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118-608: The Albert Memorial , directly north of the Royal Albert Hall in Kensington Gardens , London , was commissioned by Queen Victoria in memory of her beloved husband Prince Albert , who died in 1861. Designed by Sir George Gilbert Scott in the Gothic Revival style, it takes the form of an ornate canopy or pavilion 176 feet (54 m) tall, in the style of a Gothic ciborium over the high altar of

236-477: A colour bar in place at the Hall, preventing black boxers from fighting there, between 1923 and 1932. Greats of British boxing such as Frank Bruno , Prince Naseem Hamed , Henry Cooper and Lennox Lewis have all appeared at the venue. The hall's storied boxing history was halted in 1999 when it lost its licence to hold boxing and wrestling matches after complaints from residents about noise levels. In 2011, after

354-499: A yin-yang emblem is placed among peaceful settings to encourage meditation and study of Taoist texts and principles. Taoists place less emphasis on formalized attendance but include ritualized worship than other Asian religions ; formal temples and structures of worship came about in Taoism with the influence from Buddhism . Frequent features of Taoist shrines include the same features as full temples, often including any or all of

472-539: A border that follows the oval curve of the building. Between 2002 and 2004, there was a major rebuilding of the great organ (known as the Voice of Jupiter), built by "Father" Henry Willis in 1871 and rebuilt by Harrison & Harrison in 1924 and 1933. The rebuilding was performed by Mander Organs , and it is now the second-largest pipe organ in the British Isles with 9,997 pipes in 147 stops. The largest

590-793: A church in Verona . The mosaics for each side and beneath the canopy of the Memorial were designed by Clayton and Bell and manufactured by the firm of Salviati of Murano, Venice. The memorial's canopy features several mosaics as external and internal decorative artworks. Each of the four external mosaics shows a central allegorical figure of the four arts ( poetry , painting , architecture and sculpture ), supported by two historical figures either side. The historical figures are: King David and Homer ( POESIS – poetry), Apelles and Raphael (painting), Solomon and Ictinus (architecture), and Phidias and Michelangelo (sculpture). Materials used in

708-458: A church, sheltering a statue of the prince facing south. It took over ten years to complete, the £120,000 cost (the equivalent of about £10,000,000 in 2010) met by public subscription. The memorial was opened in July 1872 by Queen Victoria, with the statue of Albert ceremonially "seated" in 1876. It has been Grade I listed since 1970. When Prince Albert died on 14 December 1861, at the age of 42,

826-517: A deity was placed and offered prayers, instead of visits to a temple. Among Tamil Hindu homes, according to Pintchman, a shrine in Kitchen is more common. If the family is wealthy, it may locate the household shrine in a separate room. The line between a temple and a shrine in Taoism is not fully defined; shrines are usually smaller versions of larger Taoist temples or small places in a home where

944-424: A four-week period in 2000 using steel supports allowing more space underneath for two new bars; 1,534 unique pivoting seats were laid – with an addition of 180 prime seats. The Choirs were rebuilt at the same time. The whole building was redecorated in a style that reinforces its Victorian identity. 43,000 sq ft (4,000 m ) of new carpets were laid in the rooms, stairs, and corridors – specially woven with

1062-488: A landmark. In 1949, the canvas awning was removed and replaced with fluted aluminium panels below the glass roof, in a new attempt to cure the echo; but the acoustics were not properly tackled until 1969 when large fibreglass acoustic diffusing discs (commonly referred to as "mushrooms" or "flying saucers") were installed below the ceiling. In 1968, the Hall hosted the Eurovision Song Contest 1968 which

1180-497: A legal battle, the licence to host boxing and wrestling events was restored and boxing events resumed in 2012, taking place regularly until 2021. In 2019 Nicola Adams won the WBO Flyweight title which was the first fight for a world title at the venue since Marco Antonio Barrera took on Paul Lloyd in 1999. One notable event was a Pink Floyd concert held on 26 June 1969, the night they were banned from ever playing at

1298-600: A local diocesan bishop or archbishop can designate a local (arch)diocesan shrine. For a shrine to be a national shrine , the approval of the country's Episcopal Conference is required. Similarly, the approval of the Holy See at the Vatican in Rome is required for it to be "international. The Roman Catholic 1983 Code of Canon Law , canons 1230 and 1231 read: "The term shrine means a church or other sacred place which, with

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1416-515: A meeting on 14 January 1862, appointed a committee to raise funds for a design to be approved by the Queen. The control and future course of the project, though, moved away from Mansion House , and ended up being controlled by people close to the Queen, rather than the Mayor. Those who determined the overall direction from that point on were the Queen's secretary, General Charles Grey , and the keeper of

1534-609: A memorial was proposed for Hyde Park, with a Great Hall opposite. The proposal was approved, and the site was purchased with some of the profits from the Exhibition. The Hall was designed by civil engineers Captain Francis Fowke and Major-General Henry Y. D. Scott of the Royal Engineers and built by Lucas Brothers . The designers were heavily influenced by ancient amphitheatres but had also been exposed to

1652-457: A new Café Bar on the ground floor, a new Box Office with shop counters and additional toilets. The design and construction were carried out by contractor 8Build. Upon opening it was renamed 'The Zvi and Ofra Meitar Porch and Foyer.' owing to a large donation from the couple. In Autumn 2013, work began on replacing the Victorian steam heating system over three years and improving cooling across

1770-574: A new south porch, named The Meitar Foyer after a significant donation from Mr & Mrs Meitar. The porch was built on a similar scale and style to the three pre-existing porches at Door 3, 6 and 9: these works were undertaken by Taylor Woodrow Construction. On 4 June 2004, the project received the Europa Nostra Award for remarkable achievement. The East (Door 3) and West (Door 9) porches were glazed and new bars opened along with ramps to improve disabled access. The Stalls were rebuilt in

