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The Royal Albert Hall of Arts and Sciences is dedicated to Queen
Victoria's husband and consort, Prince Albert. Located in South Kensington
in central London, it forms the practical part of a national memorial to
the Prince Consort. The decorative part is the Albert Memorial directly
to the north in Hyde Park/Kensington Gardens.
The hall
is oval in shape, measuring 272 feet by 238 feet around the outside, and
has a capacity of 8,000 people. The great glass and iron dome roofing the
hall is 135 feet high. Around the outside of the hall is a great terra
cotta frieze, depicting "The Triumph of Arts and Sciences", in reference
to the hall's dedication.
Since
its opening by Queen Victoria in 1871 the Royal Albert Hall has played
host to classical and rock concerts, conferences, ballroom dancing,
poetry, ballet, opera and has been affectionately titled 'The Nation's
Village Hall'.
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