{{short description|Entertainment complex in London}} {{Use dmy dates|date=August 2015}} {{Use British English|date=August 2015}} [[File:London Trocadero - May 2026.jpg|thumb|Façade on Coventry Street|alt=]] The '''London Trocadero''' is a former entertainment complex on [[Coventry Street]], with a rear entrance in [[Shaftesbury Avenue]], London. It was originally built in 1896 as a restaurant, which closed in 1965. In 1984, the complex reopened as an exhibition and entertainment space. It became known for the video-game oriented [[SegaWorld London|SegaWorld]] attractions which were added in 1996, and later downscaled and renamed to "Funland" before its closure in 2011. Part of the building was opened as a hotel in 2020.
The complex incorporates separate historic London buildings, including the old [[London Pavilion]] Theatre (a former venue for the Palace of Varieties), the New Private Subscription Theatre, the Royal Albion Theatre, the Argyll Subscription Rooms, the Eden Theatre and the Trocadero Restaurant.
The name Trocadero indirectly derives from the [[Battle of Trocadero]] in 1823, through the [[Trocadéro, Paris|Palais du Trocadéro]] in [[Paris]], named after the French victory. Since at least 1919, the Trocadero has been abbreviated to '''the Troc'''; under that name it appears in a poem by [[John Betjeman]].<ref>Jocelyn Brooke, ''John Betjeman'', [http://www.ourcivilisation.com/smartboard/shop/brookej/btjmn/chap3.htm Chapter 3, Poems] online at ourcivilisation.com, accessed 15 May 2013</ref>
==History== ===Original venue (1896–1965)=== [[File:Trocadero Centre, London W1 - geograph.org.uk - 1098198.jpg|thumb|right|The old London Pavilion Theatre]] The Trocadero Restaurant of [[J. Lyons and Co.]] opened in 1896 on a site on Coventry Street, near the theatres of the [[West End of London|West End]], which had been formerly occupied by the Argyll Rooms, where wealthy men hired [[prostitutes]]. A one time maître d'hôtel of the Trocadero was French-born Raymond Monbiot, great-grandfather of the journalist and environmentalist [[George Monbiot]].
The new settings were done in an Opera [[Baroque]] style, and the various Trocaderos of the English-speaking world have derived their names from this original, the epitome of grand Edwardian catering. Murals on Arthurian themes decorated the grand staircase, and the Long Bar catered to gentlemen only. During [[World War I]], the Trocadero initiated the first "concert tea": tea was served in the Empire Hall, accompanied by a full concert programme. After the war, [[cabaret]] was a feature of the Grill Room. The Trocadero closed on 13 February 1965.
===Relaunched leisure space (1984–1996)=== In 1984, the Trocadero was redeveloped as a tourist-orientated entertainment, cinema and shopping complex. Providing {{convert|450,000|sqft|m2}} of leisure space, it was the largest leisure scheme in the United Kingdom at the time; only being matched 19 years later by the similar sized [[Xscape (building)|Xscape]] development in [[Castleford]].
It retained the external Baroque facade, but gutted the interior and added a ''[[Guinness World Records|Guinness Book of World Records Exhibition]].'' But tenants were limited, and the half-finished development was eventually sold to Burford Group plc, led by [[Nick Leslau]] and Nigel Wray.<ref name="SunHld1">{{cite news|url=http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qn4156/is_20020210/ai_n12574093|title=How the Westway was won by tycoon|publisher=Sunday Herald|date=10 February 2002|access-date=26 August 2008 | first=Kenny | last=Kemp}}</ref> [[Nickelodeon UK]] broadcast live from there from 1993 until 1995 when they moved to Rathbone Place.
===SegaWorld/Funland (1996–2011)=== [[File:SegaWorld London 2009.jpg|thumb|SegaWorld entrance, 2009]] The Trocadero Centre received a boost in the late 1990s with the addition of sponsorship from [[Pepsi]], and [[Sega]] as an [[anchor tenant]]. The launch of [[SegaWorld London]], an indoor theme park occurred on 7 September 1996, which included a large statue of [[Sonic the Hedgehog (character)|Sonic the Hedgehog]] over the front entrance. Pepsi sponsored ''[[The Sam FM Drop|The Pepsi Max Drop]]'' and from 1997 the ''Pepsi [[IMAX]]'' cinema, the first 3D IMAX cinema in the UK. It was also home to the second series of [[Channel 4]]'s daily reality show ''[[The Salon (TV series)|The Salon]].''
