Colston Hall

This Concert Hall, owned by the City Council, was erected in 1867 and named in honour of local merchant Edward Colston. The Hall was built on the site of Bristol's first sugar refinery, owned by John Knight. The earlier building was converted in 1653 from the home of a wealthy Tudor family into a refinery. The sugar refined here was produced by slave labour on Barbados, St Kitts, Nevis and Montserrat. In 1708 the warehouses were again converted into Colston's Hospital, and then later into Colston's Boys' School.