The West End Centre is an entertainment venue and
arts centre
An art centre or arts center is distinct from an art gallery or art museum. An arts centre is a functional community centre with a specific remit to encourage arts practice and to provide facilities such as theatre space, gallery space, venues fo ...
located on Queens Road in
Aldershot
Aldershot ( ) is a town in the Rushmoor district, Hampshire, England. It lies on heathland in the extreme north-east corner of the county, south-west of London. The town has a population of 37,131, while the Farnborough/Aldershot built-up are ...
. The centre hosts classes, workshops, art exhibitions, music performances (of
heavy metal,
blues
Blues is a music genre and musical form that originated among African Americans in the Deep South of the United States around the 1860s. Blues has incorporated spiritual (music), spirituals, work songs, field hollers, Ring shout, shouts, cha ...
,
folk
Folk or Folks may refer to:
Sociology
*Nation
*People
* Folklore
** Folk art
** Folk dance
** Folk hero
** Folk horror
** Folk music
*** Folk metal
*** Folk punk
*** Folk rock
** Folk religion
* Folk taxonomy
Arts, entertainment, and media
* Fo ...
and
punk music
Punk rock (also known as simply punk) is a rock music genre that emerged in the mid-1970s. Rooted in 1950s rock and roll and 1960s garage rock, punk bands rejected the corporate nature of mainstream 1970s rock music. They typically produced sh ...
), stand-up comedy, and small-scale and intimate theatre.
Background

Opening in 1975 in the former West End Junior School once attended by comedian
Arthur English, the West End Centre (or the 'Westy') is described as "the creative hub of Aldershot and the surrounding areas".
It was originally run by volunteers and faced closure in its early years until the
Poet Laureate John Betjeman
Sir John Betjeman, (; 28 August 190619 May 1984) was an English poet, writer, and broadcaster. He was Poet Laureate from 1972 until his death. He was a founding member of The Victorian Society and a passionate defender of Victorian architect ...
had the building locally listed.
The
Graeae Theatre Company was based at the Centre from 1981 to 1982.
When managed by
Hampshire County Council
Hampshire County Council (HCC) is the upper-tier local authority for the non-metropolitan county of Hampshire in England. The council was created in 1889. The county council provides county-level services to eleven of the thirteen districts geo ...
the centre faced closure again in 2007 until public protests forced the decision to be reversed.
[ Every year since 2006 the West End Centre has held the Summer Westival which creates an indoor music festival complete with real grass throughout the venue.][
Performers who have appeared at the centre include ]Andy Parsons
Andrew John Parsons (born 30 November 1966) is an English comedian and writer. He regularly appeared on '' Mock the Week'' from Series 3 to Series 14. With comedy partner Henry Naylor, he wrote and presented nine series of '' Parsons and Naylor ...
, Matt Forde
Matt Forde (born 6 November 1982) is an English comedian, impressionist, writer and presenter.
Background
Forde attended Becket School in West Bridgford, Nottingham. His mother is a former nun. He joined the Labour Party when he was 15 and b ...
, Sam Simmons, Roger McGough,[ ]Seann Walsh
Sean Christopher Walsh (born 2 December 1985), known professionally as Seann Walsh, is an English stand-up comedian and actor.
Early life
Walsh was born in Camden in London, but was brought up in Brighton. He left school with one GCSE examin ...
, Stewart Lee
Stewart Graham Lee (born 5 April 1968) is an English comedian. His stand-up routine is characterised by repetition, internal reference, and deadpan delivery.
Lee began his career in 1989 and formed the comedy duo Lee and Herring with Richard ...
, Adrian Henri,[ Shappi Khorsandi, ]Miriam Margolyes
Miriam Margolyes ( ; born 18 May 1941) is a British and Australian actress. Known for her work as a character actor across film, television, and stage, she received the BAFTA for Best Supporting Actress for her role as Mrs. Mingott in Marti ...
, Omid Djalili
Omid Djalili (; born 30 September 1965) is a British comedian, actor, and writer.
