The Concert Hall, opened by Cadbury in 1927, is a unique space. Step inside to learn about its history and listen to some live music and performances on the stage.
The Cadbury Concert Hall was officially opened on March 19th, 1927. It formed part of the new Dining Room Block at Bournville which opened in 1926. The Concert Hall could seat 1,050 people when it first opened. The stage can accommodate a choir of 200 people and there was originally an orchestra pit in front of the stage and a large concert organ on the left hand wall when looking from the back of the room. The Concert Hall was used by many of the Bournville Works clubs and societies for performances, including the Works Orchestra, the Bournville Youth’s Club, the Bournville Camera Club, the Bournville Dramatic Society, the Works Choral Society, Works Silver Band and the Folk Dance Society. The very first performance in the Concert Hall was a play by John Masefield called ‘The Locked Chest’. It was performed by the Bournville Dramatic Society. The Concert Hall was refurbished in 1960 with the original ground floor seats removed and the installation of new higher quality seating. The total number of seats on the ground floor was reduced by 138, making it possible for the rows to be further apart and the seats to be wider, meaning the total seats on the ground floor became 632 and the total number of seats was 912. The Concert Hall is still used today by Mondelez for internal company conferences and events.
No booking is required – you may have to join a queue for entry if the space is at capacity. Step inside to view the space, learn about its history and hear live music.
This event is part of Bournville Heritage Open Day. For a full list of events in Bournville, click here.
Organised by Bournville Village Trust & Mondelez International
