Did You Know The Roof Of Olympia Is Retractable?

M@
By M@ Last edited 75 months ago
Did You Know The Roof Of Olympia Is Retractable?

"You do realise we have a retractable roof, don't you?"

It's an outrageous claim. We've just scaled the great arcing canopy of Olympia and stand a few inches beneath its apex. The west London exhibition hall is a Grade II listed masterpiece of Victorian engineering. Its vast curving roof contains 85 tons of glass, delicately interposed on a 130-year old iron frame. No way is this crystalline leviathan retractable.

"It really is. Watch."

Our guide, Steve Ward, pushes a button. A hiss of air from some hidden hydraulic system briefly makes us jump. And then a large section of Olympia's roof begins to move. Even the centre's marketing manager is taken by surprise.

It's a final highlight of a vertiginous tour of the complex. Wearing safety harnesses and cable climbing kit, we dodged girthsome air vents and negotiated ladders of alarming wobble, all to reach the roof gantries on top of Olympia Grand, the main exhibition space at Olympia. Most of London is visible from up here.

It's a long way down.

The internal view is also quite magnificent: 1,200 tons of white-painted iron arch around us, all resting on giant ball-and-socket joints beneath the floor. Steve relates how he would clamber around on the internal beams without any rope or helmet, in the years before health and safety rules were tightened, a thought that makes the stomach churn.

Steve Ward, who's been looking after Olympia for 13 years, points out some of the beams he used to clamber up without harness.

This great venue in Kensington opened in 1886 as the National Agricultural Hall. It has since hosted countless shows, rallies and exhibitions. The space has variously been occupied by lions, fascists, pigeons, boxers, a Bedouin encampment, aircraft, and Mr Charles Crufts' sporting dogs. Many remarkable diversions have passed through this venue over the past 125 years, but the structure itself is perhaps the greatest wonder.

Looking across the internal roof space of the main hall.

Olympia is set to play an even more prominent role in the years to come. Nearby Earl's Court exhibition centre has now been demolished, and exhibitions such as the Ideal Home Show have moved to Olympia. We're not sure how many of them will make use of the retractable roof, however.

Inside the main hall.

Other Londonist rooftop adventures

Got an interesting roof? Why not show us around?

Recently installed glass at the western end.
Recently installed glass at the western end.
Such a big space requires plenty of ventilation.
Such a big space requires plenty of ventilation.
Looking across to the roof of Olympia Grand. The movable gantry that provides access to the roof can be seen in the middle.
Looking across to the roof of Olympia Grand. The movable gantry that provides access to the roof can be seen in the middle.
Inside the National Hall, the smaller of the two main halls, built in 1922-23.
Inside the National Hall, the smaller of the two main halls, built in 1922-23.
Art deco flourishes on the front of Olympia.
Art deco flourishes on the front of Olympia.
The oak-panelled Pillar Hall offers a very different space for smaller functions.
The oak-panelled Pillar Hall offers a very different space for smaller functions.

Last Updated 01 December 2017