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Concert hall with the wow factor thrills its neighbours
Music lovers view arts complex in office block that will be home to two orchestras
GASPS of admiration provided the first test last week for the acoustics of Kings Place, London’s eagerly-awaited new concert hall.
The doors of the 10-storey offices and arts complex in York Way, King’s Cross, were thrown open to music lovers and local residents, eager for a sneak peek of things to come. It houses the first concert hall built in the capital since the Barbican 26 years ago.
Nearly 200 people enjoyed champagne and canapés in the development’s steel and limestone atrium. A harpist provided a taste of the fare concert-goers can expect when the venue launches in October.
The London Sinfonietta and the Orchestra of the Age of the Enlightenment will be based at Kings Place, which also has a second performance hall.
Neighbours, who have watched the development take shape, were unanimous in their praise.
Sitting in Hall One, the 420-seat auditorium which will host the cream of the classical music world, resident Lesley Jacob, from Liverpool Road, said: “We’ve been watching the building with interest for years. The fact that they’re having resident orchestras is absolutely brilliant.
“Who needs the West End? We will definitely be here.” A hundred short concerts will open Kings Place in October.
Resident Julia Whitburn, whose home in Battlebridge Basin overlooks the development, said: “They’ve been very clever with the short concerts. It could be the way forward for classical audiences.”
The buzz has been growing steadily around Kings Place for some time. Restaurants, art galleries and public spaces are housed in the ground floor and extensive basement levels.
The Guardian and The Observer newspapers have already booked into the upstairs offices.
Concert tickets will be a third of the price of the West End and site developer Peter Millican, a classical music enthusiast, will personally oversee the running of the building.
Jeremy Dixon, a partner with Dixon Jones, architects of Kings Place, said the project had no precedent in England.
He added: “It’s a unique building. You don’t get in the front door of most office buildings. [Peter] has a personal idea of the office being an inclusive building and he will be at the core of the management.
“Developers want to make money but Peter has a vested interest in making it work.” |
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