Save Turnmills

To:  Derwent London plc

We as patrons of the nightclub venue known as Turnmills, of 63b Clerkenwell Road, Clerkenwell, London, EC1M 5NP do hereby petition the freehold title holder Derwent London plc, 25 Savile Row, London, W1S 2ER to negotiate favourable terms such that Turnmills Company Limited (herein the “Company”) be permitted to carry on trading “as is” and to limit the rent payable under the leasehold arrangement with the Company.

The development plans lodged and approved by Islington Council include “B1 Office together with bar/restaurant/nighclub/gym” which comprises the exact same usage detail as the present structure. The only material development is the first and upper floors of the building (none of which affect the entertainment venues in the ground / basement mezzanine / basement venue below) – this could be saved with some constructive architectural thinking I am sure.
With over 23 years of successful clubbing, and over 3,000 parties hosted – Turnmills is an institution in London “clubland” – literally thousands of people are being deprived of a venue that is, and always will be close to their hearts. Looking at the corporate brochure for the current freeholder, it is being developed purely on a speculative basis without any cause or concern for the common Londoner.

Over the years Turnmills has been responsible for some of the most prestigious and ground-breaking club nights in the land, grooming the freshest new talent alongside a wealth of superstar DJs. From The Chemical Brothers’ weekly Heavenly Social residency, to the globe’s definitive gay after-hours club, Trade and of course the 14 year old beast that is The Gallery... Turnmills will always have a special place in everyone’s hearts and will be dearly missed. To this day, The Gallery remains London’s longest-serving and best-loved weekly Friday all-nighter, witnessing the rise of many of the biggest names in dance music – from Paul Oakenfold, Tiesto and Armin van Buuren, to Judge Jules, Ferry Corsten and Paul van Dyk, alongside a stellar supporting cast of residents including (co-owner and talisman) Tall Paul and Faithless’ Sister Bliss. Other notable events through the ages include the electronic excellence of Headstart and Together – the former featured residents & regular guests like Fatboy Slim, Josh Wink, Darren Emerson and Aphex Twin, whilst the latter remains the flagship Saturday night at Turnmills, offering a multi-roomed, mini-festival every month with past guests including Justice, 2manydjs and Mylo. On a housey tip, look no further than Danny Rampling’s iconic London Calling and Metrogroove parties or the soulful sounds of City Loud with CJ Mackintosh, which would both welcome house heavyweights like Frankie Knuckles, Tony Humphries and Masters at Work amongst many others, plus Roger Sanchez’s five year Release Yourself residency and the fabulous Disco Tech of Bob Sinclar. On a more rock n’ roll vibe, cult mid-weeker Get Loaded not only paved the way for the Get Loaded in the Park festival, but it also brought the sound of Madchester down the M1 to London as The Happy Mondays’ renowned pairing of Shaun Ryder & Bez began their love affair with the club.

This collaboration with the Mondays lead to the recording of the bands’ latest album ‘Uncle Dysfunktional’ in the Turnmills Recording Studio (hidden deep within the labyrinth of the club!), and a year later, Pete Doherty’s band Babyshambles recorded their newest LP ‘Shotter’s Nation’ in the very same Studio. The Turnmills Studio also played an important part in the musical development of those closest to the club with Tall Paul’s former record label Duty Free Records based at Turnmills and featured music from the likes of Lottie, Fergie and Paul himself. Aside from the club itself, Turnmills was also known for its high class cuisine, with former restaurant Gaudi, voted the ‘Best Spanish Restaurant in London’ and featured in the Michelin Guide. Plus at the back the club, we ran a very popular female only gym called Juno Lucina, which would later be replaced by the ‘Juno Rooms’ and a new fully functional live music room which saw the likes of The Gossip, The Kills and The Horrors all perform live.

As with all venues of this size and stature, Turnmills has had its fair share of high jinks and capers from hazy nights gone by. Michael Jackson and Alexander O’Neil both celebrated their birthdays at the club, Bjork and Madonna (in disguise) regularly turned up at Trade, Robbie Williams and his entourage would drop by at The Gallery and Noel Gallagher and Keith Allen were often propping up the bar at Get Loaded! Other sightings include many a wedding proposal on one knee by a (brave!) club member or the sprinkling of ashes on Turnmills’ hallowed main room floor. But these tales don’t even scratch the surface of what the closure of Turnmills will mean to the thousands upon thousands of clubbers who’ve danced their heart out at the club over the years.

Sincerely,

The Undersigned

The Save Turnmills Petition to Derwent London plc was created by Patrons of Turnmills, London and written by Billybob Cope (saveturnmills@live.com).  This petition is hosted here at www.PetitionOnline.com as a public service. There is no endorsement of this petition, express or implied, by Artifice, Inc. or our sponsors. For technical support please use our simple Petition Help form.