Bristol's Colston Hall was renamed in the wake of Black Lives Matter protests
A famous music venue in Bristol named after slave trader Edward Colston has been given a new name.
The Colston Hall will now be known as Bristol Beacon.
Bristol Music Trust, which runs the venue, said it hoped the renaming would be "a fresh start for the organisation and its place in the city".
A new name has been announced for the Bristol venue Colston Hall following decades of protests and boycotts over its association with the slave trade.
Colston Hall, which was named after the 17th-century slave trader Edward Colston, will from now on be known as Bristol Beacon following a public consultation.
The new name for Bristol's Colston Hall music venue has been revealed here amid a coronavirus-restricted fanfare.
Bosses at the biggest concert hall in the city announced in April 2017 that they would be dropping the name of the 18th century slave trader, but have never said what the building would be called instead - until now.
Bristol attracted headlines around the world in June after a statue of Colston was toppled by Black Lives Matter protesters and thrown into the harbour.
However, the process of renaming the hall began three years before, in April 2017, following protests by civil rights campaigners, music lovers and artists, including the Bristol band Massive Attack, who refused to perform in the venue.
The school, the creative organization, the city's mayor, Marvin Rees, and Hall, the charity that runs the Bristol Music Trust, participated in the renaming project. The idea behind the new name is that it provides a focal point, a gathering place and a source of inspiration.
The venue, which is undergoing a £ 50m renovation, has long argued that Hall has little connection with Colston. It was not funded by his money and by the time it opened he was dead for 150 years. But it was accepted that the name was "toxic".
At a renaming event on Wednesday, Louise Mitchell, the chief executive of the Bristol Music Trust, said the renaming process had been a “rough ride” at times, with some people claiming the venue was seeking to “erase and censor” history. But she said the new name needed to be for everybody.
Rees said it was an “incredible” day. “In this naming process we have the renewal of the soul of the building,” he said. “It is such a powerful building at the centre of our city.” He said some people would be dismayed at the new name but insisted the process had been “inclusive just and fair”.
Nick Eagleton, of the branding agency Saboteur,which led the public engagement exercise, said: “We had to plunge into the heart and soul of Bristol and we did that with a huge collaborative group that spanned the whole community, from schoolchildren to the mayor. It was a joy, because Bristolians don’t hold back – if they’ve got something to say, they say it.”
The venue has hosted music legends including the Beatles, the Rolling Stones, David Bowie and Jimi Hendrix but many ordinary Bristolians have never set foot inside because of the name.
In addition to the big stars and bands, the venue stages a diverse variety of events and education workshops and it was felt that the new name would better represent the content of the shows and performances it puts on for the multicultural audience in the city.
The hall is near where a statue of the 17th Century slave trader was torn down by protesters in June during an anti-racism protest.
Louise Mitchell, chief executive of the trust, said Bristol Beacon would be "a symbol of hope and community".
"A focal point for music in the city. A gathering space, illuminating the way ahead. A place of welcome, warmth and light," she said.
A spokesperson said it was "the start of a new chapter" and the trust hoped "this moment serves as a fresh start for the organisation and its place in the city, with a focus on music performance and education".
"We believe in the power of music to break down barriers and cross boundaries," they said.
"Bristol Beacon will celebrate this in everything we do."
They said the trust had consulted with 4,000 people across the city about the new name and it had been endorsed by the board of trustees.
The trust said the venue was built 150 years after Colston's death in 1721 with no financial investment or direct link to the man or his wealth.
Bosses originally announced in 2017 they .
The "Colston Hall" lettering was physically removed from the building eight days after the statue was toppled.
Colston made his fortune through human suffering and between 1672 and 1689, ships were believed to have transported about 80,000 men, women and children from Africa to the Americas.
A new logo for the venue will be created over the next few months "in partnership with local young emerging creatives", a spokesperson added.
