- published: 03 Dec 2013
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Cadogan Hall is a 900-seat capacity concert hall on Sloane Terrace in Chelsea / Belgravia in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea, London, United Kingdom. It is two minutes' walk from Sloane Square tube station on the Circle/District lines.
Previously, the building was the First Church of Christ, Scientist, completed in 1907 to designs in the Byzantine style by the architect Robert Fellowes Chisholm, who also designed the Napier Museum in Kerala, India. By 1996, the congregations had diminished dramatically and the building fell into disuse. Mohamed Fayed, the then owner of Harrods, had acquired the property, but Cadogan Estates Ltd (the property company owned by Earl Cadogan, whose ancestors have been the main landowners in Chelsea since the 18th century – the nearby Cadogan Square and Cadogan Place are also named after them) purchased the building in 2000. It is a Grade II listed building.
The resident music ensemble at Cadogan Hall is the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra (RPO), the first London orchestra to have a permanent home. Cadogan Estates offered the RPO the use of the hall as its principal venue in late 2001. The RPO gave its first concert as the resident ensemble of Cadogan Hall in November 2004. Since 2005, Cadogan Hall has also served as the venue for The Proms' Chamber Music concerts during Monday lunchtimes. Cadogan Hall also hosts The Proms' Saturday Matinees.
Michael Philip "Mike" Batt (born 6 February 1949) is a British songwriter, musician, producer and Deputy Chairman of the British Phonographic Industry. He is best known for creating The Wombles pop act, writing the chart-topping "Bright Eyes," and discovering Katie Melua.
Born in Southampton, Batt attended Peter Symonds School, Winchester. His blog refers to his role as cadet Company Sergeant Major at the school .
Batt began his career in pop music at the age of eighteen when he answered the same advertisement as Elton John and Bernie Taupin placed by Ray Williams in the New Musical Express on behalf of Liberty Records. Batt became part of Liberty's production team, and in 1969 he took over production duties from Noel Walker, on McKenna Mendelson Mainline's first release, Stink. Walker and Batt were credited on the album only as "Liberty Staff". Also in 1969, Batt released as producer/artist a Liberty single, his cover version of The Beatles' "Your Mother Should Know". Batt subsequently became Head of A&R for Liberty.