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London venue The Coronet to close in 2017

By Andy Malt | Published on Thursday 5 November 2015

South London venue The Coronet is to close in 2017, 138 years after it first opened its doors. Having been in business since 1879, The Coronet will finally shut up shop on 5 Jan 2017 – which is something of a stay of execution, because operators managed to negotiate an extra year on the end of their lease with the venue’s landlord, Delancey. After that, it will be lost to the redevelopment of Elephant & Castle.

As previously reported, a campaign was launched to attempt to save the 2600 capacity venue, urging Delancey and Southwark Council to make room for it in the spruced up Elephant & Castle area – while the venue’s directors offered to make £2 million worth of improvements if its long term future could be assured. However, the extension to the lease was ultimately all that could be agreed.

Coronet Director Richard Littman said in a statement: “We have been here for so long, and we will be really sad to go, but with the Elephant & Castle changing so much, so quickly, it’s become clear that the evolving character of the area is no longer right for a venue like ours. We’ve worked with our landlord to extend our lease for one final year, until 5 Jan 2017. We’re looking forward to welcoming back old friends and making new ones – if you’ve ever wanted to perform here then get in touch quick – the calendar is filling up fast”.

“Rather than fighting against change, we want to focus on celebrating The Coronet’s incredible history”, he continued. “What better way to do that than by making The Coronet’s final year of operation its biggest and best!”

Indeed. So keep an eye on The Coronet website for details of shows during its final year.