Wills Memorial Building re-opens, 1963

On 6 December, the Wills Memorial Building, which had been extensively damaged during an air raid in 1940, reopened after major restoration work costing £140,000. Two of the craftsmen who worked on the restoration, A. Williams and E. Myatt, also worked as carpenters on the original construction of the Hall. An ode for chorus, orchestra and organ was commissioned and performed during the re-opening ceremony. The work, entitled 'Break to be Built, O Stone', was written by Ursula Vaughan Williams, second wife of Ralph Vaughan Williams, with music by Anthony Milner.

Category:

Education

Tags:

• historical
• university
• bristol
• wills
• memorial
• hall
• war
• damage
• bomb
• building
• restoration
• opening