Reading dance hall that hosted Rolling Stones to be demolished

Soldiers in uniform outside the Olympia Dance Hall can be seen in a picture showing the site in 1914

A historic dance hall that hosted acts such as The Rolling Stones will be demolished and replaced with flats.

The Olympia Hall in London Street, Reading is set to be knocked down to make way for 12 flats.

The plans put forward by developers the Keen Partnership have been approved by Reading Borough Council.

The venue is thought to have been built just before World War One and was famed for hosting music acts such as The Who and Rod Stewart.

A heritage statement published with the plans states that although the hall is of "little aesthetic value from the exterior" it has "high cultural value in Reading".

"Since its creation it has formed part of the social history of the Reading area," the statement reads.

The hall was later turned into an events venue and renamed Shehnai, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

It is thought to have closed some time after 2018.

The hall was turned into an events venue and renamed Shehnai

Plans to create three new flats on the ground floor of the nearby Grade II listed building have also been approved.

The site was used as a residence for the patients of Dr Anthony Addington, who was a physician with a particular specialism in insanity famed for his work with King George III when he first showed signs of mental decline, according to an official report.