Bristol Beacon: ‘A venue for everyone in the city’

Bristol’s newly-renovated flagship venue represents a 100-year legacy for the city.

These were the words of mayor Marvin Rees at the unveiling of a plaque marking the completion of the £132m refurbishment of the Bristol Beacon – formerly Colston Hall – and the journey it has been on.

Beset with challenges, the ambitious renovation project of the venue on Trenchard Street has been years in the making and ended up costing £132m – almost three times the original £48m price tag.

Admitting it is a relief to see it set to reopen, Rees said the Bristol Beacon will be an asset for the city for decades to come.

“It is special. Just being in here is a reminder that this is not a two, three or five year project, this is a 100-year legacy for Bristol, this is an asset that will be here for more than one hundred years,” said the mayor.

“We didn’t want to forget it was called Colston Hall, we want to talk about that journey.”

Bristol Beacon is set to reopen after a £132m refurbishment – photo: Ellie Pipe

In the midst of spiralling costs, Bristol City Council stumped up £84m towards the renovation of the Bristol Beacon – it expected to invest only £10m when the project was approved back in 2018.

Defending the decision to press ahead with the project, Rees said it had been an incredibly complex project and that the process had also ensured the historic building is more sustainable.

He continued: “The decision is not simply about whether you renovate the Bristol Beacon or don’t do it. Not doing it is not a neutral act. If we didn’t say yes, we’d have a building in the centre of the city surrounded by hoarding and just slowly deteriorating – a negative asset in the middle of the city dragging the city down. So you’re not just getting an asset, you’re avoiding a liability.”

The new Bristol Beacon plaque details the journey of the venue being renamed – photo: Ellie Pipe

Rees said the council, its partners and Bristol Music Trust, the charity that runs the hall, are committed to ensuring the venue is a place for everyone with inclusion at its heart.

“From Avonmouth and Lawrence Weston to Southmead, to Lawrence Hill through Southville to Hartcliffe, this is for all of Bristol,” said the mayor.

“And we are going to make sure those invites are there from the beginning. If we can get as many people through the door from as many parts of the city as soon as possible then they’ll taste it and this will be a venue that is physically and culturally familiar to them.”

Louise Mitchell says the newly-renovated Bristol Beacon will be a venue “for everyone” – photo: Ellie Pipe

Reiterating this message, Bristol Beacon’s chief executive Louise Mitchell told Bristol24/7: “It’s really important that it’s a building for everyone. It’s for everybody – anybody who cares about music and cares about Bristol should come and have a look at this.”

Speaking about the newly-renovated building, Mitchell said: “It respects the past but looks forward to the future and there is huge potential for musicians who aren’t even born yet to come to great things in these spaces.

“It’s tremendously exciting, we can’t wait to have music back in these wonderful spaces.”

Bristol Beacon will reopen on Thursday, November 30 and is hosting a ‘housewarming’ party on Saturday, December 2.

Main photo: Ellie Pipe

Read next:

• City Hall chiefs defend decisions to plough on with Beacon redevelopment despite spiralling costs
• More than 60 Bristol artists to play at Beacon’s reopening party
• New photos of Bristol Beacon transformation revealed 

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