Colston faces final curtain
Music venue ditches name of slave trader after statue-toppling storm
‘Symbol of hope and community’
A POPULAR music venue named after 17th-century slave trader Edward Colston has been renamed following the protest that saw his statue toppled.
The Colston Hall in Bristol was yesterday relaunched as Bristol Beacon as part of a £49million refurbishment.
For years the city centre venue – which was built almost 150 years after the merchant’s death – has faced calls to change its name.
Three years ago the Bristol Music Trust, which runs the venue, agreed to rebrand it.
Bristol’s association with Colston, who was born in the city, and the slave trade has come under intense scrutiny following Black Lives Matter protests in the wake of the death of George Floyd in the US.
A statue of Colston was toppled and thrown into Bristol harbour during a demonstration on June 7. Days later the hall took down the lettering spelling out its name outside its venue. When Colston’s statue was brought down Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab, warned: ‘I think we should be very careful not to airbrush our history but to use statues and monuments as a point of debate.’
The rebranding of Colston Hall was announced in a poem by
Vanessa Kisuule, the Bristol city poet, at the venue yesterday.
Louise Mitchell, chief executive of the Bristol Music Trust, said: ‘This morning, I am warmly welcoming you to Bristol Beacon. A symbol of hope and community.’
The name of the venue, and its associations with Colston, have long been the focus for debate in the city. Colston Hall was founded with no financial investment or direct link to the slave trader. Some bands, including Bristolbased Massive Attack, have previously refused to play there due to its name. The name change takes place immediately and in the coming months a new logo will be installed on the outside of the building.
Councillor Craig Cheney, the city’s deputy mayor, said: ‘I welcome the new name as something that will help the venue reach out and connect with the whole city.’
Other institutions in Bristol are reviewing their links with Colston in the wake of this summer’s protests.
Colston’s Girls’ School launched a six-week consultation in September on whether it should be renamed. The separate Colston’s School, which was founded by the merchant in 1710, is also considering a name change.