Benjamin Britten village of Snape, six miles inland, became available for hire, Britten realised that the largest of them could be converted into a concert hall and opera house. The 830-seat Snape Maltings hall was opened by the Queen at the start of the twentieth Aldeburgh Festival on 2 June 1967; it was immediately hailed as one of the best concert halls in the country. The hall was destroyed by fire in 1969, but Britten was determined that it would be rebuilt in time for the following year's festival, which it was. The Queen again attended the opening performance in 1970. The
Shifnal Festival Shifnal Festival The Shifnal Festival was an annual Music, Arts and Culture Festival held in the market town of Shifnal, Shropshire. Little is known about the origins of the festival. A book published in 1904 by Harold Sadler suggests the festival was a local event held in the grounds of Aston Hall to the east of the town. Aston Hall was at the time owned by Colonel McClean. Sadler's book marks the festival as being The Hadley Orpheus Choir's first competitive success. Research carried out as part of the Shifnal Town Plan in 2008 suggested residents of the town were