London's Royal Albert Hall celebrates 150 years
One of London’s most treasured buildings, the Royal Albert Hall, is preparing for a year of celebrations to mark the concert hall’s official opening by Queen Victoria, exactly 150 years ago today – on 29 March, 1871.
Royal Albert Hall has a year of celebrations planned to take place throughout the next 12 months. Located in South Kensington, London, the distinctive building is held in trust for Britain and is managed by a registered charity.
The anniversary celebrations begin today and will extend for a full year into 2022. Chief executive Craig Hassall announced that in addition to new commissions, headline shows and anniversary editions of historic community events, the program also involves a complete restoration of the Hall’s historic façade.
“Despite the devastating impact of the pandemic, which has closed our treasured building to the public for the first time since the Second World War, we are determined to host a full celebration of our 150th anniversary,” said Hassall in December at the unveiling of the planned celebrations.
“Since its opening, this extraordinary venue has borne witness to, and played a central part in, seismic cultural and social change. The interests, manners and social mores of the people may have changed, but this beautiful building and what it represents remains the same a century-and-a-half later: a meeting place, a reflection of contemporary Britain, and a home for exhilarating live performance and events of international significance.
To mark the beginning of the Royal Albert Hall’s 150th anniversary celebrations, organisers have released a stirring 90-second tribute clip narrated by Sir Mick Jagger, titled ‘Your Room Will Be Ready’. The short film depicts legendary moments in the concert hall’s history, including the many artists who have performed here. It was directed by BAFTA-nominee Tom Harper and scored by Academy Award-winning composer Steven Price.
An anniversary book has also been published, titled ‘A Celebration in 150 Unforgettable Moments’ with a foreword written by Her Majesty The Queen, Patron of the Royal Albert Hall.
History
The hall was originally going to be called the Central Hall of Arts and Sciences, but the name was changed to the Royal Albert Hall of Arts and Sciences by Queen Victoria upon laying the Hall’s foundation stone in 1867, in memory of her husband, Prince Albert, a strong supporter of the arts and sciences who had died six years earlier.
The Hall’s glass and wrought-iron dome stands at 41m high. Outside, a 243-metre-long terracotta mosaic frieze runs around the exterior of the circular building, depicting ‘The Triumph of Arts and Sciences’.
In the opening year of 1871, the hall staged 36 shows. Today, the hall hosts nearly 400 events in the auditorium and many hundreds more around the Royal Albert Hall each year.
In October 1942, the hall suffered minor damage during WWII but it was left largely untouched by German pilots, preferring to use it as a landmark due to its distinct shape.
Some of the leading artists to have performed on the stage of the Royal Albert Hall include The Rolling Stones, Eric Clapton, Dame Shirley Bassey, Ike and Tina Turner, Jimi Hendrix, Coldplay, Iggy Pop, Pink Floyd, Sir Elton John, Sting, Freddie Mercury, Luciano Pavarotti, Paul McCartney and Adele.
