Colston Hall

Colston Hall
Colston Hall

Engraving of the exterior, from 1873.
Colston Hall is located in Bristol
Location within Bristol
General information
Town or city Bristol
Country England
Coordinates 51°27′17″N 2°35′53″W / 51.4546°N 2.5981°W / 51.4546; -2.5981Coordinates: 51°27′17″N 2°35′53″W / 51.4546°N 2.5981°W / 51.4546; -2.5981
Completed 1860s
Design and construction
Client Corporation of Bristol

The Colston Hall is a concert hall and grade II listed building situated on Colston Street, Bristol, England. A popular venue catering for a variety of different entertainers, it seats approximately 2,075 and provides licensed bars, a café and restaurant.[1] The venue is owned by Bristol City Council, but from April 2011 it will be run by the independent Bristol Music Trust.[2]

Contents

History

The site has been occupied by four buildings named Colston Hall since the 1860s.[3] In the thirteenth century, the site was occupied by a Carmelite friary, known as Whitefriars. Subsequently, the location held a large Tudor-era mansion known as the Great House, used by Queen Elizabeth I in 1574 on a visit to the city. In 1707, Edward Colston established the Colston Boys' School in this building, which was acquired by the Colston Hall Company in 1861. Colston Hall opened as a concert venue on September 20, 1867.[3] The architects were the prolific Bristol firm of Foster & Wood working in the Bristol Byzantine style.[4] It has been designated by English Heritage as a grade II listed building.[5]

Interior of Colston Hall in 1873, before the fire.

Most of the building was damaged during a fire on September 1, 1898; the auditorium suffered immense structural damage, and the interior was more or less destroyed. The second hall opened in 1901,[6] and in 1919, the Corporation of Bristol purchased it from the Colston Hall Company. The City Council continues to manage the hall. The second hall was closed for remodelling in 1935.

In December 1936, the third hall was opened.[6] This survived the Luftwaffe air raids of the Second World War, but was burned down in 1945 after a discarded cigarette started a fire.[7] The hall was rebuilt once more, and the fourth reopened in 1951 to mark the Festival of Britain.[8] The first computerised booking system was installed in February 1983,[9] and a £500,000 modernisation programme was conducted at the start of the 1990s, which included extensive rewiring, and various backstage improvements.[10] The installation of removable seating in the front half of the stalls in 2005[10] improved the hall as a venue for pop concerts, providing space for fans to move around and dance in front of the stage; it also increased the overall capacity of the auditorium.

Campaigners, many from the city’s Afro-Caribbean community, have called for the hall’s name to be changed because of Edward Colston’s link to the slave trade. The Bristol group Massive Attack vowed not to play at the venue while it retained its present name. The proposal sparked a heated controversy in the pages of the local press, although the majority of letters printed favoured retaining the Colston name.

From 2007 to 2009, the Colston Hall underwent extensive refurbishment with the construction of a new foyer alongside the present building, topped by a wind turbine.[11][12]

Artists who have performed at the Colston Hall

The venue has played host to many well-known acts over the years, including The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, The Who, Pink Floyd, Queen, and more recently acts such as Anastacia and Robbie Williams.

References

External links


Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Нужно решить контрольную?

Look at other dictionaries:

  • Colston's School — Motto Go and do thou likewise Established 1710 Type Independent Headmaster Peter Fraser …   Wikipedia

  • Edward Colston — Infobox Person name = Edward Colston residence = Mortlake other names = imagesize = 200px caption = birth name = birth date = 2 November 1636 birth place = Bristol death date = 11 October 1721 death place = Mortlake death cause = known =… …   Wikipedia

  • James A. Colston — Infobox University Chancellor name = Dr. James A. Colston caption = order = President university = Georgia State College term start = 1947 term end = 1949 birth date = birth place = death date = death place = predecessor = Benjamin F. Hubert… …   Wikipedia

  • Got Live If You Want It! (album) — Infobox Album | Name = Got Live If You Want It! Type = Live album Artist = The Rolling Stones Released = 10 December 1966 Recorded = 1 7 October 1966 except: I ve Been Loving You Too Long : 11 12 1965 Fortune Teller : 9 July 1963 both with… …   Wikipedia

  • Discographie pirate d'Iron Maiden — Le groupe de heavy metal traditionnel britannique Iron Maiden est sans doute l un des groupes disposant d une discographie pirate des plus impressionnantes. La majorité des enregistrements sont faits par des fans lors de concerts et échangés par… …   Wikipédia en Français

  • Discographie pirate de Iron Maiden — Discographie pirate d Iron Maiden Le groupe de heavy metal traditionnel britannique Iron Maiden est sans doute l un des groupes disposant d une discographie pirate des plus impressionnantes. La majorité des enregistrements sont faits par des fans …   Wikipédia en Français

  • The Beast Strikes Back — Discographie pirate d Iron Maiden Le groupe de heavy metal traditionnel britannique Iron Maiden est sans doute l un des groupes disposant d une discographie pirate des plus impressionnantes. La majorité des enregistrements sont faits par des fans …   Wikipédia en Français

  • Bristol — This article is about the British city. For other uses, see Bristol (disambiguation). Bristol   Unitary, Ci …   Wikipedia

  • List of The Beatles concerts — Chronological list of The Beatles known live concert appearances as The Beatles . Any appearances with members that differ from the most well known line up (for example early appearances with drummer Pete Best, later concerts with Jimmy Nicol,… …   Wikipedia

  • Memphis Blues Tour — Promotional ad for tour Tour by Cyndi Lauper Associated album Memphis Blues …   Wikipedia

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”