "Barking and Dagenham Post". Bdpost.co.uk. Retrieved 18 August 2009.[ permanent dead link ]
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.