1888-451: A niche or grotto ; this type is colloquially referred to as a bathtub madonna . Religious images, usually in some sort of small shelter, placed by a road or pathway, sometimes in a settlement or at a crossroads. Shrines are found in many religions. As distinguished from a temple , a shrine usually houses a particular relic or cult image , which is the object of worship or veneration . A shrine may also be constructed to set apart

2006-685: A popular destination for pious visitation is the Zaouia Moulay Idriss II . The area around Timbuktu in Mali also has many historic Sufi shrines which were destroyed by Islamist in recent years. Many of these have since been rebuilt. A saint's tomb is a site of great veneration where blessings or baraka continue to reach the deceased holy person and are deemed (by some) to benefit visiting devotees and pilgrims according to Sufi beliefs. In order to show reverence to Sufi saints, kings, and nobles provided large donations or waqf to preserve

2124-629: A second period, finally reopening to full capacity in July 2021. On 11 November 2023, before the Festival of Remembrance , King Charles III and Queen Camilla unveiled two bronze statues of Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh , as part of the Hall's 150th anniversary. The Hall, a Grade I listed building , is an ellipse in plan, with its external major and minor axes of 272 and 236 feet (83 and 72 meters), and its internal minor and major axis of 185 and 219 feet (56 and 67 m). The great glass and wrought-iron dome roofing

2242-512: A series of events at other venues across the United Kingdom. In 2009, the total number of concerts reached 100 for the first time. Jiří Bělohlávek described The Proms as "the world's largest and most democratic musical festival" of all such events in the world of classical music festivals. Proms (short for promenade concerts ) is a term which arose from the original practice of the audience promenading, or strolling, in some areas during

2360-432: A shrine can commonly be found within the home or shop. This shrine is usually a small structure or a setup of pictures and figurines dedicated to a deity that is part of the official religion, to ancestors or to a localised household deity . Small outdoor yard shrines are found at the bottom of many peoples' gardens, following various religions, including historically, Balinese Hinduism , Christianity . Many consist of

2478-605: A similar way to shrines by parishioners. Side altars are specifically dedicated to the Blessed Virgin Mary, mother of Jesus, to her husband Saint Joseph , or to other saints. A nativity scene could also be viewed as a shrine, as the definition of a shrine is any holy or sacred place. Islam's holiest structure, the Kaaba (within the Al-Haram Mosque ) in the city of Mecca , though an ancient temple (in

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2596-491: A site which is thought to be particularly holy, as opposed to being placed for the convenience of worshipers. Shrines therefore attract the practice of pilgrimage . Shrines are found in many forms of Christianity, but not all. Catholicism , the largest denomination of Christianity, has many shrines, as do Orthodox Christianity , Anglicanism and some forms of Lutheranism . In the Roman Catholic Church,

2714-514: A statue of Christ , Virgin Mary or a saint , on a pedestal or in an alcove, while others may be elaborate booths without ceilings, some include paintings, statuary, and architectural elements, such as walls, roofs, glass doors and ironwork fences. In the United States, some Christians have small yard shrines; some of these resemble side altars, since they are composed of a statue placed in

2832-435: A target for Zeppelin bombing raids or domestic anti-German sentiment. English Heritage 's research prior to the restoration suggests that the black coating pre-dates 1914 and may have been a response to atmospheric pollution that had destroyed the original gold leaf surface. Further restoration work, including re-pointing the steps surrounding the memorial, commenced in the summer of 2006. Public afternoon tours are held on

2950-580: A venue he dubbed a 'helluva hall'), and Eric Clapton (who has played the venue over 200 times), among others, who were viewed as "key players" in the building's history. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic , restrictions meant the Hall was closed in March 2020 for the first time since the Second World War. During winter 2020 it reopened for three socially distanced performances but was then closed for

3068-455: Is a matter of consensus." Similarly, Ibn Qudamah (d. 620 AH) considered ziyāra of Muhammad to be recommended and also seeking intercession directly from Muhammad at his grave. The tombs of other Muslim religious figures are also respected. The son of Ahmad ibn Hanbal , one of the primary jurists of Sunnism, reportedly stated that he would prefer to be buried near the mausoleum of a saintly person than his own father. While in some parts of

3186-406: Is considered to be annexed to the virtue of temperance. Above these, towards the top of the tower, are gilded angels raising their arms heavenwards. At the very top of the tower is a gold cross. Below the Memorial is a large undercroft , consisting of numerous brick arches, which serves as the foundation that supports the large weight of the stone and metal used to build the monument. The memorial

3304-609: Is focused on Lord Buddha or one of the bodhisattvas or arahants . Monks, nuns and laity will pay homage with the aide of Buddhist iconography at these shrines which are also used for Buddhist meditation . Typically, Buddhist shrines contain a statue of either Gautama Buddha, or (in the Mahayana and Vajrayana forms of Buddhism), one of the various Buddhas or bodhisattvas. They also commonly contain candles, along with offerings such as flowers, purified water, food, and incense. Many shrines also contain sacred relics , such as

3422-597: Is one of the ugliest positions that has been reported of Ibn Taymiyya". The Hanafi hadith scholar Ali al-Qari stated that, "Amongst the Hanbalis, Ibn Taymiyya has gone to an extreme by prohibiting travelling to visit the Prophet – may God bless him and grant him peace" Qastallani stated that "The Shaykh Taqi al-Din Ibn Taymiyya has abominable and odd statements on this issue to the effect that travelling to visit

