Editing Royal Albert Hall (section)

==History==
===1800s===
In 1851, the [[Great Exhibition]], organised by [[Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha|Prince Albert, the Prince Consort]], was held in [[Hyde Park, London|Hyde Park]], London. The Exhibition was a success and led Prince Albert to propose the creation of a group of permanent facilities for the public benefit, which came to be known as [[Albertopolis]]. The [[Royal Commission for the Exhibition of 1851|Exhibition's Royal Commission]] bought [[Gore House]], but it was slow to act, and in 1861 Prince Albert died without having seen his ideas come to fruition. However, a memorial was proposed for Hyde Park, with a Great Hall opposite.<ref name="CL">{{cite news|url=https://secure.countrylife.co.uk/architecture/the-royal-albert-hall-although-it-has-never-really-answered-its-founding-purposes-it-has-been-a-triumphant-success-224834|title=The Royal Albert Hall: A 19th-century marvel that 'has lost none of its power to amaze'|author=John Goodall|work=[[Country Life (magazine)|Country Life]]|date=4 April 2021|access-date=6 April 2021|archive-date=17 April 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210417072712/https://secure.countrylife.co.uk/architecture/the-royal-albert-hall-although-it-has-never-really-answered-its-founding-purposes-it-has-been-a-triumphant-success-224834|url-status=live}}</ref>

The proposal was approved, and the site was purchased with some of the profits from the Exhibition. The Hall was designed by civil engineers [[Captain Francis Fowke]] and [[Henry Young Darracott Scott|Major-General Henry Y. D. Scott]] of the [[Royal Engineers]] and built by [[Lucas Brothers (company)|Lucas Brothers]].<ref name="Lucas">{{cite ODNB| title=Charles Lucas| url=http://www.oxforddnb.com/view/article/49439 | date=January 2008| doi=10.1093/ref:odnb/49439 | access-date=17 June 2011}}</ref> The designers were heavily influenced by ancient [[amphitheatre]]s but had also been exposed to the ideas of [[Gottfried Semper]] while he was working at the [[South Kensington Museum]].<ref name="CL"/> The recently opened ''[[Cirque d'Hiver]]'' in Paris was seen in the contemporary press as the design to outdo.{{citation needed|date=April 2021}} The Hall was constructed mainly of [[Fareham Red]] brick, with [[terra cotta]] block decoration made by [[Gibbs and Canning]] of [[Tamworth, Staffordshire|Tamworth]].<ref>{{cite book|author=Gervase Wheeler|title=The Choice of a Dwelling: A Practical Handbook of Useful Information on All Points Connected with Hiring, Buying, Or Building a House, with Its Stables and Garden-outbuildings|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Hn5mAAAAMAAJ&pg=PA40|year=1871|publisher=J. Murray|pages=40}}</ref><ref name="CL"/>

The dome (designed by [[Rowland Mason Ordish]]) was made of wrought iron and glazed. There was a trial assembly of the dome's iron framework in [[Manchester]]; then it was taken apart again and transported to London by horse and cart. When the time came for the supporting structure to be removed from the dome after reassembly ''in situ'', only volunteers remained on site in case the structure collapsed. It did drop – but only by {{convert|5/16|inch|mm|spell=in|adj=pre|of an}}.<ref>Engineering Timelines: [http://www.engineering-timelines.com/scripts/engineeringItem.asp?id=109 Royal Albert Hall] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130510212848/http://www.engineering-timelines.com/scripts/engineeringItem.asp?id=109 |date=10 May 2013 }}</ref> The Hall was scheduled to be completed by Christmas Day 1870, and the Queen visited a few weeks beforehand to inspect.<ref>Michael Forsyth (1985). "Buildings for Music: The Architect, the Musician, and the Listener from the Seventeenth Century to the Present Day" p. 158.</ref>

