Features / Colston Hall
In photos: Colston Hall mid-refurbishment
A single shaft of light shines into the Colston Hall through a hole in the historic auditorium’s wall on Thursday morning.
It is an apt image as when the venue’s refurbishment is complete, it will be flooded with natural light, especially in the area that is now the Lantern foyer which by the reopening date of autumn 2021 will see the restoration of a glazed Victorian roof light and the installation of a feature spiral staircase from the lower foyer to the Lantern level.
It takes a grand leap of imagination to picture this dramatic transformation, with the main auditorium now almost completely taken up in scaffolding and a steel frame ready to hold the walls up when the roof is removed.
is needed now More than ever
In the hall, the old balcony has now been removed and will be replaced with a new double-level balcony jutting less into the venue allowing for better acoustics.
Acoustics and accessibility are two key words in the venue’s £48.8m transformation – which is now taking longer than expected due to the delicate Victorian structure of the building.
The word ‘stay’ has been painted on various structures throughout the building that will remain as other walls are knocked down and original windows unblocked.
There have also been a few surprising discoveries, including new intricate metal archways overlooking the Lantern foyer which will be retained within its new design.
Steps from the former box office up to the Lantern foyer
Another view of the steps, with one of the historic features of the building revealed
These intricate metal railings were surprisingly uncovered and will remain in place
Inside The Lantern, these windows overlooking Colston Street will be brought back into use
The stage inside The Lantern will be moved to the other side of the room, where it was originally located
A beam of light shines into the historic main auditorium
Scaffolding covers much of the main hall
Building work will continue at the venue for longer than first thought
Read more: Colston Hall refurbishment faces major delay
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