3540-651: Is the Grand Organ in Liverpool Cathedral which has 10,268 pipes. During the first half of 2011, changes were made to the backstage areas to relocate and increase the size of crew catering areas under the South Steps away from the stage and create additional dressing rooms nearer to the stage. From January to May 2013, the Box Office area at Door 12 underwent further modernisation to include

3658-466: Is the venue for the BBC Proms concerts, which have been held there every summer since 1941. It is host to more than 390 shows in the main auditorium annually, including classical, rock and pop concerts, ballet, opera, film screenings with live orchestral accompaniment, sports, awards ceremonies, school and community events, and charity performances and banquets. A further 400 events are held each year in

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3776-1196: Is to visit or make pilgrimages to the tombs of saints, renowned scholars, and righteous people. This is a particularly common practice in the Indian subcontinent , where famous tombs include of saints such as Sayyid Ali Hamadani in Kulob , Tajikistan; Afāq Khoja , near Kashgar , China; Lal Shahbaz Qalandar in Sindh ; Ali Hujwiri in Lahore , Pakistan; Bahauddin Zakariya in Multan Pakistan; Moinuddin Chishti in Ajmer , India; Nizamuddin Auliya in Delhi , India; and Shah Jalal in Sylhet , Bangladesh. Likewise, in Fez , Morocco,

3894-540: Is usually placed in the main shrine. Confucian shrines exist outside of China too, mainly in Japan, Korea and Vietnam. There are also quite a number of Confucian shrines in Taiwan like Tainan Confucian Temple and Taipei Confucius Temple , they are well-maintained by the government. However, many Taoist temples dedicated a shrine for the worship of Confucius or Wen Chang Di Jun (God of Literature). In some countries around

4012-749: The Al-Askari Shrine , and Imam Hussein Shrine . Other Shia shrines are located in the eponymous cities of Mazar-e Sharif ("The Noble Mausoleum ") in Afghanistan , and Mashhad ( al-Rida ) (" Martyrium [of Ali Rida ]") in Iran. The Mausoleum of Ruhollah Khomeini in Tehran houses the tombs of Ruhollah Khomenei , the leader of Iran's 1978–79 revolution , his wife , and a few other related people. In popular Sufism , one common practice

4130-619: The Central Hall of Arts and Sciences , but the name was changed to the Royal Albert Hall of Arts and Sciences by Queen Victoria upon laying the Hall's foundation stone in 1867, in memory of her husband, Prince Albert , who had died six years earlier. It forms the practical part of a memorial to the Prince Consort; the decorative part is the Albert Memorial directly to the north in Kensington Gardens , now separated from

4248-498: The Disciples of Confucius . These temples are known as "Temples of Confucius" (孔廟) or "Temples of Literature" (文廟). Unlike Taoist temples, Confucian temples usually do not installed the images of Confucius but the tablets. It is argued that the temple was to honour Confucius's teachings, not Confucius himself. The temples consist of gardens and then a large pavilion where incense is burnt. The tablet or sometime an image of Confucius

4366-807: The Dome of the Rock and the smaller Dome of the Chain built on the Temple Mount in Jerusalem . The former was built over the rock that marked the site of the Jewish Temple and according to Islamic tradition, was the point of departure of Muhammad's legendary ascent heavenwards ( al-Mi'raj ). More than any other shrines in the Muslim world, the tomb of Muhammad is considered a source of blessings for

4484-594: The Queen's Hall in an air raid , the Hall was chosen as the new venue for the Proms. In 1944 with increased danger to the Hall, part of the Proms season was held in the Bedford Corn Exchange . Following the end of World War II the Proms continued being held in the Hall and have done so annually every summer since. The event was founded in 1895, and now each season consists of over 70 concerts, in addition to

4602-519: The Royal Academy , including Thomas Thornycroft (carved the "Commerce" group), Patrick MacDowell (carved the "Europe" group, his last major work), John Bell (carved the "America" group), John Henry Foley (carved the "Asia" group and started the statue of Albert), William Theed (carved the "Africa" group), William Calder Marshall , James Redfern (carved the four Christian and four moral virtues including Fortitude ), John Lawlor (carved

4720-543: The Second Vatican Council they contained small side altars or bye-altars. Shrines are always centered on some image (for instance, a statue, painting, mural or mosaic) of Jesus Christ , of Mary, mother of Jesus , or of a saint, and may have had a reredos behind them. Today, Mass would not necessarily be celebrated at them. They are simply used to aid or give a visual focus for prayers. Side altars, where Mass could actually be celebrated, were used in

4838-643: The Wahhabi and Salafi movements, which believe that shrines over graves encourage idolatry / polytheism ( shirk ) and that there is a risk of worshipping other than God (the dead). The founder of the Wahhabi movement, Muhammad ibn Abd al-Wahhab derived the prohibition to build mosques over graves from a hadith attributed to the Muhammad in which he said "May God curse the Jews and Christians who make

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4956-436: The "Engineering" group) and Henry Weekes (carved the "Manufactures" group). The Scottish sculptor William Calder Marshall carved the "Agriculture" group. The figure of Albert himself, although begun by Foley, was completed by Thomas Brock , in what was Brock's first major work. Armstead created some 80 of the figure sculptures on the southern and eastern sides of the memorial's podium. The north and west sides were carved by

5074-597: The 'Einstein Meeting' at the hall for the Council for Assisting Refugee Academics, a British charity. In 1936, the Hall was the scene of a giant rally celebrating the British Empire on the occasion of the centenary of Joseph Chamberlain 's birth. In October 1942, the Hall suffered minor damage during World War II bombing, but in general was left mostly untouched as German pilots used the distinctive structure as

5192-648: The Hall again after shooting cannons, nailing things to the stage, and having a man in a gorilla suit roam the audience. At one point, Rick Wright went to the pipe organ and began to play "The End of the Beginning", the final part of "Saucerful of Secrets", joined by the brass section of the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra (led by the conductor, Norman Smith) and the ladies of the Ealing Central Amateur Choir. A portion of