[[File:RAH Grand Opening by Queen Victoria 29 March 1871 The Graphic.jpg|thumb|right|The first performance at the Hall. The decorated canvas awning is seen beneath the dome.]]
The official opening ceremony of the Hall was on 29 March 1871. This had originally been scheduled for 1 May, the twentieth anniversary of the opening of the Great Exhibition, but was brought forward at the request of Queen Victoria.<ref name="CL"/> A welcoming speech was given by [[Edward VII of the United Kingdom|Edward, the Prince of Wales]] because the Queen was too overcome to speak; "her only recorded comment on the Hall was that it reminded her of the [[British constitution]]".<ref name="building">{{cite web| title=The Building| url=http://www.royalalberthall.com/uploadedFiles/About_The_Hall/assets/History_of_the_Royal_Albert_Hall.pdf| publisher=Royal Albert Hall| access-date=17 June 2011| url-status=dead| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110626222518/http://www.royalalberthall.com/uploadedFiles/About_The_Hall/assets/History_of_the_Royal_Albert_Hall.pdf| archive-date=26 June 2011| df=dmy-all}}</ref>

The composer, organist, and choir conductor [[William Carter (composer)|William Carter]] founded and directed a choir specifically for the opening of Royal Albert Hall.<ref>{{cite encyclopedia|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=WSLUAwAAQBAJ&dq=%22William+Carter%22+1838+composer&pg=PA59|title=Carter, William (1838 – ?)|encyclopedia=Dictionary of composers for the Church in Great Britain and Ireland|author=Maggie Humphreys, Robert C. Evans|page=59|year=1997|publisher=[[Bloomsbury Academic]]|isbn=9780720123302|access-date=12 November 2023|archive-date=12 November 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231112144416/https://books.google.com/books?id=WSLUAwAAQBAJ&dq=%22William+Carter%22+1838+composer&pg=PA59|url-status=live}}</ref> In the concert that followed, the Hall's acoustic problems immediately became apparent. Engineers first tried to remove the strong echo by suspending a canvas awning below the dome. This helped and also sheltered concert-goers from the sun, but the problem was not solved: it used to be jokingly said the Hall was "the only place where a British composer could be sure of hearing his work twice".<ref>{{cite book |last1=Gascoigne |first1=Bamber |title=Encyclopedia of Britain |date=1993 |publisher=Macmillan |location=New York |isbn=0028971426 |page=17 |ol=1394629M |edition=2 |url=https://openlibrary.org/books/OL1394629M/Encyclopedia_of_Britain |access-date=17 January 2023 |archive-date=17 January 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230117183042/https://openlibrary.org/books/OL1394629M/Encyclopedia_of_Britain |url-status=live }}</ref>

In July 1871, French organist [[Camille Saint-Saëns]] performed ''Church Scene'' from ''[[Faust (opera)|Faust]]'' by [[Charles Gounod]]; ''The Orchestra'' described his performance as "an exceptional and distinguished performer ... the effect was most marvellous."<ref>{{cite book |last1=Smith |first1=Rollin |title=Saint-Saëns and the Organ |date=1992 |publisher=Pendragon Press |location=Stuyvesant, New York |isbn=9780945193142 |page=101 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=9rZzGPqNcXcC |access-date=17 January 2023}}</ref>

Initially [[Gas lighting|lit by gas]], the Hall contained a special system by which thousands of gas jets were lit within ten seconds. Though it was demonstrated as early as 1873 in the Hall,<ref name="timeline">{{cite web| title=Timeline| url=http://www.royalalberthall.com/about/history-and-archives/timeline-detail.aspx| publisher=Royal Albert Hall| access-date=17 June 2011| archive-date=15 July 2011| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110715205608/http://www.royalalberthall.com/about/history-and-archives/timeline-detail.aspx| url-status=live}}</ref> full [[electric lighting]] was not installed until 1888.<ref name="building"/> During an early trial when a partial installation was made, one disgruntled patron wrote to ''[[The Times]]'', declaring it to be "a very ghastly and unpleasant innovation".<ref>{{cite news |last1=Seat-Holder |first1=A |title=Electric Lighting At The Royal Albert-Hall |work=The Times |issue=29523 |date=24 March 1879}}</ref>

