Bristol Beacon, previously known as Colston Hall, is a
concert hall
A concert hall is a cultural building with a stage that serves as a performance venue and an auditorium filled with seats.
This list does not include other venues such as sports stadia, dramatic theatres or convention centres that m ...
and Grade II
listed building
In the United Kingdom, a listed building or listed structure is one that has been placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, Historic Environment Scotland in Scotland, in Wales, and the Northern I ...
on Colston Street,
Bristol
Bristol () is a city, ceremonial county and unitary authority in England. Situated on the River Avon, it is bordered by the ceremonial counties of Gloucestershire to the north and Somerset to the south. Bristol is the most populous city i ...
, England. It is owned by
Bristol City Council
Bristol City Council is the local authority of Bristol, England. The council is a unitary authority, and is unusual in the United Kingdom in that its executive function is controlled by a directly elected mayor of Bristol. Bristol has 34 wards, ...
. Since 2011, management of the hall has been the direct responsibility of Bristol Music Trust.
The hall opened as a concert venue in 1867, and became a popular place for classical music and theatre. In the mid-20th century,
wrestling
Wrestling is a series of combat sports involving grappling-type techniques such as clinch fighting, throws and takedowns, joint locks, pins and other grappling holds. Wrestling techniques have been incorporated into martial arts, combat ...
matches were in strong demand, while in the late 1960s it developed into one of the most important
rock music
Rock music is a broad genre of popular music that originated as "rock and roll" in the United States in the late 1940s and early 1950s, developing into a range of different styles in the mid-1960s and later, particularly in the United States and ...
venues in Britain. The hall has been redeveloped several times, and was gutted by fires in 1898 and 1945, though the original
Bristol Byzantine foyer has survived. A major refurbishment, adding an extra wing, opened in 2009.
The hall's official capacity is 2,075, with an additional 350 in "The Lantern", built as part of the 2009 redevelopments. As well as the main entertainment areas, there are a number of licensed bars and a restaurant.
The hall was formerly named after the slave trader, merchant and philanthropist
Edward Colston, who founded Colston's School on the site in the early 18th century. The decision to rename was taken in 2017 to coincide with a major redevelopment of the venue, after a number of years' debates and campaigns regarding Colston'