History of Olympia
Friday August 20, 2010
The site of Olympia in Hammersmith Road was once the famous Vineyard Nursery, established in 1745 by James Lee and Lewis Kennedy.
The nursery, extending over six acres, introduced many new plants into this country, notably the fuchsia and the standard rose tree.
In 1885 the newly formed National Agricultural Hall Company purchased the freehold with the intention of building and operating the country’s largest covered show centre.
The architect Henry Edward Coe designed the hall with its soaring barrel roof and seating for 9,000.
Olympia opened on December 26, 1886, with a spectacular performance by the Paris Hippodrome Circus, culminating in a thrilling Roman chariot race.
For the 1891-92 season Olympia hosted the most ambitious exhibition ever to be produced at that venue.
Venice in London was designed by the impresario Imre Kiralfy for Joseph Lyons, who held the catering concession. A network of canals, complete with gondolas, streets of houses, shops and cafes occupied part of the space.
The remainder was filled with seating in front of a lake and huge stage on which a grand ballet was performed twice daily by 1,000 dancers.
The next year the magnificent scenery and multitude of performers were utilised for the visually stunning Constantinople followed closely by The Orient.
Other entertainments in the early years included Barnum’s three-ring circus, roller-skating, cinema screenings, wrestling and boxing matches.
In the winter of 1902-03 Buffalo Bill Cody’s Wild West show was the last of the long-running spectaculars.
Many well known events were annual fixtures at Olympia from the beginning of the 20th century, including the Motor Show, the Royal Tournament, the International Horse Show and the Ideal Home Exhibition. All shows were suspended during the First World War when Olympia was requisitioned as an army clothing store.
One of the longest running Christmas shows from 1920 to 1965 was Bertram Mills’ Circus and Fun Fair.
The New Hall (later renamed the National Hall), built on the Hammersmith Road frontage after the demolition of houses in West Kensington Gardens, opened in 1923 and Bertram Mills later ran it as ‘The World’s Greatest Dance Hall’.
The Empire Hall (now Olympia 2) was constructed to house the British Industries Fair in 1930 and London’s first multi-storey car park was opened on the Maclise Road side in 1937.
Olympia, now best known for its trade fairs, stands as a lasting monument to Victorian entrepreneurship.
Have you got a local history question? Email: handfnews@lbhf.gov.uk
The H&F Archives and Local History Centre is open to the public and is at The Lilla Huset, 191 Talgarth Road, Hammersmith. Call 020 8741 5159.
