Printworks

Printworks was a large-scale nightclub and events venue in Rotherhithe, South London, built inside the former Harmsworth Quays printing plant. Printworks was described as having become one of the UK's top nightclubs, and it took its name directly from the building's previous life, with the site having printed newspapers including the Daily Mail and Evening Standard until 2012.

The venue opened its doors in February 2017 with a launch event by Seth Troxler, The Martinez Brothers and Loco Dice, and it quickly built a reputation as one of the country's most striking club spaces. The design made a feature of the building's industrial past, retaining elements such as the van loading dock and metal stairs to create a raw, cavernous backdrop across its two main spaces, the Press Halls and Inkwells (originally called the Darkroom). With an overall capacity of 6,000, it offered a scale rarely found in London clubbing, and it also found use for films, commercials and music videos.

Over its six years of operation, Printworks hosted a wide range of club nights and promoters, including Klockworks, Eskimo Dance, Gou Talk, The Hydra, Sunday Service, BuggedOut! and Glitterbox, alongside drum & bass night Metalheadz. Visiting DJs and artists spanned the breadth of electronic music, from Moodymann, Gerd Janson, Amelie Lens, Kenny Dope, Helena Hauff and Jeff Mills to Peggy Gou, Bicep, Andy C, Sub Focus and Aphex Twin, with the venue primarily focused on electronic music while occasionally hosting other genres such as orchestral performances. In its final full year, Printworks was ranked second in DJ Mag's Top 100 Clubs poll, cementing its standing among the world's leading venues.

Printworks closed its doors on 1 May 2023, following a four-month farewell season that culminated in headline sets from Bicep and Peggy Gou, as the building was slated for redevelopment into offices as part of British Land's wider Canada Water scheme. The closure prompted a significant public backlash, and in 2024 British Land and architects HawkinsBrown unveiled plans to reinstate half of the building, the Press Halls, as a permanent cultural venue, with the remainder becoming workspace and retail under the name The Grand Press. Southwark Council granted planning permission for this scheme in September 2024, and the site, billed as Printworks 2.0, is scheduled to reopen as a music and events venue in 2026.