Kelvin Hall
Encyclopedia
The Kelvin Hall in Glasgow
, Scotland
, is a mixed-use arts and sports venue that opened as an exhibition centre in 1927. It has been a music hall
, indoor arena and barrage balloon
factory, and is currently home to the Kelvin Hall International Sports Arena
and from 1987 to 2010, Glasgow's Museum of Transport
. It is protected as a category B listed building.
The nearest station to Kelvin Hall is Kelvinhall subway station
.
opposite the Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum
in the West End of Glasgow. The present building dates from 1927. The previous building on the site was originally built as the Industrial Hall, a temporary wooden structure for the 1901 Glasgow International Exhibition
at Kelvingrove Park, which burnt down in 1925. The new Kelvin Hall was designed to house large scale exhibitions, but during the Second World War was used to produce barrage and convoy balloons.
Over the subsequent decades it hosted many exhibitions, including the Industrial exhibitions of the Festival of Britain
in 1951 and has also hosted motor shows, modern homes exhibitions, Boys Brigade and Rangers Supporter Club rallies, world championship boxing, rock concerts, several seasons of RSNO Proms and the Kelvin Hall Circus. Lions, tigers and African elephants all thrilled Glaswegians for years and many to this day can remember that distinctive animal smell when walking round the carnival after their circus visit. One of the most famous events ever to take place there was Billy Graham
's Crusade in 1955, when he preached virtually every day for 6 weeks to an estimated 180,000 people who came to hear him. Jim Watt's famous world lightweight title-fight took place in April 1979 when he took over Roberto Duran's title. He subsequently fought three more times as world champion at the Hall in 1979 and 1980.
The Kelvin Hall also introduced the public to many new innovations through some of the many exhibitions. The most notable being a full public demonstration of colour television in the mid-1960s. This was before the start of BBC2 and the much later widespread sale of colour televisions.
The earliest rock concert was possibly Jerry Lee Lewis
in 1964. He was supported by The Animals who were booed off. The late 1960s and the 1970s were the key years for concerts including The Kinks
, who issued a live recording of their 2 April 1967 date entitled Live at Kelvin Hall
. Between 1972 and 1977 Glaswegians saw Manitas De Platas's Farewell Tour on the 8th March 1972, Elton John, Captain Beefheart, the New Seekers, Runrig's debut concert (in 1973), the Incredible String Band, the James Last Orchestra. As part of their 1974 British Tour, Tangerine Dream
played a live concert on November 20, 1974. Mike Oldfield with the (then) S.N.O. played Tubular Bells in 1977. The R.S.N.O. Proms took place there up to 1990 when the new Concert Hall in the centre of town finally opened.
However once the Scottish Exhibition and Conference Centre
opened in Nov 1985, the building needed modernisation. The building was converted to its present use in 1987. Sport, especially indoor athletics, is now its primary use, although large dinners and Christmas parties have also taken place on the floor of the running track.
, attracting half a million visitors a year. Founded in 1964, it moved from the old Tramway in Pollokshields into the side portion of the renovated Kelvin Hall in 1987 and housed many exhibits of national and international importance. With the commissioning of the new Riverside Museum
on the Clyde, at the mouth of the River Kelvin, due to open in June 2011, the Museum of Transport closed its doors for the last time in May 2010, and the exhibits removed to the new building.
, which has hosted many international athletic events, as well as boxing
, badminton
and volleyball
competitions.
The Kelvin Hall will host the Scottish Rocks
Professional Basketball team for three years starting with the 2008/09 BBL season. The latter leading to the installation of 1200 new seats in the Games Hall.
Glasgow
Glasgow is the largest city in Scotland and third most populous in the United Kingdom. The city is situated on the River Clyde in the country's west central lowlands...
, Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
, is a mixed-use arts and sports venue that opened as an exhibition centre in 1927. It has been a music hall
Music hall
Music Hall is a type of British theatrical entertainment which was popular between 1850 and 1960. The term can refer to:# A particular form of variety entertainment involving a mixture of popular song, comedy and speciality acts...
