Royal Albert Hall

Captain Francis Fowke and Lieutenant-Colonel H. Y. Durracott Scott
1867-71





View from the precinct of the Albert Memorial

Dedicated to Queen Victoria's husband and consort, this performance hall is directly across from the Albert Memorial in Kensington Park and is part of the so-called "Albertopolis," a cultural district in South Kensington, which includes among other buildings, the Natural History Museum by Alfred Waterhouse and the Victoria and Albert Museum.
 
The hall is oval (or elliptical) with the larger exterior diameter at 272 feet. It is influenced by ancient amphitheaters, like the Colosseum in Rome. It may have seated as many as 9000 people but today its capacity is set at 7000.
 

Left: the front entrance; center and right: side entrances

 

The glass and iron dome

This dome roofing the structure is 135 feet high. Although the Crystal Palace (destroyed) and King's Cross Station predate it, it is still an impressive example of metal and glazing.
 
The facade is brick with terra cotta decoration. The terra cotta frieze, running the entire circumference, depicts "The Triumph of the Arts and Sciences."
 

Details of the frieze

 

Details of the frieze

 


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© 2004 Mary Ann Sullivan. I have photographed (on site), scanned, and manipulated all the images on these pages. Please feel free to use them for personal or educational purposes. They are not available for commercial purposes.

Page created by Mary Ann Sullivan