The Dome, London

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The Dome, London
The Dome, London
Former namesStanley Hall & Baths
Electric Theatre [1]
Stanley Cinema [1]
Harper’s Clubroom [1]
Tufnell Park Palais [2]
The Boston Club [1]
Boston Music Room
Address2a Dartmouth Park Hill
London, UK
Coordinates 51°33′27″N0°08′18″W / 51.557459°N 0.13838°W / 51.557459; -0.13838
Public transit Underground no-text.svg Tufnell Park
Type Music venue
Genre(s)
Capacity
  • Upstairs: 600 [3]
  • Downstairs: 300 [3]
Current useLive Music Venue
Construction
Built1884
OpenedApril 1885
Reopened
  • June 1909
  • 1981
BuilderE. H. Blunt
Website
www.domelondon.co.uk

The Dome, London, is an independent music venue situated in the heart of Tufnell Park, London, England occupying a Grade II-listed Victorian public bathhouse. The venue is a part of the connecting Boston Arms pub, that was constructed on the corner of Dartmouth Park Hill and Junction Road in 1881. Upstairs the venue has a capacity of 600, and downstairs the venue has a capacity of 300, with both spaces being used for a whole host of activities across the years.

Contents

History

Built in 1884, and opened in April 1885. [4] The building originally contained a 60-foot swimming bath on the ground floor and a public assembly hall above. [4] Built around the same time, the nearby Acland Burghley School was overseen by the vice chairman of the London School Board, the Honourable E. Lyulph Stanley, son of Lady Stanley. It is believed that the building was named the Stanley Hall & Baths after E. Lyulph Stanley, who potentially put up funding for its construction. [5]

The school used the off site assembly hall to host their annual concert and distribution of medals ceremony. [5] The School was also known to have used the swimming pool extensively. [5]

Cinema

In 1909, the swimming pool was converted into a second assembly hall and used as a cinema, called the Electric Theatre, opening in June 1909. [1] The cinema was later rebranded as the Stanley Cinema, in March 1914, and remained opened until 1916, likely closing due to the First World War. [1]

Wrestling

Following WWI, the space was used for wrestling under the name of Tufnell Park Palais. [2] [5] The Palais also held other events such as concerts, including one with Matt Monro. [5]

Live Music Venue

In 1981, [3] the venue reopened as an independent music venue. The upstairs space was called The Dome, whilst the downstairs was called The Boston Music Room. The two spaces have seen a whole host of acts perform throughout the years such as Coldplay, Bring Me the Horizon, [6] Blur, [3] Primal Scream, Noel Gallagher, [3] and many many more.

Amex Unsigned Refurbish and Rebrand

In 2023, the venue played host to the American Express Unsigned initiative, which aims to back UK grassroots venues and helps create breakthrough opportunities for emerging music talent. During this time the venues branding was refreshed, with the Boston Music Room being renamed as Downstairs At The Dome. A documentary about the event and refurbishment was published to Amazon Prime in December 2024 called ‘'Unsigned: Backing The Dream'’. [7]

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 "Stanley Cinema". Cinema Treasures. n.d. Archived from the original on 17 January 2025. Retrieved 17 January 2025.
  2. 1 2 Laura Reynolds (4 April 2017). "These London Buildings All Used To Be Swimming Pools". London Remembers. Archived from the original on 17 January 2025. Retrieved 17 January 2025.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 "The Dome London About Page". The Dome London. n.d. Archived from the original on 17 January 2025. Retrieved 17 January 2025.
  4. 1 2 "The plaque on the exterior..." Historic England. April 2011. Archived from the original on 16 January 2025. Retrieved 16 January 2025.
  5. 1 2 3 4 5 "Stanley Hall & Baths". London Remembers. n.d. Archived from the original on 17 January 2025. Retrieved 17 January 2025.
  6. ↑ "Bring Me The Horizon Setlist". Setlist FM. n.d. Archived from the original on 17 January 2025. Retrieved 17 January 2025.
  7. ↑ "AMEX Unsigned". American Express. n.d. Archived from the original on 17 January 2025. Retrieved 17 January 2025.
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