St George's Bristol

St George's Brandon Hill was built in 1823 in Greek Revival style with a fine tetrastyle Doric portico surmounted by a cupola. The church, often referred to as a ‘Waterloo Church’, was raised above a grand flight of steps overlooking Great George Street although the congregation entered at the back at the Charlotte Street entrance. In 1977, declining attendances resulted in the St George’s Music Trust taking over the church for musical performances. The building was gradually converted into a performance concert hall. The altar was carefully dismantled under the wooden stage. Triple glazing and two recording cubicles were fitted and the crypt was transformed into a cafe and bar, complete with cloakrooms, meeting areas and art gallery. In 1999, with funding by the Arts Council, Heritage Lottery Boards and English Heritage, the building underwent a multi-million pound refurbishment. A box office area was created necessitating a complex re-design of the female artists’ facilities backstage. State-of-the-art seats were designed and installed in the auditorium and gallery in place of the old pews dating from building’s construction in 1823. Further improvements to the core facilities and the creation of an arts pavilion as a result of a £5.5 million redevelopment have been announced. Initial ground works for the construction of the new extension will begin in spring 2016 and completion is due in autumn 2017.