Bridge House

East London's most famous music house of the 70s and 80s

Location: 23 Barking Road, Canning Town, E16

Description: From 1975 to 1982, the 'Bridge House', Canning Town, in the East End of London, was the place to be.

Heavy metal fans rubbed shoulders with punks, mods, skinheads and goths to watch Iron Maiden, the Tom Robinson Band, Secret Affair, Cockney Rejects and Wasted Youth.

The 560-capacity pub is where Dire Straits, U2 and the Stray Cats played their first UK dates, where The Blues Band and Chas & Dave recorded live albums, and where Depeche Mode got signed.

Ray Winstone was a regular, between appearances in Scum, Quadrophenia and even in a film called Ladies and Gentlemen, the Fabulous Stains alongside Paul Simonon of The Clash and Steve Jones and Paul Cook of The Sex Pistols. He'd followed the advice of 'Uncle Tel' - the landlord, Terence Murphy and given up boxing in order to 'get stuck into the acting'.

By 1978, the Bridge House was the first pub in the world with its own record label.

The pub became a club, then a hotel. It got pulled down for a new flyover in 2002.

Themes: Music Music Theme