RoundHouse

The Live at The Roundhouse Events Hall in Dagenham Essex was established in 1969 and was then known as the “Village Blues Club”. Up until 1975 it was regarded as East London’s foremost music venue, making legends of headlining acts including; Elton John, Led Zepplin, Fleetwood Mac, Deep Purple, T Rex, Queen, Status Quo, Pink Floyd, ELO, Genesis and many more.

This imposing pub situated close to the western edge of the sprawling Becontree Estate was built in 1936. It has a very interesting and unique design and is the work of specialist pub architect, Alfred W Blomfield. As the name implies the ground floor plan is round and on top of this sits a T-shaped upper storey with a square tower in the centre. This is a classic example of the large inter-war pubs that were erected on housing estates to accommodate great swathes of housing and provide extensive facilities and not just for people to consume alcohol!. The Roundhouse boasted a tea room and a wing containing an indoor bowling green. Alfred W Blomfield also catered for a huge oval lounge at the rear and is still retained to this day but now with access to the adjacent room at the front. This in turn is separated by a wall from the remainder of the pub, where you can still feel a sense of the original spaces. The fittings, apart from some sub-Art Deco wall panelling, are largely replacements.

The old car park is situated behind the pub, in a road named Bragg Close, after the singer and poet Billy Bragg, whose family has lived in the area for over a century. Billy Bragg opened the street on 24 August 1999, dedicating it to his brother, and also paying tribute to BenTillet the founder of the Dockworkers Union.

In 2007, filmmakers Ken Gascoigne and “H” Curran made a documentary about the venue. They interviewed some of the artists who performed there at the height of its fame, including Mick Box of Uriah Heep, Brian May, the Roundhouse Promoter Andy Townsend, and local residents, who shared their memories of the club

For many years the famous Roundhouse venue hall was not used as a music venue.