Million-pound ‘rescue operation’ brings together thousands of historic artefacts
From Wagner wielding the baton to knock out blows from Muhammad Ali, or chords at the hands of Rachmaninov to words of wisdom from Albert Einstein, the Royal Albert Hall (RAH) has a spectacular 152-year track record of hosting famous names and events. And now, visitors to the iconic South Kensington building can enjoy delving into its history thanks to a £1m ‘rescue operation’ to display its archive in one single, safe place.
Until recently, the hall’s many artefacts had been kept in four separate locations, with regular flooding of the basement proving a constant threat to their survival. Thanks to the redevelopment, they will be now stored in a climate controlled area where historians, researchers and members of the general public can book an appointment to view them – among the tens of thousands of items are the trumpet played at the opening ceremony in March 1871, a programme designed by Picasso and costumes from the performances of Coleridge-Taylor’s Hiawatha that were a major hit in the 1930s.
‘The archive contains priceless assets of national and international cultural significance,’ says RAH chief executive James Ainscough. ‘This famo