5310-614: The Hall by Kensington Gore . In 1851 the Great Exhibition , organised by Prince Albert, the Prince Consort , was held in Hyde Park , London. The Exhibition was a success and led Prince Albert to propose the creation of a group of permanent facilities for the public benefit, which came to be known as Albertopolis . The Exhibition's Royal Commission bought Gore House , but it was slow to act, and in 1861 Prince Albert died without having seen his ideas come to fruition. However,

5428-430: The Hall contained a special system by which thousands of gas jets were lit within ten seconds. Though it was demonstrated as early as 1873 in the Hall, full electric lighting was not installed until 1888. During an early trial when a partial installation was made, one disgruntled patron wrote to The Times , declaring it to be "a very ghastly and unpleasant innovation". In May 1877, Richard Wagner himself conducted

5546-542: The Hall hosted the 100th-anniversary performance of the Royal Variety Performance , attended by Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh , with boy-band One Direction among the performers. The Royal Variety Performance has since returned to the Hall in 2015 and every year since 2021. In 2017 the Hall hosted the 70th British Academy Film Awards , often referred to as the BAFTAs , for

5664-499: The Hall hosted the annual National Television Awards all of which were hosted by Sir Trevor McDonald , and the Classic Brit Awards were hosted annually at the Hall from 2000 to 2013, and again in 2018. The Institute of Directors ' Annual Convention was synonymous with the Hall for over 50 years, taking place most years between 1961 and 2016. The Royal Choral Society is the longest-running regular performance at

5782-473: The Hall is 135 ft (41 m) high. The Hall was originally designed with a capacity for 8,000 people and has accommodated as many as 12,000 (although present-day safety restrictions mean the maximum permitted capacity is now 5,272 including standing in the Gallery). Around the outside of the building is 800-foot–long terracotta mosaic frieze, depicting "The Triumph of Arts and Sciences", in reference to

5900-570: The Hall on 4 August 1874, after large quantities of cask wine were found in the cellars. A series of lunches were held to publicise the wines, and General Henry Scott proposed a co-operative company to buy and sell wines. In 1906, Elsie Fogerty founded the Central School of Speech and Drama at the Hall, using its West Theatre, now the Elgar Room, as the school's theatre. The school moved to Swiss Cottage in north London in 1957. Whilst

6018-515: The Hall staged the 25th-anniversary performance of Andrew Lloyd Webber 's The Phantom of the Opera , which was broadcast live to cinemas across the world and filmed for DVD . Lloyd Webber, the original London cast including Sarah Brightman and Michael Crawford , and four previous actors of the titular character, among others, were in attendance – Brightman and the previous Phantoms (aside from Crawford) performed an encore. On 19 November 2012,

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6136-442: The Hall was that it reminded her of the British constitution ". The composer, organist, and choir conductor William Carter founded and directed a choir specifically for the opening of Royal Albert Hall. In the concert that followed, the Hall's acoustic problems immediately became apparent. Engineers first tried to remove the strong echo by suspending a canvas awning below the dome. This helped and also sheltered concert-goers from

6254-427: The Hall's dedication. Proceeding counter-clockwise from the north side the sixteen subjects of the frieze are: Above the frieze is an inscription in 12-inch-high (30 cm) terracotta letters that combine historical fact and Biblical quotations: This hall was erected for the advancement of the arts and sciences and works of industry of all nations in fulfilment of the intention of Albert Prince Consort. The site

6372-407: The Hall, having given its first performance as the Royal Albert Hall Choral Society on 8 May 1872. From 1876, it established the annual Good Friday performance of Handel's Messiah . The BBC Sir Henry Wood Promenade Concerts, known as " The Proms ", is a popular annual eight-week summer season of daily classical music concerts and other events at the Hall. In 1941, following the destruction of

6490-447: The Hall, whilst since the early 1970s promoter Raymond Gubbay has brought a range of events to the Hall including opera, ballet and classical music. Some events include classical and rock concerts, conferences, banquets, ballroom dancing, poetry recitals, educational talks, motor shows, ballet, opera, film screenings and circus shows. It has hosted many sporting events, including boxing, squash, table tennis, basketball, wrestling including

6608-418: The Kaaba in Islamic tradition. The Green Dome sepulcher of the Islamic prophet Muhammad (where his burial chamber also contains the tombs of his friend Abu Bakr and close companion Umar ) in Medina , housed in the Masjid an-Nabawi ("The Mosque of the Prophet"), occurs as a greatly venerated place and important as a site of pilgrimage among Muslims. Two of the oldest and notable Islamic shrines are

6726-420: The Muslim world the mausoleums of the tombs are seen as simply places of ziyāra of a religious figure's gravesite ( Mazār / Maqbara ), in others (such as the Indian subcontinent ) they are treated as proper shrines ( Dargah ). Many modern Islamic reformers oppose the building (and sometimes the visitation of ) tomb shrines, viewing it as a deviation from true Islam. This mainly includes followers of

6844-692: The Philippines. They were either small roof-less platforms or standing poles split at the tip (similar to a tiki torch ). They held halved coconut shells, metal plates, or martaban jars as receptacles for offerings. Taotao may sometimes also be placed on these platforms. Other types of sacred places or objects of worship of diwata include the material manifestation of their realms. The most widely venerated were balete trees (also called nonok , nunuk , nonoc , etc.) and anthills or termite mounds ( punso ). Other examples include mountains, waterfalls, tree groves, reefs, and caves. In Germanic paganism , types of shrines were employed, but terms for