In May 1877, [[Richard Wagner]] himself conducted the first half of each of the eight concerts which made up the Grand Wagner Festival. After his turn with the baton, he handed it over to conductor [[Hans Richter (conductor)|Hans Richter]] and sat in a large armchair on the corner of the stage for the rest of each concert. Wagner's wife [[Cosima Wagner|Cosima]], the daughter of Hungarian virtuoso pianist and composer [[Franz Liszt]], was among the audience.{{citation needed|date=March 2021}}

The [[Wine Society]] was founded at the Hall on 4 August 1874,<ref>Edmund Penning-Rowsell, ''A Short History of The Wine Society'', 1989.{{where|date=September 2010}}</ref> after large quantities of cask wine were found in the cellars. A series of lunches were held to publicise the wines, and General Henry Scott proposed a co-operative company to buy and sell wines.<ref name="Wine Society">{{cite web| title=History of the Society| url=http://www.thewinesociety.com/history-of-the-society| publisher=The Wine Society| access-date=17 November 2015| archive-date=18 November 2015| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151118210153/http://www.thewinesociety.com/history-of-the-society| url-status=live}}</ref>

===1900s===
[[File:Albert Hall and Albert Memorial Postcard c1903.png|thumb|right|Postcard of the Hall (c. 1903) with an inset of the [[Albert Memorial]]]]
[[File:Royal Albert Hall - Central View Ceiling.jpg|thumb|right|Acoustic diffusing discs (lit in purple/blue) hanging from the roof of the Hall. The fluted aluminium panels are seen behind.]]
[[File:Royal Albert Hall 2.jpg|thumb|right|The Hall with [[Kensington Gardens]] to the right]]
In 1906, [[Elsie Fogerty]] founded the [[Central School of Speech and Drama]] at the Hall, using its West Theatre, now the Elgar Room, as the school's theatre. The school moved to Swiss Cottage in north London in 1957. Whilst the school was based at the Royal Albert Hall, students who graduated from its classes included [[Judi Dench]], [[Vanessa Redgrave]], [[Lynn Redgrave]], [[Harold Pinter]], [[Laurence Olivier]] and [[Peggy Ashcroft]].<ref>{{Cite book |title=The central book |last=Lolly |first=Susi |date=2006 |publisher=Oberon Books |isbn=978-1-84002-710-5 |location=London |oclc=85776670}}</ref>{{page needed|date=March 2018}}

In 1911, Russian pianist and composer [[Sergei Rachmaninoff]] performed as a part of the London Ballad Concert. The recital included his '[[Prelude in C-sharp minor (Rachmaninoff)|Prelude in C-sharp minor]]' and 'Elegie in E-flat minor' (both from ''[[Morceaux de Fantaisie]]'').<ref>{{cite magazine | url=https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=umn.319510028004720;view=1up;seq=312 | title=Keynotes | magazine=[[The Sketch]] | date=8 November 1911 | page=142 | volume=76 | access-date=27 March 2018 | archive-date=16 October 2021 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211016014357/https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=umn.319510028004720;view=1up;seq=312 | url-status=live }}</ref>

In 1933, German physicist [[Albert Einstein]] led the 'Einstein Meeting' at the hall for the Council for Assisting Refugee Academics, a British charity.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.royalalberthall.com/about-the-hall/news/2013/october/3-october-1933-albert-einstein-speaks-at-the-hall/ |title=3 October 1933 – Albert Einstein presents his final speech given in Europe, at the Royal Albert Hall |last=Keyte |first=Suzanne |date=9 October 2013 |website=Royal Albert Hall |access-date=27 March 2018 |archive-date=5 November 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221105200701/https://www.royalalberthall.com/about-the-hall/news/2013/october/3-october-1933-albert-einstein-speaks-at-the-hall/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

