Hall for Cornwall
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Hall for Cornwall is a major venue in Cornwall having one large main auditorium which places host to west end musicals, opera, ballet, entertainers and music acts. The Hall for Cornwall attracts just close to 180,000 theatre-goers each year.
[edit] History
The building we see today was built in 1846 from Carn Brea granite originally housing the Town Hall, magistrates and stannary courts, police offices, cells and the fire brigade.
In 1909 plans were drawn up to change the building into a public hall. This culminated in it being leased for a skating rink and occasional picture house. In 1914 disaster struck when a fire gutted most of the building and in 1925 remodelling took place to accommodate a stage “suitable for the presentation of plays”.
During the 60s, 70s and earlier 80s the hall deteriorated and by the mid 80s, Carrick District Council broached the idea of selling City Hall for development.
Ben Luxon, Chris Warner and some Carrick councillors met to discuss the future of the hall. Carrick offered them a 125 year lease on the Hall at £1 a year and £500,000. They accepted and the campaign for a new City Hall began.
Five years after taking over the hall, the contractors moved in. Work on the high tech venue took just over 18 months and the inaugural performance took place on November 15th 1997.