However, resultant visitor numbers were poor, and the Guinness Records exhibition closed in the mid-1990s. Following the loss of Sega's sponsorship in 1999, [[Segaworld]] became ''Funland'', named after the original arcade that had operated in the building since 1990,<ref>{{Cite web|last=Ted|date=2017-06-15|title=Fun Is Infinite: The rise and fall of the London Trocadero and Sega World|url=http://tedsegablog.blogspot.com/2017/06/the-rise-and-fall-of-london-trocadero.html|access-date=2021-09-06|website=Fun Is Infinite}}</ref> and was subsequently reduced in size. The Pepsi-sponsored IMAX cinema closed in March 2000 shortly after the newer [[London IMAX]] opened on the [[South Bank, London|South Bank]], and the Drop Ride closed around the same time (the Drop Ride was relocated to [[Funland (Hayling Island)|Funland]] in Hayling Island, which has no relation to Funland in the Trocadero beyond the name). Remains of old attractions could still be seen around the centre, such as a wall with a gun-barrel motif that used to house the ''[[James Bond]]: License to Thrill'' ride. The top floors were kept open until autumn 2002, when they were closed and the disused [[escalator]] was blocked off with a drinks machine. This was the original entrance to Segaworld when Funland occupied the lower floors. In October 2005, the centre was used as a backdrop for the final scenes of [[Madonna (entertainer)|Madonna]]'s "[[Hung Up (Madonna song)|Hung Up]]" video.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.madonna-online.ch/m-online/videography/hung-up/video-facts.htm|title=Videography "Hung up"|year=2005|access-date=30 April 2010|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090720012217/http://www.madonna-online.ch/m-online/videography/hung-up/video-facts.htm|archive-date=20 July 2009|df=dmy-all}}</ref>
[[File:Entrance to Funland November 2007.JPG|thumb|Entrance to Funland, November 2007]] [[Criterion Capital]] acquired the Trocadero in 2005, and unveiled plans to comprehensively redevelop the site while retaining the listed facade.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.propertyweek.com/story.asp?sectioncode=297&storycode=3113235|title=Criterion's £100m plans for Trocadero get Westminster go-ahead|author=David Doyle|publisher=Property Week|date=9 May 2008|access-date=9 October 2008}}</ref> In 2009, a plan to build a [[pod hotel]] with 500 budget rooms inside the building was announced.<ref>{{cite news |title=Trocadero centre to be turned into budget 500-room pod hotel |author=Ruth Bloomfield |url=https://www.standard.co.uk/news/trocadero-centre-to-be-turned-into-budget-500room-pod-hotel-6803163.html |newspaper=Evening Standard |date=11 August 2009 |access-date=17 January 2013}}</ref> The 'rocket' escalator was removed in May 2011, and what remained of Funland closed in July 2011.
===Redevelopment plans (2012–present)=== A new plan for a 583-bedroom hotel including "pod rooms", apartments, shops and a rooftop bar was approved by [[Westminster City Council]] in August 2012.<ref>{{cite news |title=Trocadero to be transformed into Tokyo-style 'pod' hotel |author=Mirra Bar-Hillel |url=https://www.standard.co.uk/news/london/trocadero-to-be-transformed-into-tokyostyle-pod-hotel-8052753.html |newspaper=Evening Standard |date=16 August 2012 |access-date=17 January 2013}}</ref> In March 2014, Criterion announced plans to open a [[TK Maxx]] in the centre, 5 years after it was blocked by the [[Crown Estate]].<ref>{{Cite web|last=Bar-Hillel|first=Jonathan Prynn, Mira|date=2014-03-10|title=TK Maxx to open Piccadilly superstore on Trocadero site five years|url=https://www.standard.co.uk/news/london/tk-maxx-to-open-piccadilly-superstore-on-trocadero-site-five-years-after-west-end-snub-9181446.html|access-date=2021-09-06|website=www.standard.co.uk|language=en}}</ref>
The locked entrance and a handful of left-over [[arcade game]]s and attractions remained in a much quieter, emptier Trocadero centre with spaces at basement level for street dancers. Despite some online articles indicating that the venue would permanently close on 25 February 2014,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://ukarcaderacers.wordpress.com/2014/02/14/london-trocadero-will-close-for-good-on-february-25-2014/|title=London Trocadero will close for good on February 25, 2014|publisher=UK Arcade Racers|date=14 February 2014|access-date=14 February 2014}}</ref> only a few areas were removed and others remained open while renovation and plans to build the hotel continued.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://now-here-this.timeout.com/2014/02/20/panic-over-the-trocadero-lives-to-see-another-day/|title=Don't panic! The best bits of the Trocadero will live to see another day|publisher=Time Out|date=20 February 2014|access-date=9 October 2014}}</ref> The Cineworld cinema closed on 21 September 2014 and was replaced by a new [[Picturehouse Cinemas|Picturehouse]] cinema called Picturehouse Central, which opened on 19 June 2015.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Best Things To Do In London – Your Ultimate Guide To London|url=https://www.timeout.com/london/things-to-do/101-things-to-do-in-london|access-date=2021-09-06|website=Time Out London|language=en-GB}}</ref>
