''For other theatres with a similar name, see Victoria Theatre (disambiguation)'' Victoria Hall is a concert hall in Hanley, Stoke-on-Trent,

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

. It opened in 1888, having been constructed to commemorate

Queen Victoria Victoria (Alexandrina Victoria; 24 May 1819 – 22 January 1901) was Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland from 20 June 1837 until her death in 1901. Her reign of 63 years and 216 days was longer than that of any previo ...

's Jubilee the previous year. Along with the Regent Theatre, also in Hanley, it is managed by the

Ambassador Theatre Group The Ambassador Theatre Group (ATG) is a major international theatre organisation headquartered in the United Kingdom, with offices in Woking (head office), London, New York, Sydney, Mannheim and Cologne. ATG's key operations comprise three in ...

History

Victoria Hall was constructed as an annex to Hanley Town Hall in 1888, as part of the town's celebrations for the Golden Jubilee of Queen Victoria. It was built in red brick and

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, and designed by local borough surveyor Joseph Lobley. Conductors who have appeared at the hall include Edward Elgar who conducted the first performance of his composition '' King Olaf'' ( Op 30). In 1996 Donald Hunt conducted the

BBC Philharmonic The BBC Philharmonic is a national British broadcasting symphony orchestra and is one of five radio orchestras maintained by the British Broadcasting Corporation. The Philharmonic is a department of the BBC North Group division based at Med ...

and the Ceramic City Choir in a revival to mark the centenary of the premiere. Recordings made in the hall include the live album by Slash '' Made in Stoke 24/7/11''.

Facilities

Originally the building had a capacity of 2800 people, but this has since been reduced considerably to 1467 as seating replaced wooden forms and benches. The organ has 4 manuals. The original instrument was presented by George Meakin, a local businessman, who acquired it in Yorkshire. It was rebuilt and enlarged in the 1920s. The organ has since been modified more than once, but the most recent work has been aimed at restoring its 1920s tone. As an adjunct to the town hall, the building originally had minimal front-of-house facilities. To remedy this, an extension was constructed in 1999 as part of the development of a "Cultural Quarter" in Hanley. This building interlinks with the hall, providing a new entrance space with better facilities for the audiences and performers along with access for the disabled to all parts of the house.

References

Buildings and structures in Stoke-on-Trent Concert halls in England Grade II listed buildings in Staffordshire Tourist attractions in Stoke-on-Trent Performance art venues 1888 establishments in England Event venues established in 1888 {{Staffordshire-struct-stub