Google Street View of Olympia
View Larger Map
Location: Olympia, Kensington and Chelsea, London, England, United Kingdom. (51°29′47″N 0°12′35″W).
Website: www.olympia.co.uk
Phone: +44 20 7385 1200
Olympia
Olympia is an exhibition centre and conference centre in West Kensington, on the boundary between the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea and the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham, London, W14 8UX, England. It opened in the 19th century and was originally known as the National Agricultural Hall.
Opened in 1886, and built by Andrew Handyside of Derby it covered an area of 4 acres (16,000 m2). The Grand Hall, 450 feet (140 m) in length, by 250 feet (76 m) in breadth, was said to be the largest building in the kingdom covered by one span of iron and glass.
It now features four event venues and a conference centre. The event venues are Olympia Grand (19,325m²), Olympia National (8,730m²), Olympia Central (formerly Two) (7,850m²) and Olympia West (7,688m²). Together with Earls Court, these facilities are operated by EC&O Venues.
History of Olympia:
Having secured the site, the[National Agricultural Hall Company commissioned Henry Edward Coe to design the building. He had already designed the Agricultural Hall in Islington twenty five years before and took its barrel-roof form as the basis for the new building. With fixed seating for 9000 people and at nearly an acre in size, the arena was far larger than any other roofed arena in England.
The roof had to be high – 115 ft at the apex – to enable its great weight to be carried down as near vertically as possible. The loads of the 1200 ton iron frame plus 85 tons of glass and 75 tons of zinc are most elegantly carried by ten cast iron columns along either side with a ball and socket bearing at the top and bottom of each to absorb stress. The structure is incredibly strong, with the hurricane of 1987 achieving no more than the destruction of a loose ventilation hatch.
The roof of the hall was erected in twelve weeks in midwinter in 1885. Its non-putty patent glazing ensuring free expansion and contraction of 2500 sheets of quarter inch plate glass. The glass was only replaced in 1991 with sealed heat treated solar reflective system.
There is a legend that surrounds the ‘Prince’s Apartments’ which is a suite tacked on to the north side of the hall on two floors. This suite appears on the original plans under this name. The story goes that the suite was used by Edward, Prince of Wales (and future King Edward VII) for his amorous liaisons before he became King in 1901 – he had a notorious eye for the ladies. The block was rebuilt in 1937 as management offices and meeting rooms but is still known as the ‘Prince’s Suite’.
The other building of note was the stunning Minor Hall, long since renamed as the Pillar Hall. This is a sumptuous oak-panelled banqueting room with marble columns and a richly moulded and decorated ceiling. It is one of London’s least known public rooms.
