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Printworks (London)

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Coordinates: 51°29′51″N 0°02′38″W / 51.497482°N 0.043987°W / 51.497482; -0.043987
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For the entertainment venue in Manchester, England, see The Printworks (Manchester).

Printworks
Map
AddressSurrey Quays Rd, London SE16 7PJ
London
United Kingdom
LocationRotherhithe, London, England
Coordinates51°29′51″N 0°02′38″W / 51.497482°N 0.043987°W / 51.497482; -0.043987
OwnerBroadwick Live
TypeNightclub
Capacity6,000[2]
Opened2017
Closed1 May 2023[1]
Website
printworkslondon.co.uk

Printworks was a nightclub and events venue in Rotherhithe, South London. Taking its name from the building's former use for newspaper printing, it became one of the UK's top nightclubs. Closed for redevelopment in 2023, the Press Halls section of the building is scheduled to reopen as a music and events venue in 2026.

History

[edit]

Printworks was located in the former Harmsworth Quays printing plant,[3] which printed newspapers including the Daily Mail and Evening Standard until 2012.[4]

Some features of the printing plant were retained including the van loading dock and metal stairs, creating an industrial feel in the club. The premises had an overall capacity of 6,000 people[2] across two performance rooms: the Press Halls and Inkwells (formerly known as the Darkroom). The site was also available for hire and was used for events,[5] movies and commercials.[6]

Artists, music and perception

[edit]

The venue opened in 2017[7] with an event by Seth Troxler, The Martinez Brothers and Loco Dice. It primarily focused on electronic music, but had hosted other genres such as orchestral music.[8]

Printworks was described by Mixmag as "the saviour London clubbing desperately needed" and as "one of the most striking venues the capital city, if not the country, has to offer".[9] The venue was repeatedly voted into the "Top 100 Clubs" list by the readers of DJ Magazine.[10]

The venue followed a template similar to that of The Warehouse Project, where events were run (around 20) in seasons - for a period of weeks (around 13), but not throughout the full year. Generally, SS (spring and summer) ran from February until April, then AW runs from September until December, with occasional special events, such as New Year's Eve and bank holidays.

Closure and redevelopment of the area

[edit]

In autumn 2021, the owners of the site, British Land, submitted plans to Southwark Council to redevelop the site into office buildings which would involve the demolition of the Printworks venue.[11] This was widely opposed by the music community as destruction of a key part of London's music scene.[12] In 2022, the plans were approved,[13] meaning 2023 [14] will be the last season for music events in the venue after outcry from the community saved the venue.[15]

The team opened a new venue in East London, called The Beams, in October 2022.[16]

Printworks held its final event on 1 May 2023. During the event, the organisers announced Printworks 2.0 which they are planning to reopen some time in 2026.[17] In the final year before its closure, Printworks came second in DJ Mag's top 100 global clubs award.[18]

In February 2024, British Land and the architects Hawkins\Brown unveiled plans to reinstate and create a permanent music venue in one half of the large former Printworks building (the Press Halls). The other half, named The Grand Press, would be used for sustainable workspace and retail. The new spaces are scheduled to open in 2026.[19]

Appearances

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Film

[edit]
Year Film
2015 Avengers: Age of Ultron[20]
2022 The Batman[21]

Music videos

[edit]
Year Video Artist Notes
2018 Free Yourself[22] The Chemical Brothers
2020 Studio 2054[23] Dua Lipa Livestream concert for the album Future Nostalgia

TV series

[edit]
Year TV series Notes
2020 Taskmaster[24] Series 10, used for some tasks
2022 Jimmy Carr Destroys Art[25] Channel 4 40th birthday
2024 The Gentlemen[26] Episode two, for boxing fight scenes

Awards and nominations

[edit]