6962-435: The Prophet is prohibited and is not a pious deed." Shias have several mazars dedicated to various religious figures important in their history, and several elaborate shrines ( Marqad / Maqam ) are dedicated to Shia religious figures, most notably in Iraq (such as in the cities of Karbala , Najaf , Samarra ) and in Iran (such as in the cities of Qom and Mashad ). Specific examples of Shia shrines include

7080-427: The Queen visited a few weeks beforehand to inspect. The official opening ceremony of the Hall was on 29 March 1871. This had originally been scheduled for 1 May, the twentieth anniversary of the opening of the Great Exhibition, but was brought forward at the request of Queen Victoria. A welcoming speech was given by Edward, the Prince of Wales because the Queen was too overcome to speak; "her only recorded comment on

7198-415: The RAH: Saltimbanco (1996, 1997 and 2003), Alegría (1998, 1999, 2006 and 2007), Dralion (2004 and 2005), Varekai (2008 and 2010), Quidam (2009 and 2014), Totem (2011, 2012 and 2019), Koozå (2013 and 2015), Amaluna (2016 and 2017), OVO (2018), Luzia (2020 and 2022), Kurios (2023), Alegría: In a New Light (2024) and Corteo (2025). Alegria's 2024 return was a revamped and updated version of

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7316-518: The approval of the local Ordinary, is by reason of special devotion frequented by the faithful as pilgrims. For a shrine to be described as national, the approval of the Episcopal Conference is necessary. For it to be described as international, the approval of the Holy See is required." In unofficial, colloquial Catholic use, the term "shrine" is a niche or alcove in churches, especially larger ones, used by parishioners when praying privately. They were formerly also called devotional altars , since before

7434-428: The architecture and engineering firm BDP without disrupting events. These projects included improved ventilation to the auditorium, more bars and restaurants, improved seating, better technical facilities, and improved backstage areas. Internally, the Circle seating was rebuilt during June 1996 to provide more legroom, better access, and improved sightlines. The largest project of the ongoing renovation and development

7552-404: The building. This work followed the summer Proms season during which temperatures were unusually high. Further heatwaves led to a rebuild of the Rausing Circle level in 2021 with air-cooling ventilation installed, significantly decreasing heat there during hot weather. In 2017 work began on a two-story 11,000-square-foot (1,000 m ) basement extension for use as backstage and archival space to

7670-520: The canopy feature eight statues representing the practical arts and sciences: Astronomy , Geology , Chemistry , Geometry (on the four pillars) and Rhetoric , Medicine , Philosophy and Physiology (in the four niches). Near the top of the canopy's tower are eight statues of the moral and Christian virtues, including the four cardinal virtues and the three theological virtues . The virtues are: Faith , Hope , Charity and Humility , and Fortitude , Prudence , Justice and Temperance . Humility

7788-443: The concert. Proms concert-goers, particularly those who stand, are sometimes described as "Promenaders", but are most commonly referred to as "Prommers". Cirque du Soleil has performed annually, with a show being staged at the start of most years since 1996. Cirque has had to adapt many of their touring shows to perform at the venue, modifying the set, usually built for arenas or big top tents instead. The following shows have played

7906-427: The context known to foreign cultures. However, they do have sacred shrines , which are also called as spirit houses . They can range in size from small roofed platforms, to structures similar to a small house (but with no walls), to shrines that look similar to pagodas, especially in the south where early mosques were also modeled in the same way. These shrines were known in various indigenous terms, which depend on

8024-413: The corners of the central area, and at the corners of the outer area, there are two programmes of allegorical sculpture , or at least sculptures of personifications : four groups depicting Victorian industrial arts and sciences ( agriculture , commerce , engineering and manufacturing ), and four more groups representing the traditional four continents : Africa , the Americas , Asia and Europe at

8142-462: The earth is Thine. The wise and their works are in the hand of God. Glory be to God on high and on earth peace. Below the Arena floor there is room for two 4,000 gallon water tanks, which are used for shows that flood the arena like Madame Butterfly . The Hall has been affectionately titled "The Nation's Village Hall". The first concert was Arthur Sullivan 's cantata On Shore and Sea , performed on 1 May 1871. Many events are promoted by

8260-465: The ethnic group association. They can also be used as places to store taotao and caskets of ancestors. Among Bicolanos, taotao were also kept inside sacred caves called moog . During certain ceremonies, anito are venerated through temporary altars near sacred places. These were called latangan or lantayan in Visayan and dambana or lambana in Tagalog. These bamboo or rattan altars are identical in basic construction throughout most of

8378-449: The famous sacred tooth of Lord Buddha installed at a shrine in Sri Lanka . Site-specific shrines in Buddhism, particularly those that contain relics of past Buddhas and revered enlightened monks, are often designed in the traditional form known as the Stupa or Cetiya . Ancient Filipinos, and Filipinos today who continue to adhere to the indigenous Philippine folk religions generally do not have so-called "temples" of worship under

8496-709: The figure of Prince Albert enclosed within a Gothic ciborium , and the similarities of design have been remarked on. (The earliest memorial to be erected was the Prince Albert Memorial in Swanage , in 1862, in the form of an obelisk.) There is some controversy as to whether the memorial in Manchester was influenced by the publication of Scott's design, or whether Scott was himself inspired by Worthington's design, or whether both architects decided on their canopy designs independently. Worthington's design

8614-538: The finished monument. A central female figure holds an hourglass , symbolising the critical nature of time to industry, while an ironworker stands at his anvil and a potter and weaver offer their wares. On 23rd of March, 1958, Spike Milligan included the Albert Memorial as part of his Goon Show episode 'The First Albert Memorial to the Moon'! The statue of Prince Albert was removed to a place of safety before

