Opened by Queen Victoria in 1871, the Royal Albert Hall is one of Britain's most famous concert halls, a great oval auditorium on the edge of South Kensington. With seating for over five thousand, it hosts everything from classical concerts to rock shows, sport and ceremonies. The hall was built as a memorial to Prince Albert, Queen Victoria's husband, who had championed the arts and sciences. Designed by the engineers Francis Fowke and Henry Scott of the Royal Engineers, it was constructed between 1867 and 1871 in an Italianate style. It was inaugurated on 29 March 1871 by the Queen, accompanied by the Prince of Wales. To help fund it, the organisers sold long leases on seats, an arrangement under which some seats remain in private hands to this day. The building is an ellipse crowned by a great glass and iron dome about forty-one metres high. A terracotta frieze celebrating the triumph of arts and sciences runs around the exterior of the Grade I listed structure. For many years the hall was notorious for its echo, until a set of saucer-shaped diffusers was hung beneath the dome in the late 1960s to tame the acoustics, finally curing a problem that had troubled performers since it opened. Its present capacity is around 5,272, though in its early days it held far larger crowds. Over a century and a half it has welcomed countless leading performers across every kind of music and many other events. It is best known as the home of the BBC Proms, the annual summer season of concerts that culminates in the famous Last Night, and it has long been associated with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra. Standing just south of the Albert Memorial and close to London's great museums, the hall draws well over a million visitors a year and remains one of the most celebrated stages in the world.

Type: Theater / Concert Hall

Address: Kensington Gore, London, United Kingdom, SW7 2AP

Website: https://www.royalalberthall.com

Capacity: 5272

Opening Date: 29/03/1871