| Summary : The Royal Albert Hall was built in 1867-1871 to the designs of Captain Fowke and it was completed by Major-General H Y D Scott. It was built to commemorate Prince Albert following his death in 1861. Constructed of red brick with buff terracotta in Italian Renaissance style, the hall is elliptical in plan and features a glazed domed roof. It is of five stages with two main tiers of windows. Those to the lower tier are square-headed and those to the upper tier are round-headed, with decorative pilasters in between. Above is a mosaic frieze of figures. Entrances to the hall are to the north, south, east and west within projecting two-storey porches with elaborate moulded pilasters. The hall features balustrades and a cornice. As well as hosting the summer Proms concerts since 1941, the Royal Albert Hall has hosted a variety of different events including conferences, motor shows, sporting events and graduation ceremonies. From around 1907 until the outbreak of the First World War, the hall was also the site of many rallies and demonstrations staged during the campaign for women's suffrage Between 1996 and 2004, a major programme of alterations was undertaken, costing £69.1 million. A major part of the project involved the excavation of a three-storey basement to create performers' dressing rooms and a loading area for stage, sound and lighting equipment. In addition, bars, lavatories, function rooms and offices were created, and the restaurant was extended. In 2008 one of the restaurants was remodelled and the following year, alterations were planned to create a multi-use space for small-scale performance. |
More information : Please see source for information. (1)
The Royal Albert Hall was built in 1867-1871 to the designs of Captain Fowke and it was completed by Major-General H Y D Scott. Constructed of red brick with buff terracotta in Italian Renaissance style, the hall is elliptical in plan and features a glazed domed roof. It is of five stages with two main tiers of windows. Those to the lower tier are square-headed and those to the upper tier are round-headed, with decorative pilasters in between. Above is a mosaic frieze of figures. Entrances to the hall are to the north, south, east and west within projecting two-storey porches with elaborate moulded pilasters. The hall features balustrades and a cornice. (2)
This is the website for the Royal Albert Hall. It contains events information and historical information about the building, including an interactive timeline. Famous composers to have conducted the first UK performances of their works here include Wagner, Verdi and Elgar. There is also a long list of popular music artists to have performed here which include Jimi Hendrix, the Beatles, Elton John and, more recently, Kaiser Chiefs and the Killers.
Between 1996 and 2004, a major programme of alterations were undertaken, costing £69.1 million. The works mainly involved the excavation of a three and half storey basement below the steps to the south of the hall to accommodate performers' dressing rooms, as well as a loading bay for stage, sound and lighting equipment to be brought in and out of the hall. This freed up space in the foyers for audiences. In addition, bars, lavatories, function rooms and offices were created, and the restaurant was extended.
In 2008 one of the restaurants was remodelled and the following year, alterations were planned to create a multi-use space for small-scale performance. (3)
The Albert Hall was the site of many rallies and demonstrations during the campaign for women's suffrage from around 1907 until the outbreak of the First World War. One such occasion was the meeting held after The Prison to Citizenship' Procession organised by the Women's Social and Political Union (WSPU) and the Women's Freedom League. The procession began on Embankment and between 10 000 and 15 000 women marched to Albert Hall. Speeches were given by Emmeline and Christabel Pankhurst, Emmeline Pethick-Lawrence, Annie Kenney and Lord Lytton, and £5000 was raised from audience donations. (4)
The Albert Hall was built to commemorate Prince Albert following his death in 1861. See source for further details. (5)
As well as hosting the summer Proms concerts since 1941, the Royal Albert Hall has hosted a variety of different events including conferences, motor shows, sporting events and graduation ceremonies. (6)
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