Stunning ballroom in Brockley

The main ballroom at the Rivoli. Photo: http://rivolilondon.com/
The Rivoli Ballroom in Brockley is a real hidden find; even when standing directly outside it you have no idea of how special it is inside. From the street the building looks shabby an unassuming, but inside is a beautiful 1950s ballroom complete with a proper sprung wood dance floor, red velour on the walls and dozens of chandeliers and chinese lanterns hanging from the ceiling. It's super-kitch and oh-so beautiful. Tucked away off to one side is a long 'booth' bar room with friendly staff and the feel of an old university college bar or even a railway buffet car. There's another 'lounge' bar and an old-school ladies 'powder room' with plenty of room for a girlie hang out, plus another 'gold' ballroom with a ceiling made to look as if it's covered in old paintings which can be hired but isn't used for normal events as far as I can tell.

In keeping with the 1950s theme a fantastic fun monthly jive night is held at the Rivoli. A short lesson kicks off the evening followed by sets from an excellent live band. The atmosphere is really friendly and inclusive, there are often some incredible jive dancers but no one looks down on you if you've got too left feet. In a very un-London manner you may even be asked to dance by a stranger!

The Rivoli is so stranger to celebrity either. I've spotted a few famous faces there on jive nights and everyone from Tina Turner to Elton John, the Kings of Leon, Florence and the Machine and Kate Moss have used the Rivoli for video and photoshoots or even live gigs.

Planning a trip:
Directly opposite Crofton Park station in Brockley it's pretty easy to get to on the train and there are several buses which stop almost outside the front door (122, 171 and 172).

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

The finest views of London

Image
Everyone knows about the views of the city found from Primrose Hill in North London. These are the views of London you see from practically every Brit film ever made. But I have some alternatives for you, and in many ways I think these are better, more intimate and have more soul. Northala Fields, Northolt Northala Fields Firstly, if you’ve ever driven into London on the A40 and spotted four humps of grass near Northolt but never got out of your car, then you’re in for a treat. Northala Fields is odd, really odd, but so so cool. It’s a bit tricky to find the route into the car park from the A40 but once you’re there it’s worth the confusion. Take a stroll up one of the mounds, the route up the highest takes you round in a spiral and you don’t realise just how quickly you’re ascending or how high you are until you suddenly notice that you can no longer hear the roar of the traffic on the main road.  Striking Northala Fields view courtesy of Phil Ermiya The 3
Read more

Funky arts venue in the heart of Peckham

Image
Entrance to the Bussey Building, photo: Curatedmag.com The CLF Art Cafe , also known as The Bussey Building, in Peckham is quite a revelation. Tucked down a narrow alleyway off Rye Lane is a dinky courtyard facing a big old door surrounded by some pretty cool graffiti. Slip inside however and you are in a funky many-levelled former warehouse (originally built for making cricket bats in the early 20th century). The cafe area is huge and a bit unforgiving when it's empty but once things kick off it's a great room with a bar at one end and a stage area at the other, this is where gigs, comedy sets and exhibitions are often held. Bussey Building/ CLF Art Cafe bar, photo: Mickey Smith Go up a couple of floors and you'll find the theatre space which is connected with the Royal Court Theatre and boasts a jam-packed schedule of new and classic plays by some of the UKs brightest young performers. Head upstairs again and you'll reach the huge roof terrace where openai
Read more

Theatre space in Brockley, South East London

Image
Brockley Jack Theatre and pub The Brockley Jack Theatre , attached to a pub (with pretty decent food - don't be put off by the website!) is a friendly intimate studio space in South East London. They show a diverse range of film, comedy and theatre on a regular basis and they even run an annual new writing festival for aspiring playwrights. The theatre seats a maximum of 50 people on some of the comfiest venue seats I've ever experienced (although note that there are some padded benches at the back), and because the room is small and the rake of the seats is good, there isn't a bad spot in the house. Planning a trip: Crofton Park is the nearest station and is just a couple of minutes walk away while buses 122, 171, 172 and the P4 stop almost outside. Otherwise there's plenty of parking in the surrounding streets. Grab a bite to eat in the pub before a show and have a chat with the super-friendly staff while you are there.
Read more