Calls for Bristol's Colston Hall to change its name to distance itself from slavery

Credit: ITV West Country

Campaigners in Bristol are fighting to change the the name of the city's Colston Hall.

The hall is named after Edward Colston - one of Britain's most notorious slave traders.

The Chief Executive of the Trust that runs the hall believes that slavery is a sad fact of Bristol's history and that shouldn't be ignored.

It's an issue which has divided artists and members of the public.

The Trust have said they will review the name as part of the redevelopment scheme due to finish in 2020.

Who was Edward Colston?

  • born in Bristol in 1636

  • became a merchant and an MP

  • acted as deputy governor of the Royal African Company which between 1672 and 1698 transported around 100,000 enslaved Africans to plantations in the West Indies and America

  • endowed schools, hospitals, churches and almshouses

  • died in 1721

Watch our full report, and an interview with a representative of the campaign group Countering Colston: