Born out of love for arts, education and culture
Opened in 1871, the Royal Albert Hall in London was built as part of a wider project by Queen Victoria and Prince Albert to create one of the most successful cultural quarters in the world. Interestingly, the 153-year-old venue was originally going to be named the Central Hall of Arts and Sciences before being renamed as the Royal Albert Hall of Arts and Sciences by Queen Victoria.
Foundation stone and ‘time-capsule’
The Royal Albert Hall is a Grade I listed building. Its foundation stone was laid by Queen Victoria at a special ceremony in 1867 in a grand temporary marquee, which was a similar size to the hall itself. There is a ‘time-capsule’ underneath the foundation stone that contains an inscription and, rumour has it, a collection of gold and silver coins.
Built in Ardwick, assembled in London
The roof of the Royal Albert Hall is a 338-tonne iron metal frame that is designed to support the weight of 279 tonnes. Manufactured at the Fairbairn Engineering Company based in Ardwick, near Manchester, each individual piece of the structure was brought to London and assembled.
Marathon and séance
The Royal Albert Hall has been the venue of choice for some peculiar events. In 1909, it hosted the first British indoor marathon with 2,000 spectators. In 1930, it was used for a séance for Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, the author of the famous Sherlock Holmes series, with 10,000 people in attendance.
South Kensington, or Albertopolis in the 1850s
South Kensington, where the Royal Albert Hall is located, was actually coined as Albertopolis in the 1850s. The main street that links up the area’s famous landmarks – including the Victoria and Albert Museum and the Science Museum – was named Exhibition Road after the Great Exhibition in Hyde Park in 1851.
The only place to have held a Grand Sumo Tournament outside of Japan
The official sumo tournaments have only ever been held outside of Japan once in the 1500-year history of the sport, with the second-ever due to be held at the Royal Albert Hall in October 2025. But did you know where the first-ever one was held? It was actually also at the Royal Albert Hall, back in 1991 as part of the 1991 Japan Festival in the UK.
Reinforcements for the Sumo wrestlers
Back in 1991, the Royal Albert Hall needed to have its backstage lavatories weight-tested, the chairs reinforced, and large showers fitted to accommodate the competitors. The stage that holds the all-important clay and sand-based dohyo – the ring in which sumo wrestling takes place – also had to be strengthened to hold the wrestlers’ weight.