Published date 11 February 2022

Transformation of Bristol Beacon reaches ‘topping out’ milestone

L to R: Bristol Mayor Marvin Rees, Deputy Mayor Cllr Craig Cheney, West of England Mayor Dan Norris, Bristol Beacon chief executive Louise Mitchell, Willmott Dixon director Richard David, violinist Simon Kodurand
Image credit: Bristol Beacon

The transformation of Bristol Beacon has reached a significant milestone in the ambitious construction programme, bringing it another step closer to completion.

The three partners responsible for the once-in-a-generation redevelopment of the building – building owners, Bristol City Council, the music charity in charge of managing the venue, Bristol Beacon, and construction partners, Willmott Dixon – came together for the ceremonial ‘topping out’ that is a traditional milestone in any construction project.

Mayor Marvin Rees, Bristol Beacon Chief Executive Louise Mitchell, and Richard David, Willmott Dixon director, were also joined for the occasion by West of England Metro Mayor, Dan Norris, on behalf of the West of England Combined Authority, which has contributed substantial funding to the transformation programme.

Topping Out is an age-old tradition that marks the structural completion of a building, which takes place when the highest point of the building is reached. For Bristol Beacon, this is a key milestone in the transformation of the 155-year-old venue.

West of England Mayor Dan Norris said: “Seeing the progress that’s been made in the last year and the sheer scale of this project is incredibly impressive. But what’s most exciting is what this transformed venue is going to do for Bristol and the West of England when it’s complete. It is going to mean that we can bring big names and acts to our region, as well as providing an inspiring environment and opportunities to support new and local talent.”

The rooftop ceremony began with a special performance of ‘The Lark Ascending’ – a significant piece of music performed for the first time ever in Bristol over 100 years ago – by violinist Simon Kodurand, Artistic Director of the Bristol Ensemble. Following this, the three partners and Mayor Norris all signed their names onto a structural steel, in line with topping out tradition. They also signed the music score for The Lark Ascending, which will be cemented into the fabric of the building.

After the short ceremony, they took a behind-the-scenes tour to see the latest progress and milestones on the work.

Watch a short video of the ceremony and interviews with the partners here.

Bristol Mayor Marvin Rees said: “The topping out ceremony is a significant milestone in any construction project. Having seen the dire condition of the building at the start of the restoration, it’s great to see Bristol Beacon get to this point. Now we can see the roof and the development taking place underneath, and we can really see it taking shape. It’s a hugely important venue for the city - both its history and its future. Most importantly, we will have a world-class concert venue in the middle of Bristol that has inclusivity and sustainability at its heart, and which will support the businesses around it and community organisations across the city.”

When complete, Bristol Beacon is expected to generate at least £13m for the local economy in its first year and support more than 273 FTE jobs. As a world class venue at the heart of the city, Bristol Beacon will deliver around 800 events a year, including 100 performance slots a year dedicated to championing Bristol-based artists.

Bristol Beacon chief executive Louise Mitchell said: “It’s been a very complex project and we’re feeling proud to have reached this important milestone today. We can now see a very special building coming together for the benefit of musicians and audiences from right across the region. We will have extraordinary new performance spaces to present every kind of music and a state of the art education centre for young musicians to develop and grow.”

Willmott Dixon director Richard David said: “Today is a really significant event in the history of the construction project because it marks the end of the structural phase of the works. All the unforeseen challenges and issues we’ve encountered have been put to bed and we now have a building that is structurally sound and water tight. As we move into the fit out, over the next few months you’ll really start to see the aesthetics going into the hall, it will start looking and feeling like an auditorium and hopefully in 18 months’ time, we’ll have the first bands playing here.”

The most recent key construction milestones in the last few weeks on the project include:

  • In the main hall, the majority of the scaffolding has been removed, revealing the sheer expanse of the space. The huge stage lift pit has also been completed, and the final steelworks to form the stage end structure are almost complete.
  • In hall two, the scaffolding has also come down and the control deck installed. The painstaking ornamental plasterwork is nearing completion.
  • In the brand-new hall three, the majority of the new spaces in the cellars have been formed and the decoration of the historic brick vaults is progressing well.
  • In the new restaurant, the large glass panes have been installed, creating an incredible new space within the building where visitors will be able to dine in a bright airy space.
L to R: Bristol Beacon chief executive Louise Mitchell, Bristol Mayor Marvin Rees, West of England Mayor Dan Norris, Deputy Mayor Cllr Craig Cheney, Willmott Dixon director Richard David, after signing the steel at Bristol Beacon’s topping out ceremony
Image credit: Bristol Beacon

Related Articles

Count
Metro Mayor Dan Norris inside Concorde
Published date25 March 2022
Metro Mayor’s tourism campaign takes off
Published date4 November 2021
Body shop repair business in Bath goes green
Published date15 November 2021
Free online business resilience event
Published date13 July 2022
£710,000 boost for careers education
Published date18 November 2021
Grant helps Bristol-based brewery to grow
James King and Dan Norris stood behind the bar in The Salamander pub
Published date16 March 2022
New jobs site launched for the West
Dan Norris at kitchen company
Published date23 July 2021
Chipping away at carbon emissions
Metro Mayor Dan Norris with Urbane Eco workers Kyle Turner and Tom Armitage
Published date15 June 2022
Metro Mayor visits Bristol retrofit site