Countdown For London’s Coronet

In the midst of UK venues forming an alliance against landlords forcing them out of business and the London mayor’s office publishing a rescue plan for music venues, another iconic landmark’s era is coming to an end.

The Coronet started out in 1879 as the Elephant & Castle Theatre, named after the adjacent road junction in central London. The venue’s operators announced a land lease had been worked out that would allow the Coronet’s doors to stay open until Jan. 5, 2017. The area around the venue is changing so fast that it “is no longer right for a venue like ours,” as director Richard Littman is quoted saying on the Coronet’s website. He states that he wasn’t going to put up a fight and rather “focus on celebrating The Coronet’s incredible history.”

Tom Jones, Oasis, Alicia Keys and Justin Timberlake are among the big names that performed at The Coronet. In what will have been a 138-year history, the venue underwent a couple of changes, turning from a Theatre into an ABC Cinema and ending up the multipurpose venue most will remember.

Littman encourages bands, who’ve always wanted to play at The Coronet, to get in touch “quick,” as “the calendar is filling up fast.”