Victoria Rooms (Bristol)

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Victoria Rooms
The Victoria Rooms now house the University's Department of Music.
Shown within Bristol
Building information
Town	Bristol
Country	England
Coordinates	51°27′29″N 2°36′33″W / 51.458, -2.6091Coordinates: 51°27′29″N 2°36′33″W / 51.458, -2.6091
Architect	Charles Dyer
Construction start date	1839
Completion date	1841
Style	Greek revival

The Victoria Rooms also known colloquially as the Vic Rooms^[1] is the name given to the building which now houses the University of Bristol's music department in Clifton, Bristol. Situated at the junction of Queen's Road and Whiteladies Road, the building was designed as assembly rooms by Charles Dyer who was noted for his Gothic Revival architecture and built between 1839 and 1841 in Greek revival style incorporating an eight-columned Corinthian portico. It houses a 745 seat auditorium, rehearsal rooms and a recording studio.^[2]

A statue of Edward VII, King of Great Britain and Ireland between 1901-1910 can be seen at the front of the Victoria Rooms.

[edit] History

The Victoria Rooms were opened in May 1842 and before being purchased by the University of Bristol the venue is known to have had Jenny Lind and Charles Dickens perform there. From 1873 the venue housed a large organ originally built for the Royal Panopticon of Arts and Science but this was destroyed by fire in 1934.

Purchased by the University in the 1920s, the building originally housed the students' union before a purpose-built union was constructed on nearby Queen's Road in the 1960s. It has been designated by English Heritage as a grade II* listed building,^[3] as have the fountains, lamps, balustrades, railings and statues to the front of the building.^[4]

[edit] References

Andrew Foyle, Bristol, Pevsner Architectural Guides (2004) ISBN 978-0-300-10442-4

[edit] External links

• Bristol University Music Department

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