Colston Hall music venue renamed Bristol Beacon

Colston Hall music venue renamed Bristol Beacon

By Onlykhabar News Media Sat 17 October, 2020 ( about 5 years ago ) 🎤500 Viewersinternational

A famous music venue in Bristol named after slave trader Edward Colston has been given a new name.

The Colston Hall will now be known as Bristol Beacon.

The name was revealed at an event in the venue's foyer on Wednesday without a live audience due to Covid-19 restrictions. Bristol Music Trust, which runs the venue, said it hoped the renaming would be "a fresh start for the organisation and its place in the city". Bristol's city poet Vanessa Kisuule wrote a work to mark the occasion - captured in a short film - and the Bristol Beacon name was revealed for the first time in the last line of the poem. "A focal point for music in the city. A gathering space, illuminating the way ahead. A place of welcome, warmth and light," she said.

Louise Mitchell, chief executive of the trust, said Bristol Beacon would be "a symbol of hope and community". The news was welcomed by the city's elected mayor, who did attend the event.  Deputy mayor Craig Cheney said the renaming "also runs in a parallel with the city conversation reflecting on our history and how this understanding can be represented in our future".   Marvin Rees said it was not the specific name that mattered "but the fact the city has gone through a process to think about what it calls its iconic venues". 

And Westcountrybird was concerned a large percentage of Bristolians would either mock it or not use the new name. The trust said it had consulted with 4,000 people across the city about the new name and it had been endorsed by the board of trustees. It added the venue was built 150 years after Colston's death in 1721 with no financial investment or direct link to the man or his wealth. Colston was also a philanthropist, and Bristol honoured his benevolence, naming dozens of buildings, institutions, charities, schools, sports clubs, pubs, societies and roads after him.

Similar Posts

By Onlykhabar News Media Sat 17 October, 2020 🎤500 Viewersinternational
TAGS: Colston Hall Bristol Beacon Edward Colston
Colston Hall music venue renamed Bristol Beacon

Give Your Comments

Visitors on Site

Loading ..

Socialize

Latest News Highlight