8732-581: The first sumo wrestling tournament to be held in London as well as UFC 38 (the first UFC event to be held in the UK), tennis, and even a marathon. Tennis was first played at the Hall in March 1970, and the ATP Champions Tour Masters was played annually from 1997 to 2021. The hall first hosted boxing in 1918, when it hosted a tournament between British and American servicemen. There was

8850-458: The first Sunday each month allowing visitors a closer look at the Frieze of Parnassus. Royal Albert Hall The Royal Albert Hall is a concert hall on the northern edge of South Kensington , London , England. It has a seating capacity of 5,272. Since the hall's opening by Queen Victoria in 1871, the world's leading artists from many performance genres have appeared on its stage. It

8968-476: The first half of each of the eight concerts which made up the Grand Wagner Festival. After his turn with the baton, he handed it over to conductor Hans Richter and sat in a large armchair on the corner of the stage for the rest of each concert. Wagner's wife Cosima , the daughter of Hungarian virtuoso pianist and composer Franz Liszt , was among the audience. The Wine Society was founded at

9086-582: The first music DVD to surpass sales of one million in the USA since Eagles ' Farewell 1 Tour-Live from Melbourne in 2005 ( Garth Brooks ' The Ultimate Hits sold one million copies in 2007, but was a CD/DVD combination). The live version of " Set Fire to the Rain " taken from her performance won the Grammy Award for Best Pop Solo Performance at the 55th Annual Grammy Awards in 2013. On 2 October 2011,

9204-708: The first time in 20 years, replacing the Royal Opera House at which the event had been held since 2008. The BAFTAs were held regularly at the venue until moving to the Royal Festival Hall in 2023. The Olivier Awards also moved to the Albert Hall in 2017 and remain there as of 2024. Former regular events include Classical Spectacular , a Raymond Gubbay production, which performed at the Hall from 1989 to 2022. It combined popular classical music, lights and special effects. Between 1996 and 2008,

9322-514: The following features: gardens , running water or fountains, small burning braziers or candles (with or without incense ), and copies of Taoist texts such as the Tao Te Ching , Zhuangzi or other texts by Lao Tzu , Chuang Tzu or other Taoist sages. A number of Confucian temples and shrines exist across the sinophone world, it is a temple for the veneration of Confucius , great sages , eminent philosophers of Confucianism and also

9440-551: The four corners, each continent-group including several ethnographic figures and a large animal: A camel for Africa, a bison for the Americas, an elephant for Asia and a bull for Europe. These groups represent something of a blend of traditional iconography for the continents personified, and an attempt to update them. The form of the monument "is clearly derived" from the Gothic Scaliger Tombs outside

9558-598: The government over the costs of the memorial, Scott's design was formally approved in April 1863. The popularity of the Prince Consort led to the creation of several "Albert Memorials" around the United Kingdom. The Kensington memorial was not the earliest; the first memorial depicting the Prince to be erected was Thomas Worthington 's Albert Memorial in Albert Square, Manchester , unveiled in 1865. Both memorials present

9676-416: The graves of their prophets into places of worship; do not imitate them." Additionally, he commanded leveling of the graves ( taswiyat al-qubur ), which the scholar Imam Al-Shafi'i supported. The Wahhabi movement was heavily influenced by the works of the medieval Hanbali theologian Ibn Taymiyyah who was considered by them to be the "ultimate authority on a great number of issues". One of these issues

9794-550: The ideas of Gottfried Semper while he was working at the South Kensington Museum . The recently opened Cirque d'Hiver in Paris was seen in the contemporary press as the design to outdo. The Hall was constructed mainly of Fareham Red brick, with terra cotta block decoration made by Gibbs and Canning of Tamworth . The dome (designed by Rowland Mason Ordish ) was made of wrought iron and glazed. There

9912-674: The memorial opened. Albert is shown looking south, towards the Royal Albert Hall . He is robed as a Knight of the Garter , and holds a catalogue of the Great Exhibition , which was located nearby in Hyde Park. The central part of the memorial is surrounded by the elaborate sculptural Frieze of Parnassus (named after Mount Parnassus , the favorite resting place for the Greek muses), which depicts 169 individual composers, architects, poets, painters, and sculptors. Musicians and poets were placed on

10030-480: The mosaics include enamel , polished stone, agate , onyx , jasper , cornelian , crystal , marble , and granite . Around the canopy, below its cornice, is a dedicatory legend split into four parts, one for each side. The legend reads: Queen Victoria And Her People • To The Memory Of Albert Prince Consort • As A Tribute Of Their Gratitude • For A Life Devoted to the Public Good . The pillars and niches of

10148-429: The non-auditorium spaces. Over its 153-year history, the hall has hosted people from various fields, including meetings held by suffragettes , speeches from Winston Churchill , Charles de Gaulle , and Albert Einstein , fights by Lennox Lewis , exhibition bouts by Muhammad Ali , and concerts from regular performers at the venue such as Eric Clapton and Shirley Bassey . The hall was originally to have been called

10266-484: The original, titled Alegria: In a New Light . Classic FM hold a popular concert twice a year with a regularly changing lineup. The concert in September 2013 had to be cancelled due to a fire alert in the Hall's basement leading to an evacuation of the building The Royal British Legion Festival of Remembrance is held annually the day before Remembrance Sunday . Shrine Shrines are found in many of

10384-528: The pipe organ recording is included on Pink Floyd's album The Endless River . In 1983, Siouxsie and the Banshees performed two sold out concerts at the hall at the time their line up featured the Cure 's guitarist Robert Smith . The shows were recorded and filmed for the live album and DVD Nocturne . On 22 September 2011, Adele performed a one-night-only concert as part of her tour . The concert

