We changed our name to Bristol Beacon in 2020 – and now we have a British Sign Language sign name!
A sign name is a special sign that is used to uniquely identify a person or a place. Bristol’s deaf community have given Bristol Beacon a unique sign that anyone can use to sign our name.
Learn how to sign our name
Who created Bristol Beacon’s sign name?
Sign names are very personal. Its customary for the deaf community to create and gift a person or place their sign name to them (opposed to them creating it themselves).
Our sign name was created and given to us by a team of local deaf artists – artist, producer and curator Cathy Mager, actor David Ellington, artist Rebecca Vaughan and BSL consultant Lynn Stewart-Taylor.
Accessible creative experiences
The BSL name forms part of a creative package of new audio and visual features designed to bring our venue and its history to life through a broader and more inclusive perspective and ensure it is accessible for all audiences.
As well as the new BSL sign name, we now have a behind-the-scenes BSL-signed video tour, an audio guide and 12-metre Story Wall capturing our history in hand-drawn form from the mid-1800s to present day.
Discover more
BSL Video Guide
David Ellington and Rebecca Vaughan welcome you to Bristol Beacon with a BSL signed tour of our venue.
They’ll introduce some fascinating features of our building and our musical and cultural heritage following our major restoration and redesign project.
Join them as they introduce you to our centre for music in the heart of Bristol.
Story Wall
This artwork by Mel Northover captures the excitement and energy of performance through the drawn line, connecting and transforming as it explores the Bristol Beacon’s story.
Over 400 artists are featured. Their stories are interwoven with the musical movements and world events that shaped and influenced the Beacon’s history.
Audio Guide
Audio Guide
Listen to an audio guide that uses poetry and soundscape to introduce music icons that have stormed our stages, as well as unsung stars and hidden facts about our fascinating history.
Audio Description
Audio Description
Margo Cargill and Michael Achtman describe the Story Wall for people who are blind or partially sighted.