Alfred Hitchcock | Biography, Movies, The Birds, Psycho, Vertigo ...
Alfred Hitchcock was an English-born American motion-picture director whose suspenseful films and television programs won immense popularity ...
Royal Albert Hall
Hitchcock signed with Gaumont-British in 1934, and his first film for that company, The Man Who Knew Too Much (1934), was also his first international success. Leslie Banks and Edna Best star as the Lawrences, a married couple on vacation in Switzerland with their daughter Betty (Nova Pilbeam). They inadvertently become enmeshed in a plot to assassinate a diplomat when the conspirators kidnap Betty to ensure the Lawrences’ silence until the deed is accomplished by the lethal Abbott (German actor Peter Lorre in his first English-speaking role). In just 75 minutes, culminating with the classic <anchor>Royal Albert Hall</anchor> finale, Hitchcock established himself as the new master of the sinister.
Royal Albert Hall | Music Venue, Concert Hall, Performance Space | Britannica
Royal Albert Hall \| Music Venue, Concert Hall, Performance Space \| Britannica

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[Royal Albert Hall](https://www.britannica.com/topic/Royal-Albert-Hall)

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Introduction
[References & Edit History](https://www.britannica.com/topic/Royal-Albert-Hall/additional-info)

[Images](https://www.britannica.com/topic/Royal-Albert-Hall/images-videos)

[![Royal Albert Hall, London, designed by Francis Fowke and Henry Darracott Scott and built in 1867–71. The hall hosts numerous musical events, including the BBC's annual “Proms.”](https://cdn.britannica.com/27/18527-004-A1048BAD/Royal-Albert-Hall-London-Francis-Fowke-Henry.jpg)](https://cdn.britannica.com/27/18527-004-A1048BAD/Royal-Albert-Hall-London-Francis-Fowke-Henry.jpg)

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Contents


[Visual Arts](/browse/Visual-Arts)[Architecture](/browse/Architecture)

# Royal Albert Hall

art center, London, United Kingdom



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- [The Victorian Web - Royal Albert Hall](https://victorianweb.org/art/architecture/alberthall/)
- [Official Site of the Royal Albert Hall, London, United Kingdom](https://www.royalalberthall.com/)
- [British History Online - Royal Albert Hall, London, United Kingdom](https://www.british-history.ac.uk/survey-london/vol38/pp177-195)
- [BBC Bitesize - The remarkable life of the Royal Albert Hall (so far)](https://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/articles/zf6bydm)

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- [The Victorian Web - Royal Albert Hall](https://victorianweb.org/art/architecture/alberthall/)
- [Official Site of the Royal Albert Hall, London, United Kingdom](https://www.royalalberthall.com/)
- [British History Online - Royal Albert Hall, London, United Kingdom](https://www.british-history.ac.uk/survey-london/vol38/pp177-195)
- [BBC Bitesize - The remarkable life of the Royal Albert Hall (so far)](https://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/articles/zf6bydm)

Also known as: Albert Hall, Royal Albert Hall of Arts and Sciences


Written and fact-checked by


[The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica\
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Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree. They write new content and verify and edit content received from contributors.](/editor/The-Editors-of-Encyclopaedia-Britannica/4419)

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Last Updated:

Aug 22, 2024
• [Article History](https://www.britannica.com/topic/Royal-Albert-Hall/additional-info#history)


Table of Contents


In full: Royal Albert Hall of Arts and Sciences_(Show more)_

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## Recent News

Aug. 18, 2024, 3:02 AM ET (The Telegraph)


[Last Night of Proms ticket holders told ‘protest flags’ will be removed](https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2024/08/17/bbc-proms-protest-flags-banned/)

[![](https://cdn.britannica.com/27/18527-004-A1048BAD/Royal-Albert-Hall-London-Francis-Fowke-Henry.jpg?w=300)](https://cdn.britannica.com/27/18527-004-A1048BAD/Royal-Albert-Hall-London-Francis-Fowke-Henry.jpg)

[Royal Albert Hall, London, designed by Francis Fowke and Henry Darracott Scott and built in 1867–71. The hall hosts numerous musical events, including the BBC's annual “Proms.”](https://cdn.britannica.com/27/18527-004-A1048BAD/Royal-Albert-Hall-London-Francis-Fowke-Henry.jpg)(more)

**Royal Albert Hall**, concert hall in the [City of Westminster](https://www.britannica.com/place/City-of-Westminster), [London](https://www.britannica.com/place/London). One of [Britain’s](https://www.britannica.com/place/United-Kingdom) principal concert halls and major landmarks, it is located south of the [Albert Memorial](https://www.britannica.com/topic/Albert-Memorial) and north of the [Imperial College of Science, Technology and Medicine](https://www.britannica.com/topic/Imperial-College). [Designated](https://www.britannica.com/dictionary/Designated) a memorial to [Prince Albert](https://www.britannica.com/biography/Albert-Prince-Consort), the consort of Queen Victoria, the immense oval structure was built in 1867–71. [Sir George Gilbert Scott](https://www.britannica.com/biography/George-Gilbert-Scott) drew up architectural plans in the early 1860s, but his building was never begun owing to a lack of funding. [Sir Henry Cole](https://www.britannica.com/biography/Henry-Cole), chairman of the Society of Arts, subsequently arranged financing, partly through the offering of 999-year leases on choice seats, and new designs by Francis Fowke were approved in 1865. Henry Darracott Scott assumed architectural responsibility after Fowke’s death later that year, and the foundation stone was laid in 1867.

The hall was long [notorious](https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/notorious) for its poor acoustics—especially its echo—but they were improved by modifications made in the late 1960s. Classical and [popular music](https://www.britannica.com/art/popular-music) concerts, sports events, balls, and festivals take place at the hall. It seats more than 5,000 but held a record audience of 9,000 in 1906 for a gramophone (phonograph) concert. Today the hall is the London home of the [Royal Philharmonic Orchestra](https://www.britannica.com/topic/Royal-Philharmonic-Orchestra), and it is the [venue](https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/venue) of the annual “Proms” (Sir Henry Wood Promenade Concerts), sponsored by the [British Broadcasting Corporation](https://www.britannica.com/money/British-Broadcasting-Corporation).