In pictures: Halle Orchestra unveils St Peter's Church venue
- Published
A deconsecrated and disused church on the edge of Manchester city centre has been transformed into a new concert and rehearsal venue for one of Britain's oldest symphony orchestras.
The Halle Orchestra's has taken over Ancoats' St Peter's Church, one of the churches which served the large Victorian population who worked in the area's mills.
The Grade II listed church opened in 1859, two years after Sir Charles Halle founded the Manchester orchestra, but "had stood empty for decades", a spokeswoman for the orchestra said.
It was subject to a £4m renovation before the Halle took over the building. The orchestra has subsequently spent about £850,000 creating a "light, airy and beautiful space perfect for rehearsing, performing, teaching and recording".
The orchestra's principal conductor Sir Mark Elder, who has already taken rehearsals in the new building, said it was a "remarkable change of events to put such an important cultural part of Manchester in an area that was once so industrialised".
Halle St Peter's will be the orchestra's first dedicated rehearsal space and will also be home to the Halle Choir, Youth Choir and Youth Training Choir, Children’s Choir and Youth Orchestra. The orchestra will continue to use the Bridgewater Hall as its main performance venue.
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