Slave trader's name is replaced by 'Bristol Beacon'
Bristol's Colston Hall now has a new name - it'll be called 'Bristol Beacon' as the trust which runs it distances itself from slave trader and local philanthropist Edward Colston.
Because of Covid restrictions, the virtual announcement was made by Louise Mitchell, chief executive of Bristol Music Trust, and Bristol Mayor Marvin Rees.
It was followed by a poem, especially created for the occasion by Bristol’s City Poet Vanessa Kisuule - and captured in a short film using a diverse range of voices of the people of Bristol at locations around the city.
Louise Mitchell, said in her live broadcast speech: "This morning I am warmly welcoming you to Bristol Beacon. A symbol of hope and community. A focal point for music in the city. A gathering space, illuminating the way ahead. A place of welcome, warmth and light.
"We’re giving an open invitation to the city for everyone to come and share in the joy of live music. I look forward to developing our future with you.”
"The name of the venue, and its associations with the slave-trader Edward Colston, has long been the focus for debate in the city. Colston Hall was founded 150 years after Colston’s death, with no financial investment or direct link to the man or his wealth.
"The charitable Trust – which has been responsible for the management of the venue and the city’s music education hub since it was established in 2011 – publicly declared in April 2017 that the venue would be renamed as part of the multi-million pound transformation that is currently in progress and following a substantial consultation process.
"The Trust hopes that this moment serves as a fresh start for the organisation and its place in the city, with a focus on music performance and education.
"You’ve told us that you want us to inspire more people through music. With this change, and the coming transformation of our building, we can do that together. Today marks the start of a new chapter as Bristol Beacon."
Councillor Craig Cheney Bristol City Council’s Deputy Mayor with responsibility for Finance, Governance and Performance said: "I’d like to thank Bristol Music Trust, and all our partners involved, for the work done over the past few years with a consultation that gave thousands of people across the city the opportunity to share their views and speak into this decision.
"I welcome the new name as something that will help the venue reach out and connect with the whole city. The connection with community, contending with our history and looking ahead resonate with our ambitions for the venue’s inclusive future as a world class arts and cultural venue to represent Bristol. It also runs in a parallel with the city conversation reflecting on our history and how this understanding can be represented in our future.
"For now, we look ahead to how this can become a place fully connected to its city communities, where everyone feels welcome and can enjoy coming to experience what Bristol has to offer."
The name has been announced without a new logo. The Trust has stated the future identity for Bristol Beacon will be created in partnership with local young emerging creatives from Rising Arts Agency over the next few months, to help design something that is right for the new name and for the city.
As part of the announcement, Bristol Music Trust has released the Bristol Beacon ‘Transformation Promise’ – a newly developed manifesto for change which includes a series of actions the organisation is committing to in order to improve the diversity of their audiences, programme and workforce – ensuring the name change is more than a symbolic move.. Part of this work will be enabled by a ground-breaking project in partnership with Paul Hamlyn Foundation, who are investing £400,000 into a major programme of community-led activity centred around the reopening of the venue.