Swindon & Wiltshire News
Music and comedy venue mothballed by Covid to reopen in the summer
It played host to raucous fans of The Beatles, the Rolling Stones, Led Zeppelin, The Who, and David Bowie. But even Salisbury City Hall could not withstand the onslaught of Covid.
Now, new life is to be breathed into the 64-year-old venue, which will reopen in the summer.
The venue’s owner, Wiltshire Council, confirmed today (Wednesday) that – as widely anticipated – it had appointed Music Entertainment Culture and Arts (MECA) to run City Hall.
Salisbury City Hall Ltd, from the management team that operates MECA in Swindon, has signed a lease agreement with the council for 25 years.
The council is in the process of carrying out repairs and maintenance and making improvements to the external fabric of the building so it’s in the best condition possible for when it rejoins the city’s arts, cultural and entertainment scene.
The new operators will carry out its own works to improve the overall customer experience at the venue and it is planned these will take place concurrently with the council’s.
City Hall opened in 1961 and is one of the largest live entertainment venues in the region, with capacity for more than 1,000 people.
From December 2020 to January 2023, City Hall was used as a Covid-19 mass vaccination centre.
The MECA venue in Swindon has been a fixture in the town’s entertainment sector for almost 100 years.
It has been known as MECA since 2010 following full refurbishment where it has evolved into a commercial and community-based events venue catering to everyone and continues to go from strength to strength.
The addition of City Hall to the group ensures both venues are in a position to bring bigger and better acts to the area.
The management of MECA, which is led by Justin Britchford, has confirmed the Salisbury venue will continue to be called City Hall.
Wiltshire Council Corporate director for place, Parvis Khansari said: “We are delighted that we have finalised an arrangement and that City Hall will reopen soon.
“We want City Hall to have the best chance of long-term success. Justin and his team have the passion, experience and expertise to ensure City Hall will retain its proud standing in the community and complement all the great things the city has to offer.
“Today marks the start of a new era for City Hall and when it re-opens its doors, I’m sure the city and wider area will come out and support it once again.”
Justin Britchford said: “We are delighted to have been given this opportunity and cannot wait to get started. Wiltshire Council has worked tirelessly with us to make sure the venue will be a roaring success.
“We have some great plans for the venue and have listened to people’s views on what they have missed the most while it has been closed.
“We are working closely with local people to tap into their wealth of knowledge about City Hall and the surrounding area and have recruited some local managers to run the venue that have years of experience in similar venues.
“We look forward to welcoming customers to City Hall in the very near future.”
