The Bridgewater Hall is an architecturally stunning concert venue on the Rochdale canal in Manchester city centre that opened in 1996. It cost around £42 million to build and currently hosts over 250 performances a year. Here’s a bit of history behind the hall’s construction and reasons why it is one of the best concert venues Manchester has to offer.
The Bridgewater Hall’s conception began after years of proposals to replace the concert venue in the Free Trade Hall, which was home to The Hallé orchestra, as it was damaged in WWII but was subsequently repaired and renovated. Despite being a popular venue, the Free Trade Hall had poor acoustics.
In the 1990s, land east of Lower Mosley Street and north of Great Bridgewater Street near the Rochdale Canal was chosen as the site for a new hall. A competition inviting architects to present designs for the new concert hall was launched and a proposal providing a waterfront setting by 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. The Bridgewater Hall was one of several structures built in the 1990s that symbolised the transition to a new and modern Manchester, diminishing some of the city’s old-fashioned charm and ushering Manchester into a new creative and cultural era. In November 1996, only months after opening, the Bridgewater Hall won the RIBA North West award. In 1998 it won the Civic Trust Special Award, which is given to a building which enhanced the appearance of a city centre.
Bridgewater Hall also hosts a diversity of events, being the new home to The Hallé orchestra and the primary concert venue for the BBC Philharmonic Orchestra, as well as holding rock, pop, jazz, world music concerts and many more. Notable acts including The Shires and Joan Baez have performed at the hall, and it will soon host acts such as Cliff Richard, Clare Bowen, and Billy Ocean.
Conveniently located, visitors can choose from a wide array of restaurants to dine at before a show, and the unique location on the waterfront and captivating design makes it a special place to visit in Manchester. You can buy tickets for events at the Bridgewater Hall here.
Words by Abby Hilton (@AbbyHilton_)
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