Roundhouse

The Roundhouse is a circular Grade II* listed building in Chalk Farm, London. Built in 1846–47 as a railway turntable shed, it served the London & North Western Railway for only a decade. After decades as a warehouse and later lying empty, the structure was revived in 1964 as a theatre by playwright Arnold Wesker’s Centre 42. The vast brick drum has been a stage for landmark events, from the launch of the International Times in 1966 to gigs by The Doors and Led Zeppelin. Its curved walls have echoed with avant-garde theatre, circus and underground parties, including a week-long rave by Spiral Tribe in 1991. The Roundhouse matters because it has repeatedly reinvented itself as a crucible of British counterculture. In the 1960s it hosted Pink Floyd and The Who at the All Night Rave and Psychadelicamania. Later, it became a key venue for Jeff Dexter’s underground nights and saw performances by David Bowie, Jimi Hendrix and The Clash. The building’s fortunes revived again in 1996 when philanthropist Torquil Norman bought it and set up the Roundhouse Trust. Musicians Bob Geldof and Suggs joined the redevelopment board, and the venue reopened in 2006 with the Argentine show Fuerzabruta after a £27 million renovation. Inside, the vast circular space now accommodates up to 3,300 standing or 1,700 seated. The flexible layout hosts BBC Electric Proms, iTunes Festivals and circus shows like NoFit State’s Tabú. The building’s original turntable pit remains visible beneath the stage. Outside, Chalk Farm’s railway arches frame the entrance, and the area still hums with the energy of Camden’s creative scene. The Roundhouse’s curved brick walls carry decades of graffiti and posters, each layer a reminder of past performances.