Rick Wakeman, whose LP The Six Wives of Henry VIII was a hit in the 1970s selling 15 million copies worldwide, was keen to mark the anniversary in a unique environment, so he self-promoted the commemorative concert in the grounds of Hampton Court, the palace that Henry built and lived in.
Working with Keith Morris of Riverside Production, Arena Seating drew on its technical and logistical expertise to install a temporary 5,000 seat auditorium in front of the main entrance of Hampton Court, located between the Thames tow path and the main access road into the palace.
The severely undulating ground required a solution provided by Arena Seating's Special Structures division, which designed and installed a complex supporting structure requiring precise engineering calculations and installation. It accommodated 3,500 flat seats (a mixture of Samsonite and Arena's own flat floor tip up chairs). A 1,250 tiered seating grandstand gave the audience excellent sightlines from behind the flat seating.
"We were working in an historically sensitive site," says Martin Clark, commercial director of Arena Seatin' Special Structures, "so it was essential we took the greatest care of the grounds and the buildings around us: something our teams have wide experience of. Additionally, the site area was restricted by the road and the tree line, which meant we had to build over a number of architectural features including stone bollards."
"Hampton Court Palace was a difficult site with unusual ground conditions and features," says Keith Morris. "Arena Seating initially offered several solutions and, using their own design process, presented me with the best and most economical one, which worked very well."
(Jim Evans)