, indoor arena and barrage balloon
Barrage balloon
A barrage balloon is a large balloon tethered with metal cables, used to defend against low-level aircraft attack by damaging the aircraft on collision with the cables, or at least making the attacker's approach more difficult. Some versions carried small explosive charges that would be pulled up...
factory, and is currently home to the Kelvin Hall International Sports Arena
Kelvin Hall International Sports Arena
The Kelvin Hall International Sports Arena is located within the Kelvin Hall in Glasgow, Scotland. It has hosted many athletics competitions including the 1990 European Athletics Indoor Championships and the Aviva International Match since 1988.- History :...
and from 1987 to 2010, Glasgow's Museum of Transport
Glasgow Museum of Transport
The Glasgow Museum of Transport in Glasgow, Scotland was established in 1964 and initially located at a former tram depot in Pollokshields. From 1987 the museum was relocated to the city's Kelvin Hall...
. It is protected as a category B listed building.
The nearest station to Kelvin Hall is Kelvinhall subway station
Kelvinhall subway station
Kelvinhall is an underground station on the Glasgow Subway, renamed after the nearby Kelvin Hall. It is located in the West End of Glasgow, Scotland, near to many of the city's best known tourist destinations including:...
.
History
The Kelvin Hall stands on the bank of the River KelvinRiver Kelvin
The Kelvin rises on watershed of Scotland on the moor south east of the village of Banton, east of Kilsyth - . At almost 22 miles long, it initially flows south to Dullatur Bog where it falls into a man made trench and takes a ninety degree turn flowing west along the northern boundary of the bog...
opposite the Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum
Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum
The Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum is a museum and art gallery in Glasgow, Scotland. The building houses one of Europe's great civic art collections...
in the West End of Glasgow. The present building dates from 1927. The previous building on the site was originally built as the Industrial Hall, a temporary wooden structure for the 1901 Glasgow International Exhibition
Glasgow International Exhibition (1901)
The Glasgow International Exhibition was the second of 4 international exhibitions held in Glasgow, Scotland during the late 19th and early 20th centuries.-Summary:...
at Kelvingrove Park, which burnt down in 1925. The new Kelvin Hall was designed to house large scale exhibitions, but during the Second World War was used to produce barrage and convoy balloons.
Over the subsequent decades it hosted many exhibitions, including the Industrial exhibitions of the Festival of Britain
Festival of Britain
The Festival of Britain was a national exhibition in Britain in the summer of 1951. It was organised by the government to give Britons a feeling of recovery in the aftermath of war and to promote good quality design in the rebuilding of British towns and cities. The Festival's centrepiece was in...
in 1951 and has also hosted motor shows, modern homes exhibitions, Boys Brigade and Rangers Supporter Club rallies, world championship boxing, rock concerts, several seasons of RSNO Proms and the Kelvin Hall Circus. Lions, tigers and African elephants all thrilled Glaswegians for years and many to this day can remember that distinctive animal smell when walking round the carnival after their circus visit. One of the most famous events ever to take place there was Billy Graham
Billy Graham
William Franklin "Billy" Graham, Jr. is an American evangelical Christian evangelist. As of April 25, 2010, when he met with Barack Obama, Graham has spent personal time with twelve United States Presidents dating back to Harry S. Truman, and is number seven on Gallup's list of admired people for...
's Crusade in 1955, when he preached virtually every day for 6 weeks to an estimated 180,000 people who came to hear him. Jim Watt's famous world lightweight title-fight took place in April 1979 when he took over Roberto Duran's title. He subsequently fought three more times as world champion at the Hall in 1979 and 1980.
The Kelvin Hall also introduced the public to many new innovations through some of the many exhibitions. The most notable being a full public demonstration of colour television in the mid-1960s. This was before the start of BBC2 and the much later widespread sale of colour televisions.
The earliest rock concert was possibly Jerry Lee Lewis
Jerry Lee Lewis
Jerry Lee Lewis is an American rock and roll and country music singer-songwriter and pianist. An early pioneer of rock and roll music, Lewis's career faltered after he married his young cousin, and he afterwards made a career extension to country and western music. He is known by the nickname 'The...
in 1964. He was supported by The Animals who were booed off. The late 1960s and the 1970s were the key years for concerts including The Kinks
The Kinks
The Kinks were an English rock band formed in Muswell Hill, North London, by brothers Ray and Dave Davies in 1964. Categorised in the United States as a British Invasion band, The Kinks are recognised as one of the most important and influential rock acts of the era. Their music was influenced by a...
