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London Olympics Information » Venues » Earl's Court Exhibition Centre » About Earl's Court Exhibition Centre
About Earl's Court Exhibition Centre
Official site
http://www.eco.co.uk/
Capacity: 15,000
Location: SW5
Status
Earl's Court is a permanent venue which will be transformed into a 15,000-seater arena for Olympics 2012. It will return back to its status as a prime exhibition and conference venue after the games.
About Earl's Court Exhibition Centre
The Earl's Court and Olympia Group own three venues, namely Earl's Court, Olympia and the recently added, The Brewery.
Earl's Court has been associated with entertainment since Victorian times. An entrepreneur named John R. Whitely opened an entertainment ground on a piece of abandoned land between the railway lines at Earl's Court in 1887. Popular spectaculars of the past like Buffalo Bill's Wild West Show were staged at this site which attracted huge audiences. The Big Wheel, a precursor to the London Eye, was a permanent attraction in this area until the ground was closed in 1914 to make way for the Earl's Court Exhibition Hall which was opened in 1937. It was designed by American architect, Charles Howard Crane. The first event to be held here was the chocolate and confectionary exhibition on 1st September, 1937, and the building was called the Earl's Court One.
The growing popularity of the venue, the frequency of exhibitions, and the drastic rise in the number of visitors to events all led to the expansion of Earl's Court One with the addition of another single large hall, Earl's Court 2, which was also built with the provision of conference facilities. The construction of the hall was completed in 1991 at the cost of £100 million. The continuous column-free space covers an area of 17,000 metre² and can easily accommodate 6000 visitors. Situated within Earl's Court One, Level Two is the Earl's Court Brompton Hall, which has an entrance dedicated to its own guests. It has an area of 5295 metre² and can host 2000 people. The Art Deco frontage of Earl's Court is a prominent feature on the Warwick Road, which has borne witness to many high-profile events such as the BRIT Awards, London Boat Show, the British Motor Show and the Ideal Home Show.
Olympia became a full-scale events venue on Boxing Day in 1886, when it entertained people with the Hippodrome Circus. Initially the Grand Hall, famous for its Victorian architecture, was the mainstay of Olympia, but consistent popularity called for more space, and in 1923 the National Hall was added. In 1929 the Empire Hall became a part of Olympia, which later became known as Olympia Two. West Hall, an extension to Grand Hall, was added after Olympia's exhibition space was completed in 1959. Olympia is situated on the Hammersmith Road.
The Brewery happens to be the oldest of the Earl Court and Olympia Group's venues. It dates back to 18th century and was a functioning brewery till 1970. It is a Grade II listed building and holds the City Heritage Award. It has been transformed into a world-class venue equipped with latest technology features to enhance audience experience. The Brewery is located on Chiswell Street.
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