South Kensington · Architecture

The Design of the Royal Albert Hall

Opened in 1871, the Royal Albert Hall is South Kensington’s great amphitheatre — an elliptical brick and terracotta landmark crowned by a vast wrought-iron and glass dome. Below, a quick design tour: plan, materials, the “mushrooms”, and the mighty Grand Organ — plus tips for visiting from our clinic.

Who designed it?

Originally by Captain Francis Fowke (Royal Engineers); completed after his death by Major-General Henry Y. D. Scott. The Hall is Grade I listed.

Overall concept

An **ellipse** in plan inspired by classical amphitheatres — built for public lectures, concerts and grand gatherings.

Signature elements

Fareham red brick with terracotta ornament, an encircling 800-ft frieze (“Triumph of Arts & Sciences”), and a 135-ft-high iron-and-glass dome.

Plan & proportions

In plan, the Hall is an ellipse — a shape that delivers uninterrupted sightlines and a powerful visual focus on the stage.

ElementMeasurementNotes
External axes~272 ft × 236 ft (83 m × 72 m)Major × minor axes
Dome height~135 ft (41 m)Wrought iron with glazing
Present capacity~5,272Varies by event layout

The elliptical bowl and sheer volume created superb sightlines — but also notorious echoes under the original hard dome, later tamed by acoustic engineering.

Brick & terracotta

Constructed in **Fareham red brick** with rich terracotta bands and pilasters — robust, weather-resistant, and highly decorative.

The frieze

An ~800-ft mosaic-terracotta frieze circles the exterior: The Triumph of Arts and Sciences, in 16 allegorical panels from “Music” and “Sculpture” to “Architecture”.

The dome

A pioneering **wrought-iron and glass** structure spans the auditorium — an engineering feat of its era that still defines the skyline.

Acoustics: echoes, velarium & the ‘mushrooms’

Early audiences loved the spectacle but complained of a “double sound” — a lingering echo from the hard, high dome. Solutions evolved over time, from experimental canopies to the now-iconic fibreglass acoustic diffusers nicknamed the **“mushrooms.”**

1960s diffusers

~135 acoustic “mushrooms” were suspended in the late 1960s to scatter reflections and control the echo.

Re-tuning to ~85

Later re-arranged and reduced to **around 85** elements to fine-tune clarity for different programmes.

Modern sound

Recent upgrades added a discreet, hall-wide loudspeaker system integrated with the architecture to enhance intelligibility for amplified events.

Fun fact: the Hall’s Grade I status means interventions must preserve the building’s historic fabric while improving the listening experience.

The Grand Organ — “Voice of Jupiter”

The Hall’s colossal pipe organ was built by **Henry “Father” Willis** for the 1871 opening and was then the **largest in the world**. Rebuilds and restorations (notably by Mander Organs) have brought it to **9,999 pipes** and **147 stops** — a thunderous centrepiece for symphonic and solo repertoire alike.

Scale

Largest pipes ~42 ft high, ~2 ft 6 in diameter; the smallest are narrower than a drinking straw.

Nickname

Willis called it the **“Voice of Jupiter”** — apt when Saint-Saëns’ “Organ” Symphony fills the ellipse.

Today

The organ continues to star in recitals and Proms; it even has an **official organist** role today.

Visiting from Santi London

Royal Albert Hall sits just north of the museums on **Kensington Gore** — an easy walk from our clinic on **Thurloe Street, South Kensington**.

From Santi LondonApprox. walkRoute
To Royal Albert Hall~10–12 minutesVia Exhibition Road → Kensington Gore
To V&A / NHM / Science Museum~5 minutesThurloe St → Exhibition Road

Frequently asked

Why is the Hall elliptical instead of circular?

An ellipse concentrates attention on the stage while giving long, unbroken sightlines; it also supports the tiered amphitheatre seating.

What’s the story of the exterior frieze?

A continuous terracotta-mosaic band titled The Triumph of Arts and Sciences runs around the building in 16 themed panels — celebrating creativity, craft and learning.

What are the “mushrooms”?

They’re suspended fibreglass **acoustic diffusers** installed from the late 1960s to tame the Hall’s echo under the dome; later re-configured to improve clarity.

How big is the organ?

After restorations, the Grand Organ has **9,999 pipes** and **147 stops** — one of the UK’s largest, originally the biggest in the world at its 1871 debut.