Completed 1797 Founded 1992 | Phone +44 20 7833 3644 Construction started 1794 | |
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Country England, United Kingdom Hours Closed now Tuesday12–6PMWednesday12–6PMThursday12–6PMFriday12–6PMSaturdayClosedSundayClosedMonday12–6PM Similar Proud Camden, Camden Market, Institute of Contemporary Arts, Barbican Centre, BFI Southbank Profiles | ||
Horse hospital adventure
The Horse Hospital is a Grade II listed not for profit, independent arts venue in central London, England, with a curatorial focus on counter-cultural histories, sub-cultures and outsider as well as emerging artists delivered through frequent events, underground film and artist’s moving image screenings, and exhibitions. Founded in 1992 by Roger K. Burton, the venue opened with Vive Le Punk! a retrospective of Vivienne Westwood's punk designs in 1993.
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Initially programmed by Burton and Ian White, the venue's reputation grew both in London and abroad. James B. L. Hollands later replaced White as curator. The artist, Tai Shani has been the programmer since 2006.
In 1998, the Horse Hospital hosted the debut British exhibition by outsider artist / painter Joe Coleman which attracted a new audience. Subsequently the venue played host to a variety of performers, musicians, artists, film makers and writers, including Dame Darcy, Anita Pallenberg, Iain Aitch, Jack Sargeant, Valie Export, Chris Carter, David Tibet, Helen Chadwick, Dennis Cooper, Morton Bartlett, Lydia Lunch, Bruce Bickford, Gee Vaucher and Crass, Alejandro Jodorowsky, Stewart Home, Jeremy Reed and others.
It has also been used by various record labels, publishing houses including Soft Skull Press, Verso, Serpent’s Tail and Clear Cut Press. and journals such as Strange Attractor and Granta for special events, as well as a screening space for numerous film festivals including the Fashion in Film Festival, and London International Animation Festival amongst others.
Built originally by James Burton in 1797 as stabling for cab drivers' sick horses, the Horse Hospital is notable for its unique stone tiled floor. Access to both floors is by concrete moulded ramps, the upper floor ramp retains hardwood slats preventing the horses from slipping. It can be found at Colonnade, Bloomsbury, London.
In 2015 The Horse Hospital was listed with London Borough of Camden as a Community Asset and the site was selected for inclusion in the British Library’s UK Web Archive as a website of cultural importance.
The Horse Hospital also houses and is supported by the ‘Contemporary Wardrobe Collection’, a fashion archive that specialises in post-war street fashion, sub-cultures and British design.