In 1936, the Hall was the scene of a giant rally celebrating the [[British Empire]] on the occasion of the centenary of [[Joseph Chamberlain]]'s birth. In October 1942, the Hall suffered minor damage during [[World War II]] bombing, but in general was left mostly untouched as German pilots used the distinctive structure as a landmark.<ref name="timeline"/>

In 1949, the canvas awning was removed and replaced with fluted aluminium panels below the glass roof, in a new attempt to cure the echo; but the acoustics were not properly tackled until 1969 when large fibreglass acoustic diffusing discs (commonly referred to as "mushrooms" or "flying saucers") were installed below the ceiling.<ref name="building"/> In 1968, the Hall hosted the [[Eurovision Song Contest 1968]] which was broadcast on television live in colour for the first time,<ref>{{cite web|title=Eurovision Song Contest 1968|url=http://www.eurovision.tv/page/history/by-year/contest?event=285|publisher=[[European Broadcasting Union|EBU]]|access-date=1 November 2016|archive-date=5 June 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110605093905/http://www.eurovision.tv/page/history/by-year/contest?event=285|url-status=live}}</ref> and from 1969 to 1988 the [[Miss World]] contest was staged in the venue.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.royalalberthall.com/about-the-hall/news/2014/november/miss-world-at-the-royal-albert-hall/ |title=From the Archives: Twenty years of Miss World at the Royal Albert Hall |last=van der Pas |first=Natasha |date=26 November 2014 |website=Royal Albert Hall |access-date=27 March 2018 |archive-date=28 March 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180328102651/https://www.royalalberthall.com/about-the-hall/news/2014/november/miss-world-at-the-royal-albert-hall/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

From 1996 until 2004, the Hall underwent a programme of renovation and development supported by a £20&nbsp;million grant from the [[Heritage Lottery Fund]] and £20m from Arts Council England to enable it to meet the demands of the next century of events and performances. Thirty "discreet projects" were designed and supervised by the architecture and engineering firm [[Building Design Partnership|BDP]] without disrupting events. These projects included improved ventilation to the auditorium, more bars and restaurants, improved seating, better technical facilities, and improved backstage areas. Internally, the Circle seating was rebuilt during June 1996 to provide more legroom, better access, and improved sightlines.<ref name="bdp hall">{{cite web |title=Project: Royal Albert Hall |url=https://www.bdp.com/projects/royal-albert-hall |website=[[Building Design Partnership|BDP]] |access-date=2025-03-03}}</ref>

===2000s===
The largest project of the ongoing renovation and development was the building of a new south porch – door 12, accommodating a first-floor restaurant, new ground floor box office and subterranean loading bay. Although the exterior of the building was largely unchanged, the south steps leading down to [[Prince Consort Road]] were demolished to allow construction of underground vehicle access and a loading bay with accommodation for three [[Large goods vehicle|HGVs]] carrying all the equipment brought by shows. The steps were then reconstructed around a new south porch, named The Meitar Foyer after a significant donation from Mr & Mrs Meitar. The porch was built on a similar scale and style to the three pre-existing porches at Door 3, 6 and 9: these works were undertaken by [[Taylor Woodrow]] Construction.<ref name="bdp hall"/> On 4 June 2004, the project received the [[Europa Nostra]] Award for remarkable achievement.<ref name="award">{{cite press release |title=Europa Nostra award for Royal Albert Hall |date=4 June 2004 |url=http://www.bdp.com/en/News/2004/Europa-Nostra-award-for-Royal-Albert-Hall/?parentpageid=200&category=72 |website=[[Building Design Partnership|BDP]] |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110728083252/http://www.bdp.com/en/News/2004/Europa-Nostra-award-for-Royal-Albert-Hall/?parentpageid=200&category=72 |archive-date=28 July 2011 |df=dmy-all}}</ref>

