Bridgewater Hall
Encyclopedia
The Bridgewater Hall is an international concert
venue in Manchester city centre
, England. It cost around £42 million to build and currently hosts over 250 performances a year.
It is home to the The Hallé
orchestra, the UK's oldest extant symphony orchestra and is the primary concert venue for the BBC Philharmonic Orchestra. The building sits on a bed of 280 springs, which help reduce external noise.
The venue is named after the Third Duke of Bridgewater
who commissioned the eponymous Bridgewater Canal
that crosses Manchester, although the hall is actually on the banks of the Rochdale Canal
.
have existed since it was damaged in the Second World War but the hall, which was home to the The Hallé
orchestra was repaired and renovated. Despite being a popular musical venue, the Free Trade Hall, built in the 1850s, had poor acoustics
. Throughout the 1970s and 80s several schemes to replace it were considered but the project became more likely in 1998 after the creation of the Central Manchester Development Corporation.
In the 1990s, land adjacent to the G-Mex exhibition centre – now Manchester Central Convention Complex, occupied by a former bus station and car park near the Rochdale Canal was identified as the site for a new hall. A competition inviting architects to present their designs for Manchester's new concert hall was soon launched and a proposal by Renton Howard Wood Levin (RHWL) architects was chosen.
The Bridgewater Hall held its first concert on 11 September 1996 and was officially opened on 4 December by Queen Elizabeth II, alongside the Duke of Edinburgh
. The Bridgewater Hall was one of the a number of structures built in the 1990s that symbolised the transition to a new and modern Manchester.
The Bridgewater was well received and won a number of awards. In November 1996, only months after opening, the concert hall won the RIBA
North West
award. In 1998 the Hall won the Civic Trust
Special Award,
which is given to a building which enhanced the appearance of a city centre.
and the Central Manchester Development Corporation who obtained funding from the European Regional Development Fund
The architects were RHWL and the builders were John Laing Construction now Laing O'Rourke
. The acoustics were designed by Rob Harris of Arup Acoustics; his colleagues at Arup
were the building engineers. The Bridgewater Hall can seat 2341 people over four tiers in the auditorium
: the stalls, choir circle, circle, and gallery.
The main auditorium sits on a foundation of earthquake-proof isolation bearings
that insulate it from noise and vibration from the adjacent road and Metrolink
line. The hall's 26,500 tonne superstructure rests on 280 GERB isolation bearings consisting of rows of steel springs
between concrete piers. Bridgewater Hall is the first concert hall built with this technology.
The structure is mostly formed from solid, reinforced concrete
, moulded and cast like a vast sculpture. The auditorium has a double-skinned roof with a stainless steel outer shell.
Inside the hall, the focal point is a £1.2 million pipe organ
(with 5500 pipes) built by Marcussen & Son, which dominates the auditorium, covering the rear wall with wood and burnished metal. At the time of construction, the organ was the largest instrument to be installed in the UK for a century.
, and is a regular venue for concerts by the BBC Philharmonic and Manchester Camerata
. From September 2002 it has been home to the Hallé Youth Orchestra and Youth Choir, founded for musicians under the age of nineteen who are not in full-time musical education.
As well as primarily hosting musical concerts, the Bridgewater Hall also hosts numerous conference events for external parties such as the annual presentation evenings. Manchester Metropolitan University
has held its graduation ceremony in the hall in July each year since 2006.
Concert
A concert is a live performance before an audience. The performance may be by a single musician, sometimes then called a recital, or by a musical ensemble, such as an orchestra, a choir, or a musical band...
venue in Manchester city centre
Manchester City Centre
Manchester city centre is the central business district of Manchester, England. It lies within the Manchester Inner Ring Road, next to the River Irwell...
, England. It cost around £42 million to build and currently hosts over 250 performances a year.
It is home to the The Hallé
The Hallé
The Hallé is a symphony orchestra based in Manchester, England. It is the UK's oldest extant symphony orchestra , supports a choir, youth choir and a youth orchestra, and releases its recordings on its own record label, though it has occasionally released recordings on Angel Records and EMI...
orchestra, the UK's oldest extant symphony orchestra and is the primary concert venue for the BBC Philharmonic Orchestra. The building sits on a bed of 280 springs, which help reduce external noise.
