Royal Albert Hall

  To most Americans, the Royal Albert Hall is probably best known from performances of the musical "Les Miserables". In the UK, it is best known for "The Proms" (eight weeks in the summer - since 1941 - of classical concerts sponsored by the BBC ). Prince Albert (husband to Queen Victoria) sponsored the Great Exhibition of 1851. His biggest achievement during this exhibition was the Crystal Palace. It was a huge success financially. Prince Albert suggested that these funds be used to create a permanent series of facilities to promote the arts. Unfortunately, Albert died before seeing any of this completed. The foundation stone for the Royal Albert hall (originally to be called "The Central Hall of Arts and Sciences" the name was changed as a tribute following Albert's death) was laid in 1867 and Queen Victoria officially opened it in 1871. Since then, the world's leading artists from numerous genres perform in approximately 350 events held each year. Depending upon the configuration for each performance, the hall can seat 5,272 people.

One of the UK's most treasured and distinctive buildings.

This front entrance was originally the Queen's entrance before it was moved to the side of the building for security reasons.

Directly across the street from the Hall is this impressive memorial to Prince Albert, commissioned by Queen Victoria.

On the wall near the ticket office is this collage of the artists who have performed here.

Picture of Queen Elizabeth and Prince Phillip attending a performance in the Hall.

Setting up the stage for an evening's performance as seen from one of the upper tiers.

In addition to the 5,272 seats that make up the main auditorium, there are numerous conference and rehearsal rooms.

Looking from the back of the hall towards the stage. The haze came from a smoke machine that was being tested prior to the evening's performance.

Acoustics in the Hall have been a problem since the beginning. These ceiling "mushrooms" are the latest attempt to correct this issue.