One of the world’s finest acoustic concert halls that was converted from a 19th-century malthouse has been given Grade II* listing by the government.
Snape Maltings concert hall is the home of the Aldeburgh festival, founded by the composer Benjamin Britten in 1948. This year’s 24-day festival of music and arts opens on Friday.
The building was originally one of the largest malthouses at Snape, from where barley was sent to brewers in London and Newcastle along a branch line of the East Suffolk Railway built for the growing industrial enterprise.
Malthouses were typically long buildings. The ones at Snape were reputedly designed by Newson Garrett, the owner of the malting business, and built from bricks made at his own brickhouse in Aldeburgh.
After the second world war, the business went into decline, leading to the closure of the railway line. The site was sold, but its potential as a concert hall was identified by Britten and Stephen Reiss, the manager of the Aldeburgh festival.
In the mid-1960s work began to convert the malthouse into a venue seating more than 800 people. Finishing was kept to a minimum as a reminder of the building’s industrial heritage.
In 1967, Snape Maltings concert hall was opened by the Queen. Two years later, a fire reduced it to an open shell, but it was restored and reopened in 1970.
Other buildings on the site have also been listed by the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport on the advice of Historic England, the body that looks after England’s built heritage.
Former granaries and a building used to germinate and store barley – now a music school – have been given Grade II listing.
As well as being one of the world’s leading centres of music, Snape Maltings is now also home to art galleries, independent shops and cafes.
Eilíse McGuane, a listing adviser with Historic England, said: “This has been a wonderful opportunity to explore and further understand the important industrial, social and cultural history of the Snape Maltings site, formerly the largest malting site in Suffolk, and now a world-famous performance venue and centre of excellence in musical provision.”
Nigel Huddleston, the heritage minister, said he was delighted that the “unique character” of Snape Maltings would be protected for future generations.