, who issued a live recording of their 2 April 1967 date entitled Live at Kelvin Hall
Live at Kelvin Hall
Live at Kelvin Hall is a 1967/68 live album by British rock group The Kinks. It was recorded at Kelvin Hall in Glasgow, Scotland, in early 1967. The album was released in August 1967 in the US , and January 1968 in the UK...
. Between 1972 and 1977 Glaswegians saw Manitas De Platas's Farewell Tour on the 8th March 1972, Elton John, Captain Beefheart, the New Seekers, Runrig's debut concert (in 1973), the Incredible String Band, the James Last Orchestra. As part of their 1974 British Tour, Tangerine Dream
Tangerine Dream
Tangerine Dream is a German electronic music group founded in 1967 by Edgar Froese. The band has undergone many personnel changes over the years, with Froese being the only continuous member...
played a live concert on November 20, 1974. Mike Oldfield with the (then) S.N.O. played Tubular Bells in 1977. The R.S.N.O. Proms took place there up to 1990 when the new Concert Hall in the centre of town finally opened.
However once the Scottish Exhibition and Conference Centre
Scottish Exhibition and Conference Centre
The Scottish Exhibition and Conference Centre , located on the north bank of the River Clyde, in Glasgow, is Scotland's largest exhibition centre....
opened in Nov 1985, the building needed modernisation. The building was converted to its present use in 1987. Sport, especially indoor athletics, is now its primary use, although large dinners and Christmas parties have also taken place on the floor of the running track.
Museum of Transport
The Museum of Transport in the Kelvin Hall was one of the most popular museums of transport in the United KingdomUnited Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
, attracting half a million visitors a year. Founded in 1964, it moved from the old Tramway in Pollokshields into the side portion of the renovated Kelvin Hall in 1987 and housed many exhibits of national and international importance. With the commissioning of the new Riverside Museum
Riverside Museum
The Riverside Museum is a new development for the Glasgow Museum of Transport, completed on 20 June 2011, at Pointhouse Quay in the Glasgow Harbour regeneration district of Glasgow, Scotland. The next day it opened to the public.-Concept and design:...
on the Clyde, at the mouth of the River Kelvin, due to open in June 2011, the Museum of Transport closed its doors for the last time in May 2010, and the exhibits removed to the new building.
Kelvin Hall International Sports Arena
The Kelvin Hall also houses an indoor International Sports ArenaKelvin Hall International Sports Arena
The Kelvin Hall International Sports Arena is located within the Kelvin Hall in Glasgow, Scotland. It has hosted many athletics competitions including the 1990 European Athletics Indoor Championships and the Aviva International Match since 1988.- History :...
, which has hosted many international athletic events, as well as boxing
Boxing
Boxing, also called pugilism, is a combat sport in which two people fight each other using their fists. Boxing is supervised by a referee over a series of between one to three minute intervals called rounds...
, badminton
Badminton
Badminton is a racquet sport played by either two opposing players or two opposing pairs , who take positions on opposite halves of a rectangular court that is divided by a net. Players score points by striking a shuttlecock with their racquet so that it passes over the net and lands in their...
and volleyball
Volleyball
Volleyball is a team sport in which two teams of six players are separated by a net. Each team tries to score points by grounding a ball on the other team's court under organized rules.The complete rules are extensive...
competitions.
The Kelvin Hall will host the Scottish Rocks
Scottish Rocks
The Glasgow Rocks is a basketball team which competes in the British Basketball League. Formerly known as Scottish Rocks and also Edinburgh Rocks, they are one of the leading franchises in the top-tier league, and the only team to be based outside of England, playing at the Kelvin Hall...
Professional Basketball team for three years starting with the 2008/09 BBL season. The latter leading to the installation of 1200 new seats in the Games Hall.