10502-489: The practice of ziyāra to Muhammad's tomb. The hadith scholar Qadi Ayyad (d. 554 AH) stated that visiting Muhammad was "a Sunna of the Muslims on which there was consensus, and a good and desirable deed." Ibn Hajar al-Asqalani (d. 852 AH) explicitly stated that travelling to visit the tomb of Muhammad was "one of the best of actions and the noblest of pious deeds with which one draws near to God, and its legitimacy

10620-437: The privy purse , Sir Charles Phipps . His assistant Doyne Bell was secretary of the committee and later published The National Memorial to His Royal Highness the Prince Consort (1873). Following the deaths of Grey and Phipps, their roles were taken on by Sir Henry Ponsonby and Sir Thomas Biddulph. Eventually, a four-man steering committee was established, led by Sir Charles Lock Eastlake . Eastlake had overall control for

10738-565: The project until his death in 1865. An initial proposal for an obelisk memorial failed, and this was followed in May 1862 by the appointment of a seven-strong committee of architects. A range of designs were submitted and examined. Two of the designs (those by Philip Charles Hardwick and George Gilbert Scott ) were passed to the Queen in February 1863 for a final decision to be made. Two months later, after lengthy deliberations and negotiations with

10856-455: The rest of the memorial was transformed into a spaceship. By the late 1990s the Memorial had fallen into a state of some decay. A thorough restoration was led by Peter Inskip + Peter Jenkins Architects and the works were carried were out by Mowlem. These included cleaning, repainting, re-gilding the monument and structural repairs. In the process the cross on top of the monument, which had been put on sideways during an earlier restoration attempt,

10974-560: The resting places for the respective remains of the two central figures of the Baháʼí Faith, the Báb and Bahá'u'lláh . They are the focal points of a Baháʼí pilgrimage : Other sites have been designated as Baháʼí Shrines, the most notable being the home of William Sutherland Maxwell and May Maxwell in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. In Buddhism , a shrine refers to a place where veneration

11092-740: The school was based at the Royal Albert Hall, students who graduated from its classes included Judi Dench , Vanessa Redgrave , Lynn Redgrave , Harold Pinter , Laurence Olivier and Peggy Ashcroft . In 1911, Russian pianist and composer Sergei Rachmaninoff performed as a part of the London Ballad Concert. The recital included his ' Prelude in C-sharp minor ' and 'Elegie in E-flat minor' (both from Morceaux de Fantaisie ). In 1933, German physicist Albert Einstein led

11210-422: The sculptor John Birnie Philip . Armstead also sculpted the bronze statues representing Astronomy , Chemistry , Rhetoric , and Medicine . Henry Weekes carved the allegorical work Manufactures (1864–70). Although Weekes was not on Queen Victoria's original list of sculptors, being selected to work on the project only after John Gibson declined to participate, his group occupies the preferable south side of

11328-405: The seated figure of Prince Albert for the memorial was initially given to Baron Carlo Marochetti , a favourite sculptor of Queen Victoria. However, his first version was rejected by the architect of the monument, Sir George Gilbert Scott, and Marochetti died in late 1867, before a satisfactory second version could be completed. In May 1868, John Henry Foley , sculptor of the monument's Asia group,

11446-576: The sense of a "house of God"), may be seen as a shrine due to it housing a respected relic called the Hajar al-Aswad and also being the partial focus of the world's largest pilgrimage practice, the Hajj . A few yards away, the mosque also houses the Maqam Ibrahim (" Abraham 's station") shrine containing a petrosomatoglyph (of feet) associated with the patriarch and his son Ishmael 's building of

11564-399: The shrines show some level of ambiguity: In Hinduism , a shrine is a place where gods or goddesses are worshipped. Shrines are typically located inside a Hindu temple of various forms. Most Hindu families have a household shrine as well. For example, according to memoirs of Stephen Huyler of his visits to some Hindu homes, a part of home was dedicated to the household shrine. Here, image of

11682-405: The south side, painters on the east side, sculptors on the west side, and architects on the north side. Henry Hugh Armstead carved the figures on the south and east side, the painters, musicians and poets (80 in total), and grouped them by national schools. John Birnie Philip carved the figures on the west and north side, the sculptors and architects, and arranged them in chronological order. At

11800-662: The south-west quadrant of the building. The project is nicknamed the "Great Excavation", in reference to the Great Exhibition of 1851. A new archive space opened in the extension on 12 October 2023. In 2018 a Walk of Fame was unveiled at the Hall, with the first eleven recipients of a star including the Suffragettes (who held meetings at the Hall), Winston Churchill and Albert Einstein (both of whom delivered speeches here), Muhammad Ali (who had exhibition events at

11918-433: The sun, but the problem was not solved: it used to be jokingly said the Hall was "the only place where a British composer could be sure of hearing his work twice". In July 1871, French organist Camille Saint-Saëns performed Church Scene from Faust by Charles Gounod ; The Orchestra described his performance as "an exceptional and distinguished performer ... the effect was most marvellous." Initially lit by gas ,

12036-694: The temples designed specifically for worship, such as a church in Christianity, or a mandir in Hinduism. A shrine here is usually the center of attention in the building and is given a place of prominence. In such cases, adherents of the faith assemble within the building in order to venerate the deity at the shrine. In classical temple architecture, the shrine may be synonymous with the cella . Historically, in Hinduism , Buddhism and Roman Catholicism , and also in modern faiths, such as Neopaganism ,

12154-462: The thoughts of those in government and public life turned to the form and shape of a suitable memorial, with several possibilities, such as establishing a university or international scholarships, being mentioned. Queen Victoria , however, soon made it clear that she desired a memorial "in the common sense of the word". The initiative was taken by the Lord Mayor of London, William Cubitt , who, at