The East (Door 3) and West (Door 9) porches were glazed and new bars opened along with ramps to improve disabled access. The Stalls were rebuilt in a four-week period in 2000 using steel supports allowing more space underneath for two new bars; 1,534 unique pivoting seats were laid – with an addition of 180 prime seats. The Choirs were rebuilt at the same time. The whole building was redecorated in a style that reinforces its Victorian identity. {{cvt|4000|sqm|order=flip}} of new carpets were laid in the rooms, stairs, and corridors – specially woven with a border that follows the oval curve of the building.<ref>{{cite web |title=The Royal Albert Hall |url=https://linneycooper.co.uk/journal/the-royal-albert-hall |website=Linney Cooper |access-date=2025-03-03 |archive-date=2023-12-03 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231203035454/https://linneycooper.co.uk/journal/the-royal-albert-hall |url-status=live}}</ref>

Between 2002 and 2004, there was a major rebuilding of the [[Royal Albert Hall Organ|great organ]] (known as the Voice of Jupiter),<ref>{{cite web |url = http://www.scmp.com/article/461862/mighty-voice-jupiter-pipes-royal-albert-hall |title = Mighty Voice of Jupiter pipes up at Royal Albert Hall |date = 4 July 2004 |website = South China Morning Post |access-date = 18 November 2015 |archive-date = 18 November 2015 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20151118191407/http://www.scmp.com/article/461862/mighty-voice-jupiter-pipes-royal-albert-hall |url-status = live }}</ref> built by [[Father Willis|"Father" Henry Willis]] in 1871 and rebuilt by [[Harrison & Harrison]] in 1924 and 1933. The rebuilding was performed by [[Mander Organs]],<ref name="Mander">{{cite web| title=The Grand Organ, Royal Albert Hall| date=27 January 2017| publisher=Mander Organs| url=https://mander-organs.com/the-grand-organ-royal-albert-hall/| access-date=8 September 2019| archive-date=16 October 2021| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211016021233/https://mander-organs.com/the-grand-organ-royal-albert-hall/| url-status=live}}</ref> and it is now the second-largest [[pipe organ]] in the British Isles with 9,997 pipes in 147 stops.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.mander-organs.com/the-grand-organ-royal-albert-hall/|title=The Grand Organ Royal Albert Hall, London|work=[[Mander Organs]]|date=27 January 2017|accessdate=6 April 2021|archive-date=12 April 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210412214426/https://www.mander-organs.com/the-grand-organ-royal-albert-hall/|url-status=live}}</ref> The largest is the Grand Organ in [[Liverpool Cathedral]] which has 10,268 pipes.<ref>{{cite web |title=Grand Organ Appeal |url=https://liverpoolcathedral.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/organ-appeal-print_oct-2017_web3.pdf#page=3 |website=[[Liverpool Cathedral]] |access-date=2025-03-03 |date=2017-10-26}}</ref>

===2010s===
During the first half of 2011, changes were made to the backstage areas to relocate and increase the size of crew catering areas under the South Steps away from the stage and create additional dressing rooms nearer to the stage.<ref>{{cite web |url = http://idoxpa.westminster.gov.uk/online-applications/applicationDetails.do?activeTab=documents&keyVal=LBMJ1ZRP14X00 |title = Planning Application Documents |website = Westminster City Council |access-date = 4 May 2013 |archive-date = 4 March 2016 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20160304045909/http://idoxpa.westminster.gov.uk/online-applications/applicationDetails.do?activeTab=documents&keyVal=LBMJ1ZRP14X00 |url-status = live }}</ref>

[[File:Sala Royal Albert, Londres, Inglaterra, 2014-08-09, DD 062-64 HDR.jpg|thumbnail|254px|The Royal Albert Hall as seen from [[Prince Consort Road]]]]
From January to May 2013, the Box Office area at Door 12 underwent further modernisation to include a new Café Bar on the ground floor, a new Box Office with shop counters and additional toilets. The design and construction were carried out by contractor 8Build. Upon opening it was renamed 'The Zvi and Ofra Meitar Porch and Foyer.' owing to a large donation from the couple.<ref>{{cite web |url = http://www.8build.co.uk/news/101/8build-the-royal-albert-hall |title = 8build – The Royal Albert Hall |date = January 2013 |website = 8Build |access-date = 29 April 2014 |url-status = dead |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20140429050310/http://www.8build.co.uk/news/101/8build-the-royal-albert-hall |archive-date = 29 April 2014 }}</ref>

