Royal Albert Hall

Per Scriptum E. Wesley - Mackinac Center Intern

Originally chartered to host music expositions and meetings for learned societies, the Royal Albert Hall in London was opened by Queen Victoria on March 29, 1871. With its glass dome, velarium awning, and seating for 8,000 Victorian visitors, the amphitheatre echoed with an almost celestially chime. It was said that the "amen" after the blessing during the opening ceremony reechoed for over a minute. The organ inside was the largest in the world after its construction by Henry Willis in the 1870s, having 7,940 pipes!

The Hall has a special place in the history of liberty. During World War II, Nazi bombers left it standing because it was an excellent point of reference for their pilots. Ironically, it can be seen today as a still standing memorial to the power of Britain's finest hour. Also, the Von Trapp family singers (the inspiration behind the 1965 musical The Sound of Music) preformed at the Hall on October 8, 1950, several years after successfully escaping from Austria during the Nazi invasion. Queen Victoria never knew about the conflicts of the 20th century, and would have never imagined the Hall's significance as a symbol for liberty and endurance in the modern world.





Sources:
Image of RAH Opening 1871 ILN from Wikipedia
Image of RAH Grand Opening by Queen Victoria 29 March 1871 The Graphic from Wikipedia
http://en.structurae.de/structures/data/index.cfm?ID=s0006901
http://www.architecture.com/LibraryDrawingsAndPhotographs/Albertopolis/TheStoryOf/RoyalAlbertHall/RoyalAlbertHall.aspx