Welcome to The Armstrong!
Based in the historic market town of Thornbury in South Gloucestershire, we are a vibrant community hub and events space. We aim to bring captivating live entertainment, creativity and experiences to our community in an affordable and inclusive way.
We host an array of regular events including live music and theatre, comedy clubs, cinema screenings, workshops and wellbeing activities. For a full list of our upcoming events and tickets, head to our What's On page.
The venue
Our venue comprises of 3 multi-functional spaces:
The Cossham Hall
This historic community hall is a versatile space, full of charm and character.
The Foyer Bar
This brand-new space offers an opulent, yet relaxed environment for smaller and more intimate events.
The Lansdown Hall (previously The Armstrong Hall)
This is our largest space, complete with stage and tiered seating (currently closed for refurbishment).
These are available to hire for your special occasion, corporate or community gathering or for your group’s gig, show or rehearsals. To find out more about hiring our venue, head to our Hire Us page.
Find us
📍 The Armstrong, Chapel Street, Thornbury, Bristol, BS35 2BJ
We are a 15-minute drive from Junction 15 on the M5 - follow signs for 'Thornbury'. The nearest car parks are Rock Street or St Mary's Street, both of which offer free parking after 6pm (just 80p per hour before that) and are a 2-minute walk away. We are a fully accessible building with ramp, automatic doors and accessible toilets. You will find us nestled on Chapel Street between Thornbury & District Museum and Age UK South Gloucestershire. For full directions, head to our Find Us page.
The charity
The Armstrong is run by the Thornbury Community and Arts CIO (Charity No: 1213120) with a lease from the Armstrong Hall Charitable Trust. We are an enthusiastic group of interested local people, with a variety of skills and experience. We came together to bring the venue back to life after indefinite closure due to the Covid pandemic.
Our patron
Amanda Prowse
International best-selling author (and queen of family drama!)
"Community spaces like this are absolutely vital."
Amanda has published more than 35 books (and counting!) which have been translated into dozens of languages around the world. She is an advocate of women, a huge supporter of libraries, and a proud ambassador for The Reading Agency. Her chart-topping No.1 titles ‘What Have I Done?’, ‘Life As Planned’, ‘My Husband’s Wife’, 'Swimming To Lundy’ and 'The Way Home' have sold millions of copies around the world.
Amanda moved to Thornbury when she was 16 years old with her family (who have lived in and around the area for the last 45 years). She attended Castle School and spent her student year’s working at The Ship Inn. She now splits her time between her home in the West Country and London.
"I always remember The Armstrong for being full of beautiful concerts, singing carols, watching plays and the odd party, and I was concerned that you'd lose the essence of what made it special [through the renovation]. I honestly cannot believe that it's the same place! It's stunningly beautiful, comfortable and opulent. It's sleek. It's everything you'd want for a community venue, and yet it still has that old heart."
We are absolutely thrilled to have Amanda on board as our Patron. Together, we are looking forward to continuing our journey in providing quality arts and entertainment to our local community in Thornbury and the surrounding areas.