In Autumn 2013, work began on replacing the Victorian steam heating system over three years and improving cooling across the building. This work followed the summer Proms season during which temperatures were unusually high.<ref>{{cite news |last=Clark |first=Nick |title=Sweaty business: Royal Albert Hall seeks solution to sweltering temperatures at Proms |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/music/news/sweaty-business-royal-albert-hall-seeks-solution-to-sweltering-temperatures-at-proms-8737173.html |newspaper=[[The Independent]] |access-date=2025-03-03 |archive-date=5 March 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160305095716/http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/music/news/sweaty-business-royal-albert-hall-seeks-solution-to-sweltering-temperatures-at-proms-8737173.html |url-status=live}}</ref> Further heatwaves led to a rebuild of the Rausing Circle level in 2021 with air-cooling ventilation installed, significantly decreasing heat there during hot weather.

In 2017, work began on a two-story {{convert|1000|m2|order=flip|adj=on}} basement extension for use as backstage and archival space to the south-west quadrant of the building. The project is nicknamed the "Great Excavation", in reference to the Great Exhibition of 1851.<ref name="HoL2021">{{cite web|url=https://lordslibrary.parliament.uk/royal-albert-hall-at-150/|title=Royal Albert Hall at 150|date=5 March 2021|work=[[House of Lords Library]]|access-date=6 April 2021|archive-date=14 April 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210414111300/https://lordslibrary.parliament.uk/royal-albert-hall-at-150/|url-status=live}}</ref> A new archive space opened in the extension on 12 October 2023.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-67099592|title=Royal Albert Hall archive preserved in £1m project|work=BBC News|date=15 October 2023|access-date=25 November 2023|archive-date=25 November 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231125175411/https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-67099592|url-status=live}}</ref>

In 2018, a Walk of Fame was unveiled at the Hall, with the first eleven recipients of a star including the [[Suffragette]]s (who held meetings at the Hall), [[Winston Churchill]] and [[Albert Einstein]] (both of whom delivered speeches here), [[Muhammad Ali]] (who had exhibition events at a venue he dubbed a 'helluva hall'), and [[Eric Clapton]] (who has played the venue over 200 times), among others, who were viewed as "key players" in the building's history.<ref name="History">{{cite news |title=Clapton, Churchill among those honoured by Royal Albert Hall 'Walk of Fame' |url=https://www.yahoo.com/entertainment/clapton-churchill-among-those-honoured-royal-albert-hall-125347984.html |access-date=2025-03-03 |work=Yahoo |archive-date=7 April 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230407115635/https://www.yahoo.com/entertainment/clapton-churchill-among-those-honoured-royal-albert-hall-125347984.html |url-status=live}}</ref>

===2020s===
Due to the [[COVID-19 pandemic]], restrictions meant the Hall was closed on 17 March 2020 for the longest time since the Second World War. In December 2020, it reopened for three [[socially distanced]] performances but was then closed for a second period, finally reopening to full capacity on 19 July 2021.<ref name="HoL2021"/>

On 11 November 2023, before the [[Festival of Remembrance]], [[King Charles III]] and [[Queen Camilla]] unveiled two bronze statues of [[Queen Elizabeth II]] and [[Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh]], as part of the Hall's 150th anniversary.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/av/uk-67394815|title=King Charles III unveils life-sized statues of Elizabeth II and Prince Philip|work=BBC News|date=12 November 2023|accessdate=14 November 2023|archive-date=13 November 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231113042537/https://www.bbc.com/news/av/uk-67394815|url-status=live}}</ref>