Five... moments from the history of the Royal Albert Hall

Boxing was banned. The Beatles were banned. Elephants were banned

Hi and welcome to your weekend newsletter…

Image by Matt Brown

This week’s edition is a handful of scenes from the Royal Albert Hall’s history, to coincide with the opening of the 2024 Proms season.

(And whether you’re a Proms veteran or thinking about an entry-level toe-dip this year: a guide to getting tickets for the concert series from

Will Noble

, and some highlights from this year’s lineup.)

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The original roof was a beautiful disaster

‘One of the most memorable components of the famously elliptical Royal Albert Hall is the delicate-looking glass dome. Dainty? It's a bruiser. The ribs, glazing and ceiling weigh 800 tons and, just to add extra 'yerk', they're not in any way fixed to the rest of the building. They just sit on the walls, staying put by sheer weight.’

So starts a feature by Sandra Lawrence, going behind the scenes at the Royal Albert Hall (part 1 of the series here).

The current, gloriously weird ceiling. Image by Dylan Moore via Wikimedia Commons

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Below the paywall: how they fixed the ceiling. The ongoing elephant ban! When the RAH became the international home of sumo. And some very disapproving letters sent by senior management to the Beatles.