Royal Albert Hall

The Royal Albert Hall stands in South Kensington, London, built as part of a cultural quarter proposed by Prince Albert and completed in 1871, nine years after his death, as a hall dedicated to the arts and sciences in his memory. Its distinctive elliptical amphitheatre form, capped by a shallow glazed dome and ringed by a terracotta frieze depicting the triumph of arts and sciences, used an iron and glass roof structure innovative for its time. The hall became internationally known for hosting the Proms, an annual summer season of classical music concerts founded in 1895, and its interior acoustics, originally troubled by a persistent echo, were later corrected by suspending large fiberglass acoustic diffusing discs from the ceiling. It remains one of London's most recognizable concert venues.