Shepherds Bush Empire
The Shepherds Bush Empire is a music venue in Shepherd's Bush in West London, England. It was built in 1903 to designs by prolific theatre designer Frank Matcham. the first performers at the new theatre were The Fred Karno Troupe and the Empire staged music hall entertainments such as variety performances and revues until the early 1950s. By then the popularity of these forms of entertainment was declining and in 1953 the Empire was sold to the BBC, which put it to use as a TV studio-theatre.
The programmes produced by the BBC at the Empire included Crackerjack, That’s Life, Hancock's Half Hour, Wogan and The Old Grey Whistle Test. In 1994 it was converted into a live music venue, and since then it has hosted acts such as Blur, Radiohead, Kylie Minogue and Sheryl Crow. The Empire has a capacity of only 2,000 but it has been chosen as a venue for small scale gigs by leading performers such as The Rolling Stones, David Bowie and Elton John.
Parking Facilities
Street parking in Shepherd's Bush is extremely limited. Please make full use of public transport and assist The Empire in keeping good relations with the local residents by using the N.C.P. Car Park located in W12 Shopping Centre, it is 5 minutes away from the venue.
Tube Station
- Shepherd's Bush Central Line
- Shepherd's Bush Hammersmith & City Line
- Goldhawk Road Hammersmith & City Line
Bus Routes
Shepherd's Bush Green 49 72 94 95 148 207 220 237 260 283 272 295 607 N72 N94 N148 N207
- 49 Shepherd's Bush-Kensington-Clampham
- 72 Roehampton-Shepherd's Bush-East Acton
- 94 Acton Green-Shepherd's Bush-Piccadilly Circus
- 95 Shepherd's Bush-Greenford-Southall
- 148 Camberwell-Victoria-Shepherd's Bush
- 207 Shepherd's Bush-Ealing-Uxbridge
- 220 Harlesden-Shepherd's Bush-Wandsworth
- 237 Hounslow Heath-Brentford-Shepherd's Bush
- 260 North Finchley-Willesden-Shepherd's Bush
- 283 Barnes-Shepherd's Bush-East Acton
- 272 Chiswick-Acton-Shepherd's Bush
- 295 Ladbroke Grove-Shepherd's Bush-Clapham Junction
Night Buses
- N72 East Acton-Shepherd's Bush-Roehampton
- N94 Piccadilly Circus-Shepherd's Bush-Acton Green
- N148 Shepherd's Bush-Victoria-Camberwell
- N207 Holborn-Shepherd's Bush-Uxbridge