Bristol Beacon: Historic music venue reopens after name change and £132 million revamp
Watch: ITV News' Victoria Davies went to look around the new music venue
An historic music hall has reopened following a five-year renovation costing more than £130million.
The Bristol Beacon, formerly known as Colston Hall, was due to reopen in 2020 following a major rebrand and refurbishment.
Three years later, it is finally welcoming visitors back through its doors from Thursday 30 November.
Costing £132 million, the project is the biggest and most expensive refurbishment ever carried out on a music venue in the region.
The initial budget of £48m has more than doubled, with Bristol City Council picking up around £85m in additional costs.
Louise Mitchell, Chief Executive of Bristol Beacon said the building was "in a worse state than anybody could have imagined."
"We found walls literally stuck together with crisp packets," she said. "It had been neglected over a long period of time, and so that's why it's taken so long really."
Ms Mitchell added: "Now it all works - it's warm enough, it's bright enough, it's inspiring.
"I want it to be a place where anybody can come and enjoy music. I mean our purpose is to spread unity and joy through live music, and we've really got a building which will do that for us now."
Among the new features are an adjustable stage so that the venue can adapt for different types of performances.
The renovation has also seen Two balcony levels created to improve the sight lines, while specially-crafted sound panels have been added to improve the venue's acoustics.
One of the site's crowning new features is a collapsible floor, which means 450 seats can be lowered to create standing room for 2,000 people.
Built on the site of Colston boys' school in 1867, the historic venue has hosted a range of musical stars from Rachmaninoff to The Rolling Stones.
The first act to perform in the newly renovated venue will be the Bristol-based Paraorchestra.
Comprising disabled and non-disabled musicians, the orchestra will perform alongside local electronic composer and performer Surgeons Girl in the first show on Thursday evening.
Charles Hazlewood, Artistic Director of Paraorchestra said: "Everyone in Bristol has been just desperate for this, like a dry tree seeking water, for this venue to reopen and here we are and it is opening night."
He added: "I've been conducting orchestras for 30 years and I can say this hall is amongst the very best of the very best I've played in.
"Everyone is ecstatic backstage."
Todd Wills, Artistic Director of Bristol Beacon, said the new venue will be "epic."
"There's been a big hole in the cultural fabric of the city for five years, so to have audiences come back and see those artists that they haven't been able to see in Bristol for such a long time is going to make all the difference," he said.
Want a quick and expert briefing on the biggest news stories? Listen to our latest podcasts to find out What You Need To Know.