London Arena

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The London Arena[1] was an indoor arena on the Isle of Dogs [2] in London, England. It first opened in 1989[3] and had a £10 million refit in 1998. Seating capacity was up to 12,500[4], depending on the type of event held. It was the home of the London Knights ice hockey team [5], the London Towers basketball team and later the Greater London Leopards basketball team. The Arena also hosted pop concerts, plays, boxing matches and wrestling events. It never managed to become a financial success, in part due to its fairly poor transport access, and in 2005 it closed. It will be superseded as the main arena in East London by the Millennium Dome, when that building has been converted into an arena. In December 2005, it housed the annual 'Crisis Open Christmas' event (held the previous year in the Dome), organised by the London-based charity Crisis. This provides food, accommodation, various medical and social services and company to around 1,500 guests and 3,500 volunteers each Christmas. The London Arena was demolished in June 2006 [6] and is set to be replaced by a mainly residential development [7].