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The Colston Hall (Merged)


Bristol Rob

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Is apparently getting a name change later this year to disassociate the venue with the slave trade.

Do you care? Are you sick of apologising for the mistakes of generations past? Are they missing out of a chance to educate to show how far things go have come? Are they trying to airbrush history?

What would you rename it as?!

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So the PC brigade, the moan about, protest about, the we're so righteous about everything lot... the right on historical apologists, lets bury our past and erase history .... the jumps on any bandwagon that rolls past people ... have got their way.

Bristol's Colston Hall is to be renamed ... (the name Colston is apparently now ''toxic'')

Well f ** k  'em  its been a big part of all of our lives, for decades most of us have enjoyed many and varied evenings, concerts and happy times in our Colston Hall it is a genuine part of our own personal histories, and experiences.

It's been affectionately known to me throughout my life as THE COLSTON HALL its like a cherished old friend... I wouldn't deny a past personal friendship with anyone and likewise for me The Colston Hall as part of my life will, as far as I'm concerned, always be an old friend and will forever remain Bristol's Colston Hall.

While we're at it, the Council House on College Green will always be The Council House regardless of red trousers little ego trip .. City Hall pffft my yankee arse !

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It's named after a slave trader.

The hall will still be there, but any links to a man with a heinous past will be abolished. 

A good thing in my view. Lets name places after people who have a proud history, not keep things in the past because you've been to a few great concerts there. 

 

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will always been known as the Colston Hall regardless of what they change it to.

Similar to that of the NEC and NIA in Birmingham. Neither of which are known as those anymore, but everyone still calls them as such.

It does set a very dangerous precedent though.

I'd like all Scandinavian names removed from the city in light of the Vikings.

I'd like all Italian names removed from the city in light of the Roman Empire.

I'd like all German names removed from the city in light of the Nazi's

I'd like all Turkish names removed from the city in light of the Ottoman Empire

I'd like all Russian names removed from the city in light of the Soviet atrocity's .

I'd like all Iranian names removed from the city in light of the Persian Empire.

and finally, and this will be the best one, i'd like all Indian, Pakistani, Yemen & Oman names removed from the city in light of their actions in the Arabic Slave Trade.

Some more will come to me, feel free to add your own.

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My understanding is that it's named after him because he founded a school on the same site.  It's not a memorial to the manner of business that he used to gather his wealth.  He may have made money from a type of economy that we now regard as abhorrent but it's also clear that he was a philanthropist and great benefactor of the city of Bristol.  See this extract from his biography:

"He founded almshouses in King Street and on St. Michaels Hill, endowed Queen Elizabeth's Hospital school and helped found Colston's Hospital, a boarding school which opened in 1710 leaving an endowment to be managed by the Society of Merchant Venturers for its upkeep. He gave money to schools in Temple (one of which went on to become St Mary Redcliffe and Temple School) and other parts of Bristol, and to several churches and the cathedral. He was a strong Tory and high-churchman, and was returned as Member of Parliament (MP) for Bristol in 1710 for just one parliament."

It's narrow minded to call for the renaming based purely on one aspect of the man's life and in ignorance of others.

Also, "The Colston Hall" is a unique name.  It instantly identifies the venue as being Bristolian. 

Hopefully the new name will be decided by online public vote and we can get Hally McHallface to the top of the list.

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In a way though ,it's convenient for the current trustees , as they can now seek sponsorship to call the Colston Hall something else. Think of a big business in Bristol and they will surely bang in the naming rights, and that will cover the shortfall in funding.

Having said that see some great gigs there over the years.Lost count of the amount of times I've seen Motorhead there.

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Suggested new names for modern times ...

...The George W Blair Hall  (but its thought that one will be Trumped sometime soon)

How about...

The Green Pimp In Red Slacks Hall ?

 

I might suggest .. The Every Cloud Has A Silver Lining Colston Hall  :) 

(of The Hey Ho Silver Lining Colston Hall)

Maybe ... The Kids Up The Chimney Hall

or.. The Poor Sod's Workhouse Hall

There's so much from the past that was acceptable, normal and legal but cruel then that seen through todays eyes are abhorrent ...

For a man of his times (& a Tory to boot)  Edward Colston did a heck of a lot for the less fortunate too, people today and for decades previous  (of all walks of life and ethnicities are still benefiting from his philanthropic  legacies).

Anyway, in the great scheme of things despite the unfortunate trade from which his fortune came ... No one can say he was all bad there's a sizeably favourable side to him and for his name and memory to be regarded a 'toxic' without recognition  of the good the man done is selectively unfair IMO.

The Colston Hall it is ... and The Colston Hall it shall remain for many thousands of Bristolians inspite of any PC tinkering they want to throw at it.

 

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1 minute ago, harry may said:

In a way though ,it's convenient for the current trustees , as they can now seek sponsorship to call the Colston Hall something else. Think of a big business in Bristol and they will surely bang in the naming rights, and that will cover the shortfall in funding.