The venue is named after the Third Duke of Bridgewater
Francis Egerton, 3rd Duke of Bridgewater
Francis Egerton, 3rd Duke of Bridgewater , known as Lord Francis Egerton until 1748, was a British nobleman, the younger son of the 1st Duke...
who commissioned the eponymous Bridgewater Canal
Bridgewater Canal
The Bridgewater Canal connects Runcorn, Manchester and Leigh, in North West England. It was commissioned by Francis Egerton, 3rd Duke of Bridgewater, to transport coal from his mines in Worsley to Manchester...
that crosses Manchester, although the hall is actually on the banks of the Rochdale Canal
Rochdale Canal
The Rochdale Canal is a navigable "broad" canal in northern England, part of the connected system of the canals of Great Britain. The "Rochdale" in its name refers to the town of Rochdale, Greater Manchester, through which the canal passes....
.
History
Proposals to replace the concert venue in the Free Trade HallFree Trade Hall
The Free Trade Hall, Peter Street, Manchester, was a public hall constructed in 1853–6 on St Peter's Fields, the site of the Peterloo Massacre and is now a hotel. The hall was built to commemorate the repeal of the Corn Laws in 1846. The architect was Edward Walters The hall subsequently was...
have existed since it was damaged in the Second World War but the hall, which was home to the The Hallé
The Hallé
The Hallé is a symphony orchestra based in Manchester, England. It is the UK's oldest extant symphony orchestra , supports a choir, youth choir and a youth orchestra, and releases its recordings on its own record label, though it has occasionally released recordings on Angel Records and EMI...
orchestra was repaired and renovated. Despite being a popular musical venue, the Free Trade Hall, built in the 1850s, had poor acoustics
Acoustics
Acoustics is the interdisciplinary science that deals with the study of all mechanical waves in gases, liquids, and solids including vibration, sound, ultrasound and infrasound. A scientist who works in the field of acoustics is an acoustician while someone working in the field of acoustics...
. Throughout the 1970s and 80s several schemes to replace it were considered but the project became more likely in 1998 after the creation of the Central Manchester Development Corporation.
In the 1990s, land adjacent to the G-Mex exhibition centre – now Manchester Central Convention Complex, occupied by a former bus station and car park near the Rochdale Canal was identified as the site for a new hall. A competition inviting architects to present their designs for Manchester's new concert hall was soon launched and a proposal by Renton Howard Wood Levin (RHWL) architects was chosen.
The Bridgewater Hall held its first concert on 11 September 1996 and was officially opened on 4 December by Queen Elizabeth II, alongside the Duke of Edinburgh
Duke of Edinburgh
The Duke of Edinburgh is a British royal title, named after the city of Edinburgh, Scotland, which has been conferred upon members of the British royal family only four times times since its creation in 1726...
. The Bridgewater Hall was one of the a number of structures built in the 1990s that symbolised the transition to a new and modern Manchester.
The Bridgewater was well received and won a number of awards. In November 1996, only months after opening, the concert hall won the RIBA
Riba
Riba means one of the senses of "usury" . Riba is forbidden in Islamic economic jurisprudence fiqh and considered as a major sin...
North West
North West England
North West England, informally known as The North West, is one of the nine official regions of England.North West England had a 2006 estimated population of 6,853,201 the third most populated region after London and the South East...
award. In 1998 the Hall won the Civic Trust
Civic Trust
The Civic Trust of England was a charitable organisation founded in 1957. It ceased operations in 2009 and went into administration due to lack of funds/...
Special Award,
which is given to a building which enhanced the appearance of a city centre.
Structure
Construction of the hall was joint venture between Manchester City CouncilManchester City Council
Manchester City Council is the local government authority for Manchester, a city and metropolitan borough in Greater Manchester, England. It is composed of 96 councillors, three for each of the 32 electoral wards of Manchester. Currently the council is controlled by the Labour Party and is led by...
and the Central Manchester Development Corporation who obtained funding from the European Regional Development Fund
European Regional Development Fund
The European Regional Development Fund is a fund allocated by the European Union.-History:During the 1960s, the European Commission occasionally tried to establish a regional fund. Only Italy ever supported this, however, and nothing came of it. Britain made it an issue for their accession in...