12272-473: The tombs and renovate them architecturally. Over time, these donation, rituals, annual commemorations formed into an elaborate system of accepted norms. These forms of Sufi practise created an aura of spiritual and religious traditions around prescribed dates. Many orthodox or Islamic purists denounce these visiting grave rituals, especially the expectation of receiving blessings from the venerated saints. The two most well-known Baháʼí Faith shrines serve as

12390-446: The visitor. Among sayings attributed to Muhammad include one stated as: "He who visits my grave will be entitled to my intercession." Visiting Muhammad's tomb after the pilgrimage is considered by the majority of Sunni legal scholars to be recommended. The early scholars of the salaf , Ahmad Ibn Hanbal (d. 241 AH), Ishaq Ibn Rahwayh (d. 238 SH), Abdullah ibn Mubarak (d. 189 AH) and Imam Shafi'i (d. 204 AH) all permitted

12508-455: The world's religions, including Christianity, Islam, Hinduism, Buddhism, Chinese folk religion , Shinto , indigenous Philippine folk religions , and Germanic paganism as well as in secular and non-religious settings such as a war memorial. Shrines can be found in various settings, such as churches, temples, cemeteries, or as household shrines. Portable shrines are also found in some cultures. Many shrines are located within buildings and in

12626-445: The world, landmarks may be called "historic shrines." Notable shrines of this type include: Halls of fame also serve as shrines into which single or multiple individuals are inducted on the basis of their influence upon regions, cultures or disciplines. Busts or full-body statues are often erected and placed alongside each other in commemoration. This includes Halls of Fame that honor sports athletes, where an athlete's entrance to

12744-504: Was a trial assembly of the dome's iron framework in Manchester ; then it was taken apart again and transported to London by horse and cart. When the time came for the supporting structure to be removed from the dome after reassembly in situ , only volunteers remained on site in case the structure collapsed. It did drop – but only by five-sixteenths of an inch (7.9 mm). The Hall was scheduled to be completed by Christmas Day 1870, and

12862-597: Was broadcast on television live in colour for the first time, and from 1969 to 1988 the Miss World contest was staged in the venue. From 1996 until 2004, the Hall underwent a programme of renovation and development supported by a £20 million grant from the Heritage Lottery Fund and £20m from Arts Council England to enable it to meet the demands of the next century of events and performances. Thirty "discreet projects" were designed and supervised by

12980-509: Was commissioned to make the portrait, and his sketch model approved in December of that year. A full-sized model was placed on the monument in 1870, and the design approved by the Queen. The final statue was cast in bronze by Henry Prince and Company, of Southwark; Foley died in August 1874 before casting was complete. The gilt bronze statue was ceremonially "seated" in 1875, three years after

13098-422: Was filmed for DVD and screened at cinemas in 26 cities around the world. Her performance debuted at number one in the United States with 96,000 copies sold, the highest one-week tally for a music DVD in four years. After one week, it became the best-selling music DVD of 2011. As of 28 November 2012, it had surpassed sales of one million copies in the United States and sales of three million copies worldwide and makes

13216-460: Was planned by a committee of architects led by Sir George Gilbert Scott . The other architects, some of whom died during the course of the project, or were replaced, included Carlo Marochetti , Thomas Leverton Donaldson , William Tite , Sydney Smirke , James Pennethorne , Matthew Digby Wyatt , Philip C. Hardwick , William Burn and Edward Middleton Barry . The sculptor Henry Hugh Armstead coordinated this massive effort among many artists of

13334-583: Was published in The Builder on 27 September 1862, before Scott's final design was unveiled. However, writing in his Recollections , Gilbert Scott suggested his own design was original: My idea in designing the Memorial was to erect a kind of ciborium to protect a statue of the Prince; and its special characteristic was that the ciborium was designed in some degree on the principles of the ancient shrines . These shrines were models of imaginary buildings, such as had never in reality been erected; and my idea

13452-465: Was purchased with the proceeds of the Great Exhibition of the year MDCCCLI . The first stone of the Hall was laid by Her Majesty Queen Victoria on the twentieth day of May MDCCCLXVII and it was opened by Her Majesty the Twenty Ninth of March in the year MDCCCLXXI . Thine O Lord is the greatness and the power and the glory and the victory and the majesty. For all that is in the heaven and in

13570-404: Was returned to its correct position. Some of the restoration, including repairs to damaged friezes, were of limited success. The centrepiece of the Memorial is a seated figure of Prince Albert, which is now covered in gold leaf . For eighty years the statue had been covered in black paint. Various theories had existed that it was deliberately blackened during World War I to prevent it becoming

13688-469: Was the building of a new south porch – door 12, accommodating a first-floor restaurant, new ground floor box office and subterranean loading bay. Although the exterior of the building was largely unchanged, the south steps leading down to Prince Consort Road were demolished to allow construction of underground vehicle access and a loading bay with accommodation for three HGVs carrying all the equipment brought by shows. The steps were then reconstructed around

13806-481: Was the position on the visitation of Muhammad's tomb. According to Ibn Taymiyyah all the ahadith encouraging the visitation of the tomb are fabricated ( mawdu‘ ), are not contained in the six main collections of hadith or Musnad Ahmad ibn Hanbal , and violate tawhid al-uluhiya . This view of Ibn Taymiyyah was rejected by some mainstream Sunni scholars both during his life and after his death. The Shafi'i hadith master Ibn Hajar al-Asqalani stated that "This

13924-589: Was to realise one of these imaginary structures with its precious materials, its inlaying, its enamels, etc. etc. ... this was an idea so new as to provoke much opposition. The Albert Memorial was not the first revivalist design for a canopied statue in a Gothic style – the Scott Monument in Edinburgh had been designed by George Meikle Kemp over twenty years earlier, and may itself have influenced Worthington's designs for Manchester. The commission to make

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