Plans were submitted in May 2020 to develop parts of the building's basement into a mosque<ref>{{Cite news|date=2020-05-20|title=Mosque plans submitted for London's Trocadero|language=en-GB|work=BBC News|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-london-52731896|access-date=2020-07-15}}</ref> but were later withdrawn in the wake of comments from the public voicing concerns over increased traffic and a place of worship being incongruous with the area's reputation for nightlife.<ref>{{Cite news|date=2020-07-18|title=Trocadero: Piccadilly mosque plans that received racist comments withdrawn|language=en-GB|work=BBC News|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-london-53456508|access-date=2021-09-06}}</ref> After further delays and changes of plan, Criterion opened the hotel in 2020: the Zedwell Piccadilly has 728 windowless rooms and a large rooftop bar.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Zedwell Piccadilly|url=https://www.expedia.com/London-Hotels-Zedwell-Piccadilly-Trocadero.h42297074.Hotel-Information|access-date=15 July 2020|website=[[Expedia]]}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|last=Sheppard|first=Owen|date=2018-03-05|title=Rooftop bar to be built on the Trocadero in expanded hotel plan|url=https://www.standard.co.uk/go/london/bars/rooftop-bar-to-be-built-on-the-trocadero-in-expanded-hotel-plan-a3781486.html|access-date=2020-07-15|website=Evening Standard|language=en}}</ref>
In 2023, Asif Aziz's plan to convert a part of it into a mosque was approved by the Westminster City Council's planning committee. According to the plans, the site will also hold 'interfaith meetings'. The site will be able to hold 250 worshippers in the lower basement area and 140 in the upper one, for a total capacity of 390, which is far lower than the capacity of the plan proposed originally. Some critics have expressed concern over the mosque's location near various nightlife establishments.<ref>{{Cite web|date=2023-07-17 |title=London is getting a new mosque in a very famous building |url=https://www.timeout.com/london/news/london-is-getting-a-new-mosque-in-a-very-famous-building-071723 |access-date=2023-07-18 |website=Time Out London |language=en-GB}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Salisbury |first=Josh |date=2023-07-18 |title=Part of London’s famous Trocadero to become mosque under approved plans |url=https://www.standard.co.uk/news/london/trocadero-soho-west-end-mosque-asif-aziz-b1095097.html |access-date=2023-07-18 |website=Evening Standard |language=en}}</ref>
In October 2025 it was announced that Westminster City Council had granted planning permission for a £40 million refurbishment that would create a casino and leisure centre within the building, with an entrance at 13 Coventry Street. The project proposed by [[Genting Group|Genting UK]] will redevelop 37,000 square feet of the interior, including the vacant restaurant space on the first floor previously occupied by Bubba Gump and the vacant former nightclub, Opium, in the basement. The complex will cater for 1,250 customers and create 350 new jobs in hospitality for Londoners, from entry-level to management. <ref>{{Cite web |last=Munro |first=Jim |date=2025-10-10 |title=New Casino At London’s Trocadero Signals Boost For UK Gambling Industry |url=https://www.gameshub.com/news/article/new-casino-at-londons-trocadero-signals-boost-for-uk-gambling-industry-2832564/ |access-date=2025-10-13 |website=Games Hub |language=en}}</ref>
==See also== *[[Scott's (restaurant)]]
==References== {{reflist|2}}
==External links== {{commons category|London Trocadero}} *Official website: {{webarchive|title=London Trocadero|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140717201407/http://www.londontrocadero.com/|date=17 July 2014}} *[http://www.trocadero.org.uk Trocadero Restaurant launch, early days and banquets] *[http://www.arthurlloyd.co.uk/TrocaderoLeicesterSquareLondon.htm History of the London Trocadero with archive images]
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[[Category:Cultural and educational buildings in London]] [[Category:Tourist attractions in London]] [[Category:PepsiCo buildings and structures]] [[Category:Tourist attractions in the City of Westminster]] [[Category:Grade II listed buildings in the City of Westminster]]