Southampton Guildhall

History

The Guildhall, which was designed with a large portico with six Ionic order columns with pediment above, was intended to complement the rest of the Civic Suite and was opened by the Earl of Derby on 13 February 1937. Internally, the principal room was the main hall which was 143 feet long, 71 feet wide and 38 feet high.

It contains a pipe organ, designed by John Compton, which was installed shortly before the opening of the building. The organ is unusual in that it has two distinct consoles: a classical concert organ and a theatre organ.

The guildhall was used to accommodate French troops, who had escaped from France in June 1940 during the Dunkirk evacuation.

A new sprung floor was installed in the main hall in 1955 enabling the guildhall to become a major music venue. and The Who, in October 1971, and singer-songwriter, David Bowie, in March 1972 during his Ziggy Stardust Tour.

On 7 October 2013, the venue was renamed to the O2 Guildhall Southampton, reflecting a partnership between Live Nation UK and O2 Telefónica.

References

References

1. "O2 Guildhall Southampton". Cevent.
2. (21 February 2016). "Southampton Civic Centre through the years". Southern Daily Echo.
3. "Unique Compton pipe organ".
4. "Southampton Guildhall". The Cinema Organ Society.
5. (4 December 2009). "Second wind for Guildhall's organ". BBC.
6. (3 June 2019). "How Southwick House was the unlikely springboard for D-Day". Yorkshire Post.
7. (18 October 1971). "Southampton Guildhall". The Who Concert Guide.
8. (2009). "Anyway, Anyhow, Anywhere: The Complete Chronicle of the WHO 1958–1978". Sterling Publishing Company.
9. "The Ziggy Stardust Tour". David Bowie World.
10. . (7 October 2013). ["Southampton Guildhall renaming 'cheapens' venue"](https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-hampshire-24427083). *[[BBC*.