Spot on - that's entirely what's behind the name change.

My first reaction when I heard the announcement was "what?!" and that they'd given in to the minority regarding Colston's involvement  with the slave trade but realised its a win win situation for the trustee's.

They'll find commercial funding and get the minority whingers off their case

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I think that the the Hall owners are using this as an opportunity to make money. Have no doubt that the name will be sold to the highest bidder. The EE Hall or Tesco Forums anyone? 

Keeping the name and the history is a part of people learning. If kids ask why its called the Colston Hall, parents/staff can then describe why and also mention that slavery is wrong. Renaming it removes this. 

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Just heard this on Radio 5, utter garbage. Well at least for a couple of generations it will still be the Colston Hall as name changes are hard to implement when they are so established. Just like the Council House is, well, the Council House, non of theis City Hall nonsense for me. 

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11 minutes ago, Esmond Million's Bung said:

Where will it all end?, What next the Malcolm X centre?.

No - he was a Muslim and Islam is still actively involved in the slave trade. Most of the slaves shipped across the Atlantic were bought from Muslim slave traders.  

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19 minutes ago, Esmond Million's Bung said:

Where will it all end?, What next the Malcolm X centre?.

I went to university at UMIST in Manchester in the 1980s.

At the time, the main university's union building was the Steve Biko Building. The Poly had, if I recall, had the Mandela Building.

UMIST followed this political correctness, and had the Barnes Wallis Building, He of bouncing bomb fame, not some anti-apartheid hero.

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10 minutes ago, One Team In Keynsham said:

I went to university at UMIST in Manchester in the 1980s.

At the time, the main university's union building was the Steve Biko Building. The Poly had, if I recall, had the Mandela Building.

UMIST followed this political correctness, and had the Barnes Wallis Building, He of bouncing bomb fame, not some anti-apartheid hero.

Dam right too ... :) 

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Just now, SARJ said:

Will this ever end?

Will Blackboy Hill now become 'Non-Caucasian Hill'? What about Whiteladies?

They have been targeted in a similar way too ... thankfully, so far, to no avail.

They better keep their warped little eyes off of Christmas Steps too (surely only a matter of time? ) 

 

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Well, what I thinks is that we should call it Wurzel Hall in tribute to those cultural giants what we love and cherish. Maybe with a new logo of a gurt big cider apple. 

What is all this PC drivel about? Next they'll be telling us in the name of equality all cockerels will have to cry ***t a doodle do on alternate days.

 

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I don't particularly support the name change but find it weird people are getting so worked up over this. Gig and concert venues change their names all the time and I can't help feeling that, if they decided to change their name to something for commercial reasons or just to modernise or whatever and it did not give an opportunity for people to jump on their high horses over political correctness, nobody would bat on eyelid.

 

Ultimately the trustees have chosen to change the name. They're the trustees and that's their decision. I can't find any reason to have any more sympathy with the people who are insisting it should not be changed than the people who are insisting it should be changed. As far as I can see, both seem to be trying to insist they have the right to tell the trustees what it should or should not be called. They can call it what they like as far as I'm concerned and don't see why anyone else feels the need to involve themselves on either side of the debate. 

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2 hours ago, harry may said:

In a way though ,it's convenient for the current trustees , as they can now seek sponsorship to call the Colston Hall something else. Think of a big business in Bristol and they will surely bang in the naming rights, and that will cover the shortfall in funding.

Having said that see some great gigs there over the years.Lost count of the amount of times I've seen Motorhead there.

The Bristol Sport Hall anyone?

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4 hours ago, The Batman said:

will always been known as the Colston Hall regardless of what they change it to.

Similar to that of the NEC and NIA in Birmingham. Neither of which are known as those anymore, but everyone still calls them as such.

It does set a very dangerous precedent though.

I'd like all Scandinavian names removed from the city in light of the Vikings.

I'd like all Italian names removed from the city in light of the Roman Empire.

I'd like all German names removed from the city in light of the Nazi's

I'd like all Turkish names removed from the city in light of the Ottoman Empire

I'd like all Russian names removed from the city in light of the Soviet atrocity's .

I'd like all Iranian names removed from the city in light of the Persian Empire.

and finally, and this will be the best one, i'd like all Indian, Pakistani, Yemen & Oman names removed from the city in light of their actions in the Arabic Slave Trade.

Some more will come to me, feel free to add your own.

While we`re at it, anything that`s named after Cromwell, Drake, Raleigh, Wellington, any king or queen before 1900, anything with `church`, `rectory`, `vicarage, `priory` or `chapel` in the name (as these are overtly Christian and may offend people of other faiths or none), anything named after battles, anything with a colour in it`s name and anything named after anyone or thing that wasn`t as pure as the driven snow.

What a world we live in today.

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