Earls Court Exhibition Centre facts for kids
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Earls Court One (1991–2014)
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Earls Court Exhibition Centre in 2008
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| Location | Kensington, Fulham London, SW5 United Kingdom |
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| Coordinates | 51°29′20″N 0°11′52″W / 51.48889°N 0.19778°W |
| Public transit |  Earl's Court   West Brompton |
| Owner | TfL, APG and Delancey |
| Capacity | 20,000 |
| Surface | Versatile |
| Construction | |
| Built | 1935–37 |
| Opened | 1 September 1937 |
| Expanded | EC II in 1991 |
| Closed | 13 December 2014 |
| Demolished | 2014–16 |
| Construction cost | £1.5 million (£74.7 million in 2025 pounds ) |
| Architect | C. Howard Crane |
The Earls Court Exhibition Centre was a very important place for shows and events in London. It was located just west of the city centre. At its busiest, it brought in about £2 billion for the economy.
This famous building replaced older exhibition grounds that first opened in 1887. The new building was built between 1935 and 1937. It had a cool, modern design called art moderne. The architect was an American expert named C. Howard Crane.
Even though many people wanted to protect the building because of its history, it was bought by developers. They got permission to tear it down in 2008. The demolition was finished in 2017. Now, the area is mostly empty land.
Earls Court was in the Earl's Court area. It sat on the border between two London boroughs: Kensington and Chelsea and Hammersmith and Fulham. It was the biggest venue in London that had two London Underground stations nearby. One station, Earl's Court tube station, even had a special tunnel for visitors. Later, it had a direct link to Heathrow Airport.
The first shows at Earls Court were started by Leeds businessman John Robinson Whitley. The very first big event featured Buffalo Bill Cody and his American Show. Even Queen Victoria and her family came to see it! After that, many other exhibitions took place, showing off different countries like Canada, France, and India.
For many decades, Earls Court was known as London's top exhibition spot. It hosted many famous events. These included the Royal Smithfield Show, the Royal Tournament, and the British International Motor Show. Other popular events were the London Boat Show, the Ideal Home Show, and the BRIT Awards (until 2010). It also hosted Crufts dog show and big opera and pop concerts. Hundreds of trade shows, like the London Book Fair, also happened there. Earls Court was even used for the 1948 and 2012 Olympic Games.
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History of Earls Court
Before 1887, the land where Earls Court stood was mostly farmland. Many railway lines crossed the area, creating a triangular piece of "waste ground." Two Underground stations were built, and the railway network surrounded the land.
John Robinson Whitley, a businessman, had the idea to use this land for education and entertainment. He started using it as a showground for five years, beginning in 1887. Whitley didn't make a profit, but his idea shaped the future of Earls Court.
The Great Wheel, a huge Ferris wheel, was built for the Imre Kiralfy's Empire of India Exhibition in 1895. A special plaque at Earls Court remembered these facts. It also noted that Queen Victoria sometimes visited the shows. Kiralfy also had the nearby Empress Hall built, which could hold 6,000 people. He then changed the Earls Court grounds to look like the 1893 Chicago White City for the Columbian Exposition. Later, he went on to create White City in 1908.
In 1935, Earls Court was sold. The new owners decided to build a huge exhibition centre. They wanted it to have an indoor pool and be better than any other in the world. Their goal was to create Europe's largest building by volume.
The project didn't go perfectly. It cost more money than planned and was finished late. The building was designed by C. Howard Crane, an American theatre architect. It had over 40,000 square meters of space on two levels. Earls Court finally opened on September 1, 1937, with the Chocolate and Confectionery Exhibition. The British International Motor Show followed right after. Despite the problems, the building cost £1.5 million to complete.
At the heart of Earls Court was its indoor pool, or "lake." The pool was 60 meters long and 30 meters wide. It took four days to fill and four days to empty, using 2¼ million gallons of water. This could only be done at night to avoid putting too much pressure on local water services. A 750-tonne floor, made of three sections, covered the pool when it wasn't in use. This floor was lowered using water power. The pool was used for boat shows and, for the last time, as a feature for the Ideal Home Show in 2011.
A new entrance to Earl's Court tube station was built on Warwick Road. This made it easy for visitors to get to the exhibition centre. It even had a direct path from the underground tunnel that connected the District and Piccadilly train lines. However, this entrance closed in the 1990s. This was after a second hall, Earls Court Two, was built to make the exhibition centre bigger. This expansion helped it compete with the National Exhibition Centre in Birmingham.
Earls Court Two
Entrance to Earls Court Two, 2009
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| Location | Kensington, London, SW5 United Kingdom |
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| Owner | Capital and Counties Plc |
| Capacity | 10,750 or 6,000 (seated) |
| Construction | |
| Opened | 17 October 1991 |
| Closed | 13 December 2014 |
| Demolished | 2015 |
| Construction cost | £100 million (£218 million in 2025 pounds ) |
In 1985, the owners, P&O, decided to make the venue bigger. They wanted to compete with other large venues like the NEC in Birmingham. They also needed more space for exhibitions.
Earls Court II was built over the London Underground and British Rail lines. It also covered land that used to have many sheds connected to the Lillie Bridge Engineering and Railway Depot. Earls Court Two cost £100 million to build. This new hall had a curved roof and connected to Earls Court One. Its 17,000 square meter floor had no columns, making it very open. It could hold up to 10,750 people.
Diana, Princess of Wales officially opened the hall on October 17, 1991. The London Motorfair, which happened every two years, was the first event held in the new hall. After Earls Court Two was built, the original building was sometimes called Earls Court One. One of the biggest events at Earls Court II was a religious gathering for the Ismaili Muslim community. This happened from August 5–14, 1994, when His Highness The Aga Khan visited.
