Name:
Fairfield Halls
E-mail:
johnspring@fairfield.co.uk
Location: Croydon UK
Birthday: 2 November, 1962
Bio: The Fairfield Halls is a world-famous concert and conference venue in Croydon, UK. The Fairfield Halls stand on the site of a field that was used for a fair for five and a half centuries. This shouldn't come as too much of a surprise as there is a bit of a clue in the name. Regular fairgoers, on the other hand, were greatly surprised when the sober Victorian burghers of Croydon banned the fair in 1866. This was because they thought the fair had become far too riotous and they also thought that enjoyment was morally wrong.
In 1866 the land was bought by the Brighton Railway Company and as late as 1933 the site was used for sidings and workshops. There was a rumour that the site may revert back to a place of dubious entertainments, this time a greyhound stadium, so Croydon Corporation acted swiftly once more and bought up the land to ensure this wouldn't happen.
A competition was held to design a new civic centre, a winner was announced and a prize of ?500 handed over. Unfortunately the public of Croydon, who probably favoured the dog track idea, did not share its council's enthusiasm for the centre and in 1938 the plans were shelved "having regard for the international situation". Indeed 'spin' was around even then. As a result work didn?t start on Fairfield until the 1960s.
The Queen Mother opened Fairfield on Friday 2nd November 1962. She then attended the inaugural concert which was given by the BBC Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Sir Malcom Sergeant, with the soloist being one Yehudi Menhuin.
Fairfield is comprised of three parts:
The Concert Hall can seat 1794 people and its acoustic quality is internationally recognised. Hence it has seen many recordings of live concerts.
The Ascroft Theatre seats 763 and was opened on November 5th 1962 by Croydon-born actress Dame Peggy Ashcroft, after whom it is named. The opening ceremony included the reading of a monologue specially penned by Sir John Betjemen.
The Arnhem Gallery, originally conceived as an art gallery, was named after the town of Arnhem in Holland. In the foyer of the Arnhem is a tribute to the WWII battle fought there and immortalised in the film 'A Bridge Too Far'. The Arnhem Gallery proved impractical as an art gallery and was soon converted into a banqueting area. Indeed Queen Elizabeth II herself sat down to lunch in the Arnhem Gallery on June 21st 1983.
The famous names that have appeared at Fairfield over the years are too many to mention. If you want an idea however, just keep looking at the banners on the front of the building every time you pass. The names you see will tell you that Fairfield is still far and away the most prestigious entertainment venue in South London.
Interests: This picture blog gives you an idea of what's going on in and around Fairfield as we do our bit to entertain the good people of Croydon.
Blog Created: Tuesday, 3 April 2007
Last Updated: Monday, 19 September 2011 - 10:34 AM BST
Blog Entries: 228