Early life and education
Djalili was born on 30 September 1965 in St Mary Abbots Hospital in Kensington, London, to Iranian Baháʼí parents Ahmad and Parvane ...
, Dara Ó Briain
Dara Ó Briain ( , ; born 4 February 1972) is an Irish comedian and television presenter based in the United Kingdom. He is noted for performing stand-up comedy shows all over the world and for hosting topical panel shows such as ''Mock the Wee ...
, Jimmy Carr
James Anthony Patrick Carr (born 15 September 1972) is an Irish-British comedian, presenter, writer and actor. He is known for his rapid-fire deadpan delivery of One-line joke, one-liners. He began his comedy career in 1997, and he has regula ...
, Dave Gorman
David James Gorman (born 2 March 1971) is an English comedian, presenter, and writer.
Gorman began his career writing for comedy series such as '' The Mrs Merton Show'' (1993–1998) and ''The Fast Show'' (1994–1997), and later garnered a ...
, Tony Hawks
Antony Gordon Hawksworth Order of the British Empire, MBE (born 27 February 1960), known professionally as Tony Hawks, is a British comedian and author.
Early life
Born in Brighton, Sussex, Hawks was educated at Brighton, Hove and Sussex Gr ...
Daniel Kitson
Daniel John Kitson (born 2 July 1977) is an English comedian, actor, performer and writer.
Early life
Daniel John Kitson was born in Denby Dale on 2 July 1977, the son of a primary school headteacher mother and a lecturer father. He was a pupi ...
, Simon Munnery
Simon Munnery is an English comedian.
Early life
Born in Middlesex, Munnery grew up in Bedmond and was educated at Watford Grammar School for Boys, where he earned four A Levels. He read natural sciences at Trinity College, Cambridge but s ...
, Nish Kumar
Nishant Kumar (born 1985) is a British stand-up comedian, television presenter and podcaster. He became known as the host of ''The Mash Report'' on BBC Two and U&Dave, Dave. He has also presented ''Newsjack'' on BBC Radio 4 Extra, ''Joel Domme ...
, Phill Jupitus
Phillip Christopher Jupitus (, ''Given name#Name at birth, né'' Swan; born 25 June 1962) is a retired English stand-up comedy, stand-up and Improv comedy teacher, improv comedian, actor, performance poetry, performance poet, cartoonist and podc ...
, Justin Moorhouse
Justin Moorhouse (born 15 May 1970) is an English stand-up comedian, radio DJ and actor from Ashton-Under-Lyne. He appeared in ''Phoenix Nights'', ''Looking for Eric'' and Guess The Attendance. Moorhouse has also appeared as a guest on the Dav ...
, Pete Firman and Al Murray
Alastair James Hay Murray (born 10 May 1968) is an English comedian.
After graduating from the University of Oxford, Murray's comedy career began by working with Harry Hill for BBC Radio 4. He regularly performed at the Edinburgh Festival Frin ...
.
Bands who have appeared at the WEC include Blur,[ ]Happy Mondays
Happy Mondays are an English rock band formed in Salford in 1980. The original line-up consisted of brothers Shaun Ryder (vocals) and Paul Ryder (bass), Gaz Whelan (drums), Paul Davis (keyboard), and Mark Day (guitar). Mark "Bez" Berry la ...
, Stone Roses
The Stone Roses were an English rock band formed in Manchester in 1983. They were one of the pioneering groups of the Madchester movement in the late 1980s and early 1990s. The band's classic and most prominent lineup consisted of vocalist Ian ...
, Spiritualized
Spiritualized (stylised as Spiritualized®) are an English rock band formed in 1990 in Rugby, Warwickshire, by Jason Pierce (often known as J. Spaceman), formerly of Spacemen 3. After several line up-changes, in 1999, the band centred on Pie ...
, A, Primal Scream
Primal Scream are a Scottish rock music, rock band originally formed in 1982 in Glasgow by Bobby Gillespie (vocals) and Jim Beattie (musician), Jim Beattie (guitar). The band's current lineup consists of Gillespie, Andrew Innes (guitar), Simon ...