Earls Court Two was torn down by Capco Plc in 2015.
Closure of Earls Court
Over time, fewer people were visiting Earls Court. In 2008, the venue was sold to a new group of developers. With support from local politicians, plans were made to tear down Earls Court. These plans were approved in 2013. The demolition also included some public housing and shops. The goal was to build four new "urban villages" on the 80-acre site. This project was expected to be finished by 2033.
Demolition work started in December 2014, after the centre closed on December 13. The very last event in the main Earls Court building was a concert by the indie rock band Bombay Bicycle Club. The last event broadcast from the venue was the 2014 BBC Music Awards, two days earlier.
Events at Earls Court
Exhibitions
Earls Court hosted many different shows and exhibitions over the years. These included the Earls Court Motor Show, the Ideal Home Show, and the BRIT Awards. The MPH Show, a big car exhibition hosted by Jeremy Clarkson and others, happened there every winter.
Every summer from 1950 to 1999, Earls Court was home to the Royal Tournament. This was the world's first, oldest, and biggest military show. For about two months, the area now known as Earls Court Two became a place for stables, artillery, and vehicles. Hundreds of military staff stayed there.
The Professional Lighting and Sound Association held its yearly trade show, the PLASA Show, at Earls Court from 1992 to 2012.
London Film and Comic Con was held at Earls Court 2 every July. At this convention, fans could get autographs and photos with celebrity guests. They could also play games and buy collectibles. In July 2014, because the event became so popular, it was held in both Earls Court 1 and Earls Court 2.
Historical Exhibitions
Some notable historical exhibitions at the centre included:
- The American Show, 1887.
- The Italian Exhibition in London, 1888.
- The Spanish Exhibition, 1889.
- French Exhibition, 1890.
- German Exhibition, 1891.
- Captain Boynton's Water Show, 1893.
- Empire of India Exhibition, 1895.
- Empire of India & Ceylon Exhibition, 1896.
- International Universal Exhibition, 1898.
- Greater Britain Exhibition, 1899.
- Paris in London, 1902.
- International Fire Exhibition, 1903.
- Italian Exhibition, 1904.
- Imperial-Royal Austrian Exhibition, 1906.
- Balkan States Exhibition, 1907.
- Old Japan, 1907.
- Shakespeare's England, 1912.
Boat Shows
The main hall had a large pool area hidden in its centre. This pool was used for the London Boat Show, which took place every year from 1960 until 2003. The event then moved to ExCeL in London Docklands. The pool was also briefly used for the Earls Court Boat Show in 2007 and 2008.
War Refugees Camp
During the First World War, the Earls Court Exhibition grounds became a huge refugee camp. This included the nearby 6,000-seat Empress Hall. From October 15, 1914, until 1919, more than 100,000 Belgian refugees stayed in this camp.
Sport
Earls Court hosted the volleyball competitions during the 2012 Summer Olympics. At the 1948 Summer Olympics, the venue hosted the early rounds of boxing, gymnastics, weightlifting, and wrestling events.
The London part of the 2010 FIFA World Cup Trophy Tour was held at Earls Court Two on March 11. Famous footballer Wayne Rooney even appeared with the trophy.
Religious Gathering
Earls Court was also the place for a special visit by His Highness Prince Aga Khan. This happened on April 24, 1985, during the opening of the Ismaili Centre at Cromwell Gardens.
Musical Events
Earls Court was one of the most popular places for concerts in the UK. It could hold about 19,000 people, including standing room. This meant big bands often chose it over other venues. Slade and David Bowie were among the first rock acts to play there in 1973. Led Zeppelin performed five sold-out shows in May 1975. David Bowie's 1978 concert there was later released as an album called Welcome to the Blackout (Live London '78) in 2018.
Pink Floyd played live shows there starting in 1972. Their concerts from The Wall Tour in 1980 and 1981 were recorded. They were released in 2000 as Is There Anybody Out There? The Wall Live 1980–81. A live video called Pulse was also recorded at Earl's Court on October 20, 1994, and released in 1995.
Between May 28 and June 1, 2002, the Irish pop band Westlife held concerts there as part of their World of Our Own Tour. However, after the O2 Arena opened in 2007, fewer concerts were held at Earls Court.
Pink Floyd Seating Incident, 1994
On October 12, 1994, Pink Floyd was set to start 14 nights of concerts at Earls Court. This was part of their The Division Bell Tour. During their first song, "Shine On You Crazy Diamond", a section of seating with 1,200 people collapsed. About 90 people were injured, but thankfully no one died. The show was immediately cancelled and rescheduled for October 17.
Brit Awards
The Brit Awards, which are annual pop music awards from the British Phonographic Industry, were first held at Earls Court in 1996 and 1997. The awards show returned in 2000 at Earls Court Two. It then moved back to the main Earls Court in 2006. The awards show moved to The O2 Arena in 2011.
Dog Show
Before moving to Birmingham's NEC, the Crufts Dog show was held at Earls Court every year. Because people were worried about dogs not being looked after properly, the Kennel Club started a new annual exhibition. This show, called Discover Dogs, aimed to teach people how to best care for dogs as pets or helpers. The last show in London was held in 2014.
Images for kids
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Ideal Home Show (March 2011)
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Earls Court 2 and former Green corridor
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Lillie Sports Ground, around 1875
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1865 heritage buildings in Empress Place SW6, named after Queen Victoria's visit. These were also planned for demolition.
See also
In Spanish: Centro de Exhibiciones Earls Court para niños
