Built by Newson Garrett in the mid-19th century, the Maltings at Snape was one of the largest barley maltings in East Anglia. By the 1950s it had become hopelessly uneconomic. When malting stopped in 1965, the owner of the site, George Gooderham, agreed to lease some of the buildings to the Festival, which for some time had been looking for a venue for a new concert hall. Arup Associates designed the conversion of the malt-house into a concert hall, retaining much of the existing structure and original character of the building. Malt-houses have an immediately recognizable shape: broad roofs culminating in a number of square vents sticking up out of the ridge. The distinctive vents emitted a white steam and a sweet smell during the four days the barley was roasting in the kiln. At Snape, we rather loosely refer to the whole collection of industrial buildings as ‘the maltings’, though many of them have always been warehouses and other business premises.

Every year, thousands of young people and amateurs in local orchestras, choirs and music groups perform at Snape, making it one of the most important community arts venues in the east, as well as an internationally famous concert hall. For information about Aldeburgh Music, telephone 01728 687100 or click here