London's Village Hall
More than 350 events are held every year at Royal Albert Hall, a Grade I listed monument, which opened in 1871. A favourite of Londoners, it's known as "London's Village Hall", and can be hired by anyone. With a seating capacity today of 5,250, it is a magnificent arena, where 1,266 seats are still privately owned by 345 individuals, many of them descendants of those who purchased them on a 999-year lease in the original £100 subscription.
Chairs can be removed from the central arena space, to make London's largest dining room, or install a boxing ring or tennis court - John McEnroe, who has played here in many Masters tournaments sings its praises and it is the only permanent building used by the Cirque du Soleil.
As home the BBC Proms, the world's biggest concert series, it is known for its classical concerts, and most world maestros have performed here. When the Titanic went down in 1912 no fewer than seven orchestras performed together in a memorial concert conducted by, among others, Sir Edward Elgar.
Landmark Pop and Rock Occasions
• Since the 1960s it has been a venue for more popular music, too.
• The only time The Beatles and The Rolling Stones appeared together on the same bill was at the Royal Albert Hall in September 1963.
• In the bootleg album Live 1966 - The Royal Albert Hall, a folk fan in the audience shouts "Judas" at Bob Dylan when he breaks into electronic sounds. Dylan responds by calling the heckler "liar".
• Frank Albert Sinatra declared it is favourite venue, and used it on his comeback tours between 1971 and 1992, when would welcome audiences to "Francis Albert Hall".
• In 1983, after a decade of not speaking to each other Everley Brothers Don and Phil finally hugged and made up at two reunion concerts here.
• Eric Clapton made his comeback concert here in 1987: his last appearance here had been with Cream, at their farewell concert in 1968, and he subsequently performed annually, and in 2005 Cream came together here for the first time in 37 years
• Eric Clapton and Paul McCartney played a tribute concert here for George Harrison, and Paul McCartney gave a concert in memory of his wife, Linda.
• Andrew Lloyd Weber hired the Hall for his 50th birthday celebrations.
• Roger Daltrey of The Who is a regular, as patron of the Teenage Cancer Trust.
The Royal Albert Hall continues to be used for music of every kind, including opera and ballet. Other, more modern venues in the city, such as the O2 Arena, may get the big star crowds these days, but there is still nowhere quite like London's village hall.
