Grade listed building in London
The Horse Hospital is a Grade II listed[1] not for profit, independent arts venue at Colonnade, Bloomsbury, central London.[2] It has a curatorial focus on counter-cultural histories, sub-cultures and outsider as well as emerging artists. It delivers through frequent events, underground film and artist's moving image screenings, and exhibitions.[3] Founded in 1992 by Roger K. Burton,[4] the venue opened with Vive Le Punk!, a retrospective of Vivienne Westwood's punk designs in 1993.[5]
The building was originally built by James Burton in 1797 as stabling for cab drivers' sick horses.
History
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 was the programmer from 2006 to 2016, followed by Sholto Dobie and Letitia Calin.
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,[6] Iain Aitch, Jack Sargeant, Valie Export, Chris Carter, David Tibet, Helen Chadwick, Dennis Cooper, Nan Goldin, Morton Bartlett, Lydia Lunch, Bruce Bickford, Gee Vaucher and Crass, Alejandro Jodorowsky,[7] Stewart Home, Jeremy Reed, Franko B, Ron Athey, Banksy, Marc Almond, Yvonne Rainer, Artūras Barysas 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, London International Animation Festival, London Porn Film Festival[2] amongst others.
The Horse Hospital houses and is supported by the Contemporary Wardrobe Collection, a fashion archive that specialises in post-war street fashion, sub-cultures and British design. The Chamber of Pop Culture is located there.[8] Proud Camden has been located there since about 2008.[9]
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.
In 2019 it was announced that The Horse Hospital was at risk of closure after its landlord proposed a 333 per cent rent increase, from £30,000 to £130,000 annually from the beginning of 2020.[10][11][12] At the start of January 2020 it secured an extension on its lease until 28 February.[13] Eventually, according to The Horse Hospital's website, a new lease was secured until December 2024, with a rent increase of 33%.[14]
The building
The building is Grade II listed.[1] It was originally built 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.
