Royal Albert Hall

The Royal Albert Hall is a large public hall constructed between 1867 and 1871, designed by Captain Fowke, and completed by Major-General H Y D Scott. It is a red brick and buff terracotta building with a glazed, domed roof, built in the Italian Renaissance style with an elliptical plan.

The exterior has five stages, featuring two main tiers of windows; the lower windows are square-headed, and the upper windows are round-headed, with decorative pilasters between them, and a mosaic frieze of figures above. Entrances are located to the north, south, east, and west, accessed via projecting two-storey porches that feature elaborate moulded pilasters, balustrades, and cornices. The interior has a good arcaded design, although the ceiling has been altered.

Historically, in December 1905, Sir Henry Campbell Bannerman delivered his first speech as Prime Minister at the Hall, an event interrupted by members of the Women’s Social and Political Union (WSPU), a militant suffrage organization. The Hall subsequently hosted several WSPU meetings, including one in October 1912 where Emmeline Pankhurst encouraged followers to rebel. A final meeting was held in March 1918 by the Women’s Party, celebrating the Representation of the People Act.