O2 Shepherd's Bush Empire Re-Opens at Last

O2 Shepherd's Bush Empire

Not that you'd know it if you walked past the building, but the O2 Shepherd's Bush Empire has finally re-opened, after seven long months of emergency repairs. The extensive works apparently involved scaffolding the interior of the roof to make the building safe.

The Grade II listed Empire is one of Shepherd's Bush's historic landmarks - they even have their own Wikipedia page. It was originally built in 1903 for entrepreneur Oswald Stoll, starting life as a music hall.  To see what's on at the Empire, and admire their newly refurbished roof, follow the link to their official site here.

Shepherd's Bush Empire Closed Until March

Photo: Wikimedia Commons

Pity the poor Shepherd's Bush Empire. At the end of last year they discovered structural faults in their roof, and the venue is to remain closed until March 31st at the earliest.  Cancelled gigs include They Might Be Giants, Gabrielle Aplin and Ed Byrne. 

All these acts have been been moved to other London venues. If you have a ticket to one of these events you will still get to go - but not in Shepherd's Bush. Complicating the repairs is the fact that the Empire is Grade II listed - which means that the existing fabric of this early Edwardian building has to be maintained as it is.

For updates, visit the Academy Music Group's website.

A Bird in The Bush - Your Guide to Shepherd's Bush

A Bird in The Bush

A Bird in the Bush was an excellent blog about our neighbourhood. Now sadly discontinued, the archive is still accessible and you can see plenty of recommendations about places to go and things to see and do in our part of West London. Some of it is a bit our of date, but overall it's still a great resource.