The architects were RHWL and the builders were John Laing Construction now Laing O'Rourke
Laing O'Rourke
Laing O'Rourke is a multinational construction company headquartered in Dartford, United Kingdom. It was founded in 1978....
. The acoustics were designed by Rob Harris of Arup Acoustics; his colleagues at Arup
Arup
Arup is a global professional services firm headquartered in London, United Kingdom which provides engineering, design, planning, project management and consulting services for all aspects of the built environment. The firm is present in Africa, the Americas, Australasia, East Asia, Europe and the...
were the building engineers. The Bridgewater Hall can seat 2341 people over four tiers in the auditorium
Auditorium
An auditorium is a room built to enable an audience to hear and watch performances at venues such as theatres. For movie theaters, the number of auditoriums is expressed as the number of screens.- Etymology :...
: the stalls, choir circle, circle, and gallery.
The main auditorium sits on a foundation of earthquake-proof isolation bearings
Bearing (mechanical)
A bearing is a device to allow constrained relative motion between two or more parts, typically rotation or linear movement. Bearings may be classified broadly according to the motions they allow and according to their principle of operation as well as by the directions of applied loads they can...
that insulate it from noise and vibration from the adjacent road and Metrolink
Manchester Metrolink
Metrolink is a light rail system in Greater Manchester, England. It consists of four lines which converge in Manchester city centre and terminate in Bury, Altrincham, Eccles and Chorlton-cum-Hardy. The system is owned by Transport for Greater Manchester and operated under contract by RATP Group...
line. The hall's 26,500 tonne superstructure rests on 280 GERB isolation bearings consisting of rows of steel springs
Spring (device)
A spring is an elastic object used to store mechanical energy. Springs are usually made out of spring steel. Small springs can be wound from pre-hardened stock, while larger ones are made from annealed steel and hardened after fabrication...
between concrete piers. Bridgewater Hall is the first concert hall built with this technology.
The structure is mostly formed from solid, reinforced concrete
Reinforced concrete
Reinforced concrete is concrete in which reinforcement bars , reinforcement grids, plates or fibers have been incorporated to strengthen the concrete in tension. It was invented by French gardener Joseph Monier in 1849 and patented in 1867. The term Ferro Concrete refers only to concrete that is...
, moulded and cast like a vast sculpture. The auditorium has a double-skinned roof with a stainless steel outer shell.
Inside the hall, the focal point is a £1.2 million pipe organ
Pipe organ
The pipe organ is a musical instrument that produces sound by driving pressurized air through pipes selected via a keyboard. Because each organ pipe produces a single pitch, the pipes are provided in sets called ranks, each of which has a common timbre and volume throughout the keyboard compass...
(with 5500 pipes) built by Marcussen & Son, which dominates the auditorium, covering the rear wall with wood and burnished metal. At the time of construction, the organ was the largest instrument to be installed in the UK for a century.
Usage
Since its opening on 11 September 1996, it has been the home of the Hallé Orchestra, the Hallé Choir and the Manchester Boys ChoirManchester Boys Choir
The Manchester Boys Choir was founded in 1981 by Adrian P. Jessett and quickly gained a reputation as one of the finest boys' choirs in the world. It prided itself on producing the finest voices without the need for auditioning...
, and is a regular venue for concerts by the BBC Philharmonic and Manchester Camerata
Manchester Camerata
The Manchester Camerata is a British chamber orchestra based in Manchester, England. The orchestra was founded in the 1971–1972 season. A sub-group from the orchestra, the Manchester Camerata Ensemble, specialises in chamber music performances....
. From September 2002 it has been home to the Hallé Youth Orchestra and Youth Choir, founded for musicians under the age of nineteen who are not in full-time musical education.
As well as primarily hosting musical concerts, the Bridgewater Hall also hosts numerous conference events for external parties such as the annual presentation evenings. Manchester Metropolitan University
Manchester Metropolitan University
Manchester Metropolitan University is a university in North West England. Its headquarters and central campus is in the city of Manchester, but there are outlying facilities in the county of Cheshire. It is the third largest university in the United Kingdom in terms of student numbers, behind the...
has held its graduation ceremony in the hall in July each year since 2006.