14 May 2025

The long gone Earl’s Court dance hall on the Upper Esplanade, next to the St Moritz ice rink, more famous as The Venue in the 1980s.

It had been the Lyric open air cinema from 1913, rebuilt as the Mayfair with a cabaret downstairs and dance hall upstairs in 1928. Then in 1932 it was transformed again with castle style front, complete with moat and drawbridge (somehow), with a cinema downstairs (for ‘talkies’), and refreshed dance hall upstairs, with a proper sprung floor, continuing the castle theme. Seems it had dances, bands and dinner shows too.

By the early 80s it was The Venue, featuring punks and new wave, all that crazy live music scene, but seems to have closed in 1988. The site is now a rather large old folks home, I think operated originally by the St Kilda Council Housing branch. It’s in a perfect evocation of mid postmodern, looking very Art Deco, but using tubular steel and baby blue.

All photos via Facebook, some originally from the State Library, others personal collections. Last pic mine.

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