Wikipedia (
visit link) informs us:
"Central Hall Westminster was erected to mark the centenary of John Wesley's death. It was built in 1905-11 on the site of the Royal Aquarium, Music Hall and Imperial Theatre, an entertainment complex that operated with varying success from 1876 to 1903.
Central Hall was funded between 1898 and 1908 by 1,025,000 contributors to the "Wesleyan Methodist Twentieth Century Fund" (or the "Million Guinea Fund", as it became more commonly known), whose aim was to raise one million guineas from one million Methodists.
Central Hall hosted the first meeting of the United Nations General Assembly in 1946. In return for the use of the hall, the Assembly voted to fund the repainting of the walls of the church in a light blue – the paint is still there, albeit marginally cracked and peeling. It has been regularly used for political rallies—famous speakers have included Mahatma Gandhi and Winston Churchill. In 1968 it hosted the first public performance of Andrew Lloyd Webber's Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat in a concert that also included his father (organist William Lloyd Webber who was Musical Director at Central Hall) his brother (cellist Julian Lloyd Webber) and pianist John Lill."
The Hall's website (
visit link) has a photo of the interior and adds:
"The Great Hall is the jewel in the crown of Central Hall seating up to 2,160 people. This intimate setting offers excellent opportunities for communication between speakers and the audience, for AGMs and conferences.
As a concert venue, the Great Hall is perfectly suited to events from classical to rock. The adaptable stage can provide a maximum width of 60ft, and a choir of some 198 voices can occupy the seating around the magnificent 4731 pipe organ.
The foyer areas that surround the Great Hall, can be used for catering breaks. The platform room behind the stage can be used as a dressing room or speakers room and is included in the cost of hiring the Great Hall.
In its time, the architecture of the Hall was at the forefront of engineering, and the ceiling consists of a reinforced concrete Dome, one of the largest in the world.
The Great Hall does have natural light, blackout, lighting and audio visual systems can be provided. The PA is included in the hire cost, if all the audio visual facilities are provided by CHW, but there are additional costs for technicians.
Spacious foyer & backstage areas are also included in the hire of the Great Hall.
Width 24.4 m 80 ft
Depth 36.5 m 120 ft
Height maximum 21 m
minimum 4.5 m 75 ft
15 ft
Seating
Stalls
Balcony
Choir 2,160
1,070
1,090
198
Three height hydraulic stage with wheelchair access Low 0.38m
Med 0.74m
Max 1.1m
Stage Width maximum 20 m
minimum 6.8 m 65 ft
22 ft
Stage Depth maximum 6.6 m
minimum 3.7 m 21 ft
10 ft
Electrical Supply One 125 Amp 3 phase supply
One 63 Amp 3 phase supply on stage
One 63 Amp 3 phase supply on balcony
C-form connectors required
PA System Meyer speaker system to give even sound cover
24 channel Allen & Heath desk
Audio processing
Foldback monitors
Infra-red assistance for the hard of hearing"