The Broadway is a performance venue in Barking town centre. The building was previously a facility known as Barking Assembly Hall, forming part of Barking Town Hall.

History

The building formed part of the Barking Town Hall complex and was completed in 1961. It was officially opened by

Tom Driberg Thomas Edward Neil Driberg, Baron Bradwell (22 May 1905 – 12 August 1976) was a British journalist, politician, High Anglican churchman and possible Soviet spy, who served as a Member of Parliament (MP) from 1942 to 1955, and again from 195 ...

MP as Barking Assembly Hall in May 1961.

Sir Adrian Boult Sir Adrian Cedric Boult, Order of the Companions of Honour, CH (; 8 April 1889 – 22 February 1983) was an English conductor. Brought up in a prosperous mercantile family, he followed musical studies in England and at Leipzig, Germany, wi ...

conducted the

London Philharmonic Orchestra The London Philharmonic Orchestra (LPO) is one of five permanent symphony orchestras based in London. It was founded by the conductors Sir Thomas Beecham and Malcolm Sargent in 1932 as a rival to the existing London Symphony and BBC Symphony ...

in the assembly hall on 26 November 1969. In 1971, the renowned Canadian singer songwriter

Neil Young Neil Percival Young (born November 12, 1945) is a Canadian-American singer and songwriter. After embarking on a music career in Winnipeg in the 1960s, Young moved to Los Angeles, joining Buffalo Springfield with Stephen Stills, Richie Furay ...

recorded two tracks from ''

Harvest Harvesting is the process of gathering a ripe crop from the fields. Reaping is the cutting of grain or pulse for harvest, typically using a scythe, sickle, or reaper. On smaller farms with minimal mechanization, harvesting is the most labor-i ...

'', his best selling and most famous album, at the Broadway when it was known as Barking Assembly Hall (but is credited as Barking Town Hall on the album notes.) Young recorded these two tracks " A Man Needs a Maid" and "There's a World" for his

album in Barking with

Jack Nitzsche Bernard Alfred "Jack" Nitzsche ( '; April 22, 1937 – August 25, 2000) was an American musician, arranger, songwriter, composer, and record producer. He first came to prominence in the early 1960s as the right-hand-man of producer Phil Spec ...

and the

London Symphony Orchestra The London Symphony Orchestra (LSO) is a British symphony orchestra based in London. Founded in 1904, the LSO is the oldest of London's orchestras, symphony orchestras. The LSO was created by a group of players who left Henry Wood's Queen's ...

. in March 1971. The

album An album is a collection of audio recordings issued on compact disc (CD), Phonograph record, vinyl, audio tape, or another medium such as Digital distribution#Music, digital distribution. Albums of recorded sound were developed in the early ...

was released on 1 February 1972. It was remodeled as an arts centre and auditorium with a seated capacity of 341, designed by Tim Foster Architects, in 2006. The venue is managed by Barking and Dagenham College and aims to improve access to arts facilities in the London Borough of Barking and Dagenham and the surrounding areas of east London. The Broadway is also home to Barking & Dagenham College's Performing Arts School.

References

External links

The Broadway

Herrmann Photo Tour:London
Retrieved April 11, 2007
"From Broadway to Barking"
''Citizen Magazine'' - March 2004. Retrieved April 11, 2007 {{DEFAULTSORT:Broadway Barking Barking, London Theatre in London Music venues in London Theatres in the London Borough of Barking and Dagenham