Colston Hall renamed

A MUSIC and arts venue previously bearing the name of a slave trader has been rebranded as Bristol Beacon.

It was announced in April 2017 that the Colston Hall would be ditching its “toxic” name – closely linked with 17th- century merchant Edward Colston.

Bristol Music Trust, which runs the venue, said it hoped the renaming would be “a fresh start for the organisation and its place in the city”.

Louise Mitchell, chief executive of the trust, said: “For us, our audiences, artists and for our city, this name change is a chance to be free to write our own inclusive narrative.”

A statue of Colston in Bristol was toppled during Black Lives Matter protests earlier this year.

But, while the rebranding is linked in name, the decision to remove Colston from the venue was taken before the monument came down.