The Royal Albert Hall of Arts and Sciences, at Kensington, was opened yesterday by the Queen. We need not here trace the history of the movement of which this capacious hall is the result; nor will it be necessary for us to describe the purposes to which the building will be devoted. The locality and the title sufficiently indicate whence it sprung and what objects it is intended to serve. The inauguration - we suppose we must use the hateful word - though a state ceremonial in the fullest acceptation of the term, had none of the heavy pomp so common to such spectacles. It was grand, but had the merit of simplicity, and the programme presented a certain fitness to the occasion which one often misses in great public pageants.
At ten o’clock the doors were thrown open, and the box owners and invited guests began to assemble. In less than an hour the building was more than half filled, and every minute added to the throng. In the arena accommodation was afforded for the mayors of those towns that had contributed £100 or upwards to the Great Exhibition of 1851. The mayors, 60 or 70 in number, were placed in a body close to the dais. Their scarlet robes formed a ruddy centre-piece to the mass of variegated colour which rose from the floor through amphitheatre and boxes, balcony and gallery, till its more delicate shades were lost in the giddy height of the uppermost seats. The mayors of Manchester, Blackburn, Bolton, Bradford, Hull, Halifax, Macclesfield, Sheffield, Stockport, Wigan, and the Lord Mayor of York were invited, and it was said that all were present.
Behind the civic dignitaries sat some score or so of military officers, deputy lieutenants, and a few divines. Conspicuous among the latter by his little velvet skullcap and pleasant thoughtful features sat the Dean of Westminster, chatting with the Bishop of London, who wore the soutane and lawn sleeves, for His Lordship was to take part in the day’s ceremonial. The remainder of the arena and the amphitheatre were filled by representatives of the press and the general public. In one of the lower boxes were Mr. Disraeli and Lady Beaconsfield. In a box a few yards off were the members of the Burmese Embassy. In an adjoining compartment were Sir Thomas and Lady Bazley; and overhead, in the centre or grand tier, occupying the box of the Prince of Wales, were the Duke of Cambridge, the Prince of Teck, and the Princess Mary.
At the west end of this tier, flanking the orchestra, was the box for the foreign ambassadors, which was crowded with diplomatists in official costume, many of them carrying a perfect load of stars and decorations. Baron Brunnow, Count Bernstorff, Count Apponyi, and Musurus Pasha were easily recognisable; and as many of the number were accompanied by ladies this box was the most brilliant and conspicuous in the building. The eastern end of the grand tier, directly opposite the ambassadors, was devoted to Her Majesty’s Ministers. Among those present were Mr. Gladstone, the Duke of Argyll, Lord Halifax, Lord Kimberley, Mr. Cardwell, Mr. Monsell, Mr. Forster, and Mr. Stensfeld. They, too, were accompanied by ladies, and were in official dress.
The upper tier and balcony were well occupied, but the place would have held 2,000 or 3,000 more, and the spectacle would have been all the better; for the building is so vast, so far beyond any similar structure in Europe, larger even than the Scala at Milan, or the great theatres of Venice and Naples, that it is only when it is filled in every part that it can be seen to advantage.
At half-past twelve o’clock, after the military band behind the organ had played its last tune, and the Yeomen of the Guard had been ranked each in his proper place along the platform over the arena from the main entrance to the dais, there was a stir at the top of the staircase, and the cheers of the outside public, faintly heard across the vast area, announced the Queen’s arrival. Her Majesty and the royal party had left Buckingham Palace in nine or ten state carriages, escorted by a squadron of the Royal Horse Guards Blue. Thousands of spectators lined the whole of the route, and Her Majesty was very warmly cheered.
A guard of honour composed of the Grenadiers was stationed opposite the building. On alighting at the entrance the Queen was received by the Prince of Wales, the members of the Building Committee, and by several of the Commissioners of the Exhibition of 1851. In the procession to the dais, the Prince of Wales (in the uniform of the 10th Hussars) walked at Her Majesty’s left hand, and following them came the Princess of Wales and the Duke of Saxe-Coburg, the Princess Christian, the Princess Louise, the Princess Beatrice, Prince Arthur (in the uniform of the Rifle Brigade), Prince Leopold (in Highland costume), the Marquis of Lorne (likewise in Highland dress), and Prince Christian. On reaching the dais the Queen stood before the principal chair, having all the members of her family to her right, except the Princess Christian.
The Queen was plainly attired in black silk dress and mantle, with a narrow trimming of satin floss, and a black bonnet, relieved in the border with a few white flowers. Her Majesty appeared to be in excellent health, and took an evident interest in all that was going on. On the Queen’s right hand stood the Princess of Wales, wearing a rich costume of purple velvet with a light sable trimming, which looked exceedingly appropriate, considering the chilliness of the weather. Her Royal Highness wore a bonnet of the same material as her dress. The Princess Louise, who, with her young husband, challenged almost as much attention as Her Majesty, wore a white corded silk dress trimmed with ermine, and a white bonnet, in the border of which was a spray of orange blossom. The Princess Christian was attired in a black velvet dress and blue bonnet, and the Princess Beatrice in a green muslin, or some equally light material, and leghorn hat.
After a verse of the “National Anthem” had been sung, the Prince of Wales read a brief address, and Her Majesty, in a voice so remarkably distinct that it could be heard over the whole building, said: “I cannot but express my great admiration for this beautiful building, and my earnest wishes for its complete success.” A hearty burst of cheering followed these words, and after silence had been restored the Bishop of London offered a short prayer, and the Prince of Wales, on receiving Her Majesty’s commands, formally declared the building open. The band