The O2 Victoria Warehouse is a live music venue in Old Trafford, Greater Manchester, England. The venue is made up of two storage warehouses used during the early to mid-20th century. It was redeveloped as a music venue in 2012 and given its current name in 2018.
 | |
| Former names | Victoria Warehouse |
|---|---|
| Location | Trafford Wharf Rd, Old Trafford, Greater Manchester, England |
| Coordinates | 53°27′51″N 2°17′06″W / 53.4643°N 2.2849°W |
| Operator | Academy Music Group |
| Capacity | 3,500 |
| Construction | |
| Built | 1925 |
| Opened | 2012 |
| Renovated | 2009 |
| Website | |
| https://victoriawarehouse.com | |
Location
editThe venue is on the banks of the Bridgewater Canal in Old Trafford, behind a stone quay.[1]
History
editThe premises began construction in the 1920s by the Liverpool Warehousing Company as a storage facility for the city, with the two warehouses opening in 1925 and 1927, respectively.[2] The site covered 300,000 square feet (28,000 m2).[3] It was later used for food storage, before being largely destroyed by fire in 1980.[4]
In 1982, a mural by Walter Kershaw was drawn on the storage buildings, showing the industries in Trafford Park, as well as players from nearby Manchester United F.C. It was replaced with a second mural on 1 November 1993, also by Kershaw, featuring updated images. The mural had to be temporarily dismantled in 2006 over health and safety concerns.[5][6] The mural was subsequently renovated and restored, before being removed again in 2014.[5][7] The site was purchased by developers in 2009 and the buildings reconstructed with modern facilities.[8] It opened on 8 April 2012, and acquired a wedding licence in August 2015.[9]
On 14 May 2015, the then Chancellor of the Exchequer, George Osborne, gave a speech at the venue entitled "Building a Northern Powerhouse" and covered the government's proposed redevelopment of cities in Northern England.[10]
The venue was renamed the O₂ Victoria Warehouse as part of a longstanding deal between Live Nation Entertainment who own Academy Music Group, and O₂.[8][11]
Events
editThe venue has attracted several major music artists, including Thom Yorke,[12] Sam Fender and Lizzo.[13]
In October 2019, following noise complaints at the nearby Bowlers Exhibition Centre, a representative from Academy Music Group said that all Victoria Warehouse events are attended by an acoustic engineer monitoring noise levels, and that they received no direct complaints.[14]
References
edit- ^ Manchester - The Warehouse Legacy. English Heritage. p. 9. Retrieved 15 October 2019.
- ^ "Academy Music Group expands with Manchester's 'stunning' Victoria Warehouse". Music Week. 30 August 2018. Retrieved 15 October 2019.
- ^ "AMG expands venue portfolio in Manchester". IQ Magazine. 30 August 2018. Retrieved 15 October 2019.
- ^ "Victoria Warehouse" (PDF). Global Innovation Summit. May 2019. Retrieved 15 October 2019.
- ^ a b Dickens, Steven (2014). Stretford & Old Trafford Through Time. Amberley Publishing Limited. p. 120. ISBN 978-1-445-61517-2.
- ^ "Mural removed over safety fears". BBC News. 2 May 2006.
- ^ "Second mural ordered for Trafford Park". Manchester Evening News. 21 February 2007. Retrieved 21 October 2019.
- ^ a b "Victoria Warehouse to be re-named as new operator plans to pull in 'big international acts'". Manchester Evening News. 30 August 2018. Retrieved 15 October 2019.
- ^ "History". Victoria Warehouse. Retrieved 15 October 2019.
- ^ The Law & Politics of Brexit. Oxford University Press. 2017. p. 106. ISBN 978-0-198-81176-3.
- ^ Clift, Caroline (30 August 2018). "Victoria Warehouse to rebrand as O2 Victoria Warehouse Manchester". Stand Out Magazine. Retrieved 15 October 2019.
- ^ "Thom Yorke adds second Manchester date to 2020 UK and European tour". NME. 18 October 2019.
- ^ "Review : Lizzo at Victoria Warehouse, Manchester". Manchester Evening News. 12 November 2019. Retrieved 20 November 2023.
- ^ ""It's literally beyond ridiculous" - Residents say a zombie rave at Bowlers kept them awake all night". Manchester Evening News. 14 October 2019. Retrieved 15 October 2019.