Bristol's Colston Hall reveals name change in light of Black Lives Matter movement
23 September 2020, 15:13 | Updated: 23 September 2020, 15:41
The famous Bristol venue which was named after the 17th Century slave trader has now been given a new name.
Bristol's Colston Hall will now be known as the Bristol Beacon.
As reported by the BBC, Bristol Music Trust have confirmed the new name and said it hoped it would be "a fresh start for the organisation and its place in the city".
The hall - which was previously named after 17th Century slave trader Edward Colston - is near the site of the statue of the same historical figure that was torn down amid the Black Lives Matter protests.
The name was revealed this Wednesday (23 September) in the venue's foyer.
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Welcome to Bristol Beacon.
— Bristol Beacon (@Bristol_Beacon) September 23, 2020
A symbol of hope and community. A place of welcome, warmth and light. An open invitation to the city for everyone to come and share in the joy of live music.
Find out more: https://t.co/BwncHuW7Hy
Poem by @Vanessa_Kisuule#newname #bristolbeacon pic.twitter.com/qmmsvzsWJG
People have reacted to the news, with some thinking of it as a "brilliant" new name, while others think it sounds like a "local free newspaper".
See some of the opinions on Twitter here:
brilliant. #BristolBeacon
— Nick Sturge (@nicksturge) September 23, 2020
Well done Bristol, yet again showing the world how humanity can look into its past to rightly stop celebrating heinous acts of cruelty and lifetimes of benefiting from other's misery.
— Mike Barham (@mikebarhamUK) September 23, 2020
Can't wait for that first show back at the #BristolBeacon
#ColstonHall now called Bristol beacon. Took them 3 years to come up with something that sounds like a local free newspaper.
— Clive Wilkinson (@CliveWilkinso15) September 23, 2020
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Confirming the removal of their sign earlier this year, the former Colston Hall said in a statement: “Today Bristol Music Trust took down the Colston Hall lettering from outside of the building.
"This is just one step on our road to announcing a new name for the venue in Autumn 2020. We have taken this action as a symbolic moment and a public demonstration of the commitment we made three years ago to change our name.
They added: "We believe we are here to share the unity and joy that music brings us.
"The hall was built 150 years after Colston’s death and not founded with any of his money. We cannot continue to be a monument to his memory."
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