Inside Battersea Arts Centre's Grand Hall

In March this year, a large fire broke out at Battersea Arts Centre which destroyed the Grand Hall, the venue's biggest performance space, and the Lower Hall.

This video reveals the extent of the damage made by the fire in the Grand Hall, but the majority of the theatre remains fine and open to the public.

BAC has received a huge amount of support from members of the public and companies. Over the weekend following the fire, BAC received over £52,000 to their donations page which was also mirrored by Battersea Power Station and the government, who pledged a further £100,000 and £500,000 respectively.

From this, The Phoenix Fund was set-up to enable the organisation to tackle the challenges of operating without its largest space for up to three years and covering costs that are not paid for by insurance.

The cause of the fire is still under investigation and no conclusion has been drawn at this time.

Battersea Arts Centre is a registered charity, raising 70 per cent of its income through donations and sponsorship each year. The building originally opened in 1893 as Battersea Town Hall, and it was converted to an arts centre in 1974.

Plans for the future of the space are now in place. The building is Grade II* listed and the proposed designs seek to honour the 19th century old town hall and maintain the external appearance of the Grand Hall.

The new Grand Hall is due to reopen in autumn 2018.​