I don't have a musical bone in my body but I do, nonetheless, have a passionate love of music. Some of the most moving musical experiences of my life have been in this building, The Royal Albert Hall. Known most commonly for classical performances, most notably the Proms, it also does the odd pop and rock concert, ballet and sports and circus type events. My two favourite events I've attended here have been the Classical Spectacular and Mozart By Candlelight; both of which tend to be regular gigs on their calendar in the month of December; I highly recommend you take a look.
Four years of construction resulted in what has become one of the most iconic buildings in the capital. Originally it was to be called The Central Hall of Arts and Sciences but, upon laying the foundation stone in 1867, Queen Victoria rather hijacked things and decided to name it after her deceased husband, the Prince Consort Prince Albert. Albert was a true champion of both the arts and science in an age when the two were not as opposed as they sometimes seem in more recent times. You might be able to see that there is a frieze running around the top of the elliptical hall, it goes by the name of The Triumph of Arts and Sciences. In an anticlockwise direction there are 16 scenes glorying in the joy of said subjects.
The £200,000 it took to build was taken from the proceeds of the Great Exhibition of 1851 which was very much the pet project of the Prince. It was one of the wonders of the age that showcased Britain's world leading grasp of science and engineering. In 1951, to mark the centenary of this landmark event, we had The Festival of Britain which was very much the kickstarter of the regeneration of south London; the cultural goldmine that is the South Bank wouldn't exist without it. Good work Albert.
Oh yeah, and the theme today was Source of Happiness. You can probably tell this place makes me pretty happy.
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