The flagship venue for Royal Armouries International (RAI) in Leeds is to change its name as the scandal surrounding Sir Jimmy Savile continues to grow.
The venue will drop the Savile Hall name and become the New Dock Hall. The surrounding area is to be renamed New Dock following its purchase by the Allied London property company in July this year.
“The sheer volume and nature of these allegations has made the name toxic,” admitted RAI Managing Director James Vincent. “We are pleased to have the opportunity to rename the venue and to associate it with New Dock, the new identity being created for the area.”
The venue has attracted top names and events since it opened in 2007, including the first cabinet meeting to take place outside London since the Second World War and visitors such as HRH Princess Anne; Governor of the Bank of England Mervyn King, the England cricket team, Lennox Lewis, Terry Wogan, Sir Bob Geldolf, Olympic Gold Medal winner Mathew Pincent and Dragon’s Den entrepreneur Theo Paphitis.
The hall is the RAI’s biggest investment to date as it cost £3.5m to build and then a further £1.5m to equip it as a multi-media space that could be transformed into anything from an exhibition to a society wedding to a black-tie banquet for 1,500 people.
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