Concert Halls of London Trivia Quiz

Answer: From Prince Albert, husband of Queen Victoria

Prince Albert proposed the construction of a "Central Hall of Arts and Sciences" near the site of the 1851 Great Exhibition, but died in 1861, a full 10 years before its completion. His widow, Queen Victoria, decreed that the building should be renamed the "Royal Albert Hall" in his memory, and it was she who attended its official opening ceremony on 29 March 1871.

It was designed by the civil engineers Francis Fowke and Henry Scott, and is situated on Kensington Gore, opposite Kensington Gardens.

Interestingly, it is not actually in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea, but within the boundaries of the City of Westminster.

Answer: The Queen's Hall was destroyed during a German air raid

On the night of 10 May 1941, the Queen's Hall was hit by an incendiary bomb and totally destroyed by fire. One of the few items to survive intact was a bronze bust of Sir Henry Wood, which was rescued to preside over every subsequent Prom Concert at the Royal Albert Hall. The Queen's Hall acoustics were in fact much better than those of the Royal Albert Hall, which were notoriously poor.

Answer: The business was seized as enemy property during World War I

Bechstein had its London piano showroom in Wigmore Street, and funded the construction of the hall as a means of advertising its pianos, which were used for concerts there. But as a German-owned company, the showroom and its contents, plus the adjacent hall, were taken over by the Government during the First World War and auctioned off for whatever they could raise. Fortunately for music lovers, the concert hall was saved and reopened as the Wigmore Hall, after the street in which it stood.

Answer: 1951

The Festival of Britain took place 100 years after the 1851 Great Exhibition. The Royal Festival Hall is one of London's principal venues for large-scale orchestral concerts, and is situated on the South Bank between the National Theatre and the London Eye.

Answer: Queen Elizabeth Hall

Named after the reigning British monarch at the time of its opening in 1967, the Queen Elizabeth Hall seats around 900. Largely constructed of concrete, it is particularly unattractive from the outside (except to admirers of brutalist architecture, of which it is a good example).

Answer: Henry Purcell

The Purcell Room has a seating capacity of 370, and is especially suitable for solo and duet recitals and other small-scale performances. It was built at the same time as the medium-sized hall on the same site, and shares the same foyer space.

Answer: London Symphony Orchestra

The residency got off to a slightly shaky start, with some poorly-attended concerts raising doubts as to the wisdom of the LSO basing itself so far from the traditional centres of London's artistic life. But a critically-acclaimed and popular concert series based around the music of Mahler helped to cement the relationship, which celebrated its 30th birthday in 2012.

Answer: St John's Smith Square

Located behind Westminster Abbey, legend has it that St John's Smith Square acquired its nickname when the architect, Thomas Archer, asked Queen Anne what she wanted the new church to look like. Irritated by his question, she kicked over her footstool, and said "Like that". To reflect the shape of the upturned stool, Archer designed the church to have four towers, one at each corner.

The other three options are also known for hosting musical performances, although they remain churches first and foremost.

Answer: First Church of Christ Scientist

The Cadogan Hall is a medium-sized concert hall, seating around 900. It closed as a church in the 1990s when its regular congregation fell to a size when it was no longer viable to keep it open. Following refurbishment, it reopened as a concert hall in 2004 and is the London base of the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra.

Answer: Kings Place

Kings Place has a small concert hall seating 420, which is ideal for performances by small ensembles, plus another hall that can seat up to 220. As well as classical concerts, it also hosts jazz and folk music, and hosts art exhibitions and a variety of other events.

At the time, it claimed to be the first brand new classical concert venue to be built in London since the Barbican in 1982.