Snape Maltings, which rose from the ashes after a fire in the 1960s to become one of the world’s top concert destinations, has been sold.
The complex is now under the full control of Aldeburgh Music.
The purchase takes the leading arts charity one step closer to achieving composer Benjamin Britten’s vision of a creative complex at Snape Maltings.
While the organisation has been in charge of the main concert hall, rehearsal rooms and studios since 2006, it is now purchasing the independent retail and residential properties, including shops, galleries, two cafés, the overall site freehold and further maltings buildings which have yet to be restored.
The maltings has been the chief venue for the annual Aldeburgh Festival music and arts event for almost half a century and is synonymous with British composer and festival founder Benjamin Britten.
The instantly recognisable Victorian site has been in the hands of the Gooderham family since its reinvention as a complex of performance spaces, shops and galleries.
Alan Britten, Britten’s nephew and president of the Friends of Aldeburgh Music, said: “If owning Snape Maltings had been even a half a possibility, I feel sure my uncle would have snapped it up immediately.”
It was always Benjamin Britten’s vision that Snape Maltings would be more than a concert hall.
He envisaged a “creative campus” in which all the arts would come together in one place, a centre for creativity, experimentation and excellence, where artists could work together and perform, and young artists could be educated and supported.
Over the years since the maltings became the Aldeburgh Festival’s home, his dream has been developed; and now the new owners of the site plan to protect its future and build on its status as a world-renowned concert venue.
Aldeburgh Music intends to build on the legacy started by Britten almost 50 years ago, seeing the investment as a “myriad of possibilities”.
Its purchase from the Gooderham family of the independent retail and residential properties, including shops, galleries, two cafés, and further maltings buildings, which have yet to be restored, gives it the overall site freehold.
Since 2006, it has converted several malting buildings into studios, rehearsal and recital spaces to host a programme of events and artist development work with some of the world’s best young musicians. Now it intends to further develop the Maltings as a destination venue.
Roger Wright, chief executive of Aldeburgh Music, said: “Owning the whole site opens a myriad of possibilities, crucially the fulfilling of Britten’s vision for a creative campus with a new level of public engagements.”
Funding for the deal comes from a combination of Aldeburgh Music reinvesting its endowment, the receipt of an individual donation, and a £2million contribution from Arts Council England’s Department Expenditure Limit (CDEL), which can only be used to buy capital assets or stocks, repay debt, or acquire long-term financial assets.
Mr Wright said: “Without exceptional funding and support from Arts Council England, it would not have been possible for Aldeburgh Music to take advantage of this remarkable opportunity to protect the future of the Snape Maltings site.”
George Gooderham bought the site in 1965 and rented the largest building to Britten and the Aldeburgh Festival to be converted into Snape Maltings Concert Hall. In the last decade, 30% of the site has been redeveloped for the opening of Aldeburgh Music’s Hoffmann Building, the House & Garden shop, Café 1885 and 35 residential properties.
Johnny Gooderham, managing director and owner of the maltings, said: “I have been fortunate to have been responsible for the maltings since the age of 24, during which time the site has seen its most extensive period of development.
“It is gratifying to see how Snape Maltings has become such a special place for so many people of all ages and interests, from the cyclists who visit our tea shop to the customers in our shops and galleries and the walkers who enjoy this unique landscape.
“This is a most natural unification of two great assets and it will secure a robust and captivating future for the maltings.
“It is important that the recognition for the achievements to date is shared amongst our staff, whose dedication and endeavour have been instrumental in making the maltings the place it is today.
“Aldeburgh Music is now the most natural custodian to take the maltings forward.
“By combining the existing aspects of music, visual arts, food and drink, festivals and heritage, we have every confidence that Aldeburgh Music will deliver an enriched future for the site.”
Mr Wright added: “While creating a new source of income for Aldeburgh Music’s artistic programme, we have every intention of building on Johnny and Alesha Gooderham’s inspired work to preserve Snape Maltings and develop it as a destination venue. I look forward to an open discussion about the way in which partnerships can develop the site’s potential for audiences and the arts in general, and am particularly grateful for the support of the Arts Council at this significant time in the history of Aldeburgh Music.”
As well as Aldeburgh Music’s year-round arts programme and the Gooderhams’ retail and catering business, the site hosts monthly farmers’ markets, exhibitions, and the annual Aldeburgh Food and Drink Festival – now one of the largest of its kind in the UK.
Hedley Swain, area director for the South East, Arts Council England, said: “We are pleased to be able to support Aldeburgh Music’s future resilience through the purchase of Snape Maltings’ retail and residential buildings. It will ensure that Aldeburgh Music is able to protect the future of the site and continue to deliver great art and culture for everyone.”
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here