, Manic Street Preachers
Manic Street Preachers, also known simply as the Manics, are a Wales, Welsh Rock music, rock band formed in Blackwood, Caerphilly, in 1986. The band consists of Nicky Wire (bass guitar, lyrics) and cousins James Dean Bradfield (lead vocals, le ...
, Peter Green, Chas & Dave
Chas & Dave (often billed as Chas 'n' Dave) were an English pop rock duo, formed in London by Chas Hodges and Dave Peacock (musician), Dave Peacock.
They were most notable as creators and performers of a musical style labelled ''rockney'' (a p ...
, Foals
A foal is an equine up to one year old; this term is used mainly for horses, but can be used for donkeys. More specific terms are colt for a male foal and filly for a female foal, and are used until the horse is three or four. When the foal is ...
, The 1975
The 1975 are
an English pop rock
band formed in Wilmslow, Cheshire, in 2002. The band consists of Matty Healy (lead vocals, guitar, primary songwriter), Adam Hann (lead guitar), Ross MacDonald (bass), and George Daniel (drums, primary produ ...
, Biffy Clyro
Biffy Clyro are a Scottish Rock music, rock band that formed in Kilmarnock, composed of Simon Neil (lead vocals, guitar) and twin brothers James Johnston (Scottish musician), James (bass, backing vocals) and Ben Johnston (Scottish musician), Be ...
, The Temperance Movement, Nine Below Zero, Funeral for a Friend
Funeral for a Friend are a Welsh post-hardcore band from Bridgend, Wales, Bridgend, formed in 2001. The band's members are Kris Roberts (guitar, backing vocals), Gavin Burrough (guitar, vocals), Darran Smith (guitar), Richard Boucher (bass), an ...
, PJ Harvey
Polly Jean Harvey (born 9 October 1969) is an English singer-songwriter. Primarily known as a vocalist and guitarist, she is also proficient with a wide range of instruments.
Harvey began her career in 1988 when she joined local band Automat ...
, The Xcerts and We Are the Ocean.[ The Centre has also provided support for local musicians ]Hundred Reasons
Hundred Reasons are an English alternative rock band formed in London, England, in 1999. It consists of Colin Doran (vocals), Larry Hibbitt (guitar, vocals), Andy Gilmour (bass), and Andy Bews (drums).
After releasing ''EpOne'', '' EpTwo'', a ...
and Sonny Black.
Today the Centre is managed by Hampshire Cultural Trust as an arts centre
An art centre or arts center is distinct from an art gallery or art museum. An arts centre is a functional community centre with a specific remit to encourage arts practice and to provide facilities such as theatre space, gallery space, venues fo ...
and venue for professional touring shows, the theatre space having a capacity of 106 with raked seating.[ From 2001 to 2019 the arts centre director was Barney Jeavons,] the former manager of the British rock band Reuben
Reuben or Reuven is a Biblical male first name from Hebrew רְאוּבֵן (Re'uven), meaning "behold, a son". In the Bible, Reuben was the firstborn son of Jacob.
Variants include Reuvein in Yiddish or as an English variant spelling on th ...
and the son of the actor Colin Jeavons
Colin Abel Jeavons (born 20 October 1929) is a British retired actor and TV presenter. He is known for his character roles and has worked in theatre, television and film, especially in literary adaptations and roles related to the works of Char ...
.
Gallery
File:West End Centre Aldershot Dance Studio.jpg, The Dance Studio
File:West End Centre Aldershot Exhibition.jpg, The Exhibition Hall
File:West End Centre Aldershot pottery room.jpg, The Pottery Workshop
File:West End Centre Aldershot art workshop.jpg, Art Workshop
See also
* Princes Hall
* Hippodrome, Aldershot
* Theatre Royal, Aldershot
References
External list
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:West End Centre, Aldershot
1975 establishments in England
Buildings and structures in Aldershot
Aldershot
Studio theatres in England
Entertainment venues in England
Arts centres in England
Music venues in Hampshire