Snape Maltings Concert Hall gets listed status upgrade

Ed Sheeran has played at the venue, and described its location as a "beautiful setting"

A classical music venue that was opened by the Queen has been upgraded to Grade II* listed status.

Snape Maltings Concert Hall opened in 1967, primarily for Benjamin Britten's Aldeburgh Festival in Suffolk.

Two years later a fire reduced it to a shell, but with the help of a fundraising appeal it was restored and reopened in 1970.

The Snape Maltings site, on the banks of the River Alde, was bought in 1841 by businessman Newson Garrett.

By 1844, Garrett had created large warehouses and an extensive malting operation that was sending 17,000 quarts of barley a year to brewers in London and Newcastle at its peak.

The site went into decline after World War Two and was put up for sale in 1965.

The Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh formally opened the Snape Maltings concert hall in 1967, with composer Benjamin Britten (far right)

The largest of the former malthouses was converted into a concert hall by the Aldeburgh Festival organisation, which was founded in 1948 by composer Benjamin Britten, singer Peter Pears and opera librettist and theatrical director Eric Crozier, and had previously been staged in much smaller venues.

The wider Snape Maltings site is now home to independent shops, art galleries, a pub and cafes.

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The concert hall, which has a seated capacity of about 800 has been upgraded from Grade II to Grade II* by the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport on the advice of Historic England.

Heritage minister Nigel Huddleston called it a "valuable asset to its community after being transformed into a much-loved concert hall and visitor attraction".

Harry Young, Britten Pears Arts chief operating officer, said the listed status update was "in recognition of its importance and national significance".

"We consider it a huge privilege to be custodians of this special site, always guided by the vision of our founders Benjamin Britten and Peter Pears," he said.

The venue has about 800 seats, which are sometimes removed at the front for sitting on the floor

Although primarily a classical music venue run by Britten Pears Arts, other genres feature, particularly during the Snape Proms in the summer.

The concert hall was chosen by singer-songwriter Ed Sheeran as the venue for his Radio 1 Big Weekend gig last year.

The 31-year-old, who lives nearby in Suffolk, described the concert hall as a "beautiful setting".

Other buildings at the site, which were already listed, now have a separate Grade II status, such as the Britten Pears Building.