DJ Magazine's top 100 clubs

[edit]
Year Position Notes
2018 14[27] New entry
2019 9[28]
2020 5[29]
2021 7[30]
2022 4[31]
2023 2[32]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ Annabel Rackham (1 May 2023). "Printworks: Final show for famous dance music venue". BBC News. Retrieved 1 May 2023.
  2. ^ a b "Licensing Register - Premises licences and club registrations - licences granted for licence number: 874009". Southwark Council.
  3. ^ "Harmsworth Quays Printing Works". Mayor of London.
  4. ^ Roy Greenslade (27 June 2012). "Daily Mail print plant sold off". The Guardian.
  5. ^ "StackPath". Esports. 9 May 2019. Retrieved 13 November 2022.
  6. ^ "Hire". Printworks London. Retrieved 13 November 2022.
  7. ^ Lauren Martin (15 September 2019). "Aphex Twin review – wild lights, jungle buzzsaw and a boo for Boris". The Guardian. Retrieved 19 March 2021.
  8. ^ "Step inside a symphony at Printworks London". Gramophone. Retrieved 28 November 2021.
  9. ^ Funster (18 December 2017). "Printworks is the saviour London clubbing desperately needed". Mixmag.
  10. ^ Samu (25 August 2021). "DJ Mag announces Top 100 Clubs 2021". Festival Season. Retrieved 28 November 2021.
  11. ^ "Printworks could be turned from 'London's best nightclub' into offices". Southwark News. Retrieved 28 November 2021.
  12. ^ Yopko, Nick (29 October 2021). "Petition Launched to Stop London's Printworks From Becoming Office Space". EDM. Retrieved 28 November 2021.
    - "Developer submits plans to build offices on site of Printworks nightclub". Mixmag. Retrieved 28 November 2021.
  13. ^ Ryce, Andrew (14 July 2022). "London club Printworks to close and redevelop into offices". Resident Advisor.
  14. ^ "Printworks London on Instagram: "A message from the team at Printworks London. Sign up via the link in bio."". Instagram. Retrieved 13 November 2022.
  15. ^ "Printworks London on Instagram: "A message from the team at Printworks London."". Instagram. Retrieved 13 November 2022.
  16. ^ Lawrence, India (21 July 2022). "The team behind Printworks are opening a new club in east London". Time Out London. Retrieved 31 July 2022.
  17. ^ Lawrence, India. "Plot twist: Printworks may return to the same venue... in 2026". Time Out London. Retrieved 3 May 2023.
  18. ^ https://djmag.com/top100clubs/2023 [bare URL]
  19. ^ Morby, Aaron (13 February 2024). "Plan in for cultural venue at London's Canada Water scheme". Construction Enquirer. Retrieved 13 February 2024.
  20. ^ "Printworks". Film London. Retrieved 3 May 2023.
    - "Avengers Age of Ultron ship fight scene at The Printworks", YouTube, 14 October 2016, retrieved 3 May 2023
  21. ^ "The Batman". Printworks London. Retrieved 3 May 2023.
    - "The Batman 4K HDR | Iceberg Lounge Fight Scene", YouTube, June 2022, retrieved 3 May 2023
  22. ^ "The Chemical Brothers - Free Yourself", YouTube, 14 November 2018, retrieved 3 May 2023
  23. ^ "Studio 2054: Backstage at the biggest live stream yet". IQ. 2 December 2020. Retrieved 3 May 2023.
  24. ^ "London Printworks". TaskMaster Info. Retrieved 20 August 2024.
  25. ^ "Jimmy Carr Destroys Art". SRO Audiences. Retrieved 27 October 2024.
  26. ^ "The Gentlemen location guide: Where is the Netflix drama filmed?". Radio Times. Retrieved 20 August 2024.
  27. ^ "Top 100 Clubs 2018". DJ.
  28. ^ "Top 100 Clubs 2019". DJ.
  29. ^ "Top 100 Clubs 2020". DJ.
  30. ^ "Top 100 Clubs 2021". DJ.
  31. ^ "Top 100 Clubs 2022". DJ.
  32. ^ "Top 100 Clubs 2023". DJ.
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