The profits of the Great Exhibition of 1851 were put towards developing the cultural institutions of South Kensington and, at its heart, the Royal Albert Hall. Tim Stokes investigates the history of this venerable institution.
Perhaps best known for classical music and the Last Night of the Proms, the Royal Albert Hall has a far from stuffy past. Rule Britannia has had its place - but so have Bovril, balls, Blackshirts and a bombastic celebration of the Bard.
On the 150th anniversary of its opening, its archive manager Liz Harper insists "the idea of it being an elitist venue is just not true," describing it as the "nation's village hall" because of its eclectic events and occupants.
So, from the flushed faces of middle England bobbing beneath their Union Jacks to the flushed lavatories reinforced for Sumo competitors, here are some of the Royal Albert Hall's highs and lows over the past century and a half.... Keep reading on BBC News.
Perhaps best known for classical music and the Last Night of the Proms, the Royal Albert Hall has a far from stuffy past. Rule Britannia has had its place - but so have Bovril, balls, Blackshirts and a bombastic celebration of the Bard.
On the 150th anniversary of its opening, its archive manager Liz Harper insists "the idea of it being an elitist venue is just not true," describing it as the "nation's village hall" because of its eclectic events and occupants.
So, from the flushed faces of middle England bobbing beneath their Union Jacks to the flushed lavatories reinforced for Sumo competitors, here are some of the Royal Albert Hall's highs and lows over the past century and a half.... Keep reading on BBC News.