The Anvil is a

concert hall A concert hall is a cultural building with a stage (theatre), stage that serves as a performance venue and an auditorium filled with seats. This list does not include other venues such as sports stadia, dramatic theatres or convention ...

and

performing arts centre Performing arts center/centre (see American and British English spelling differences, spelling differences), often abbreviated as PAC, is usually a complex housing performance spaces for various performing arts, including dance, music, and theat ...

in the town of

Basingstoke Basingstoke ( ) is a town in Hampshire, situated in south-central England across a valley at the source of the River Loddon on the western edge of the North Downs. It is the largest settlement in Hampshire without city status in the United King ...

Hampshire Hampshire (, ; abbreviated to Hants.) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South East England. It is bordered by Berkshire to the north, Surrey and West Sussex to the east, the Isle of Wight across the Solent to the south, ...

, UK. The building's name reflects its unusual shape, particularly when seen from the western approach, as it resembles the horn end of a traditional

blacksmith A blacksmith is a metalsmith who creates objects primarily from wrought iron or steel, but sometimes from #Other metals, other metals, by forging the metal, using tools to hammer, bend, and cut (cf. tinsmith). Blacksmiths produce objects such ...

anvil An anvil is a metalworking tool consisting of a large block of metal (usually Forging, forged or Steel casting, cast steel), with a flattened top surface, upon which another object is struck (or "worked"). Anvils are massive because the hi ...

. It has also been likened to the bow of a ship. The Anvil was built to tackle what was then seen as a 'cultural desert' in the Basingstoke area, on a site originally set aside for the third phase of Basingstoke's shopping centre. The aim of the project was to raise the profile of the Borough and to establish it as a major regional centre with a range of first-class facilities. It opened in 1994. The hall plays host to a variety of touring productions, stand-up comedians, live bands, opera, and most famously classical music. The hall is designed to be multi-purpose, and has multiple stage formats that fit shows according to their needs, plus a removable proscenium to cater for more theatrical performances that require more than a standard 'black box' stage, notably opera and pantomime. The auditorium has adjustable seating and considered some of the finest acoustics of any concert hall in Europe. The acoustic design was by Richard Cowell of Arup Acoustics. There is a small second auditorium, The Forge, which primarily plays host to acoustic and folk acts.

External links

*
Anvil Arts website for The Anvil and The Haymarket

The Anvil - RHWL Architects page about the project

Arup Acoustics
Theatres in Hampshire Tourist attractions in Hampshire Buildings and structures in Hampshire Basingstoke Event venues established in 1994 1994 establishments in England {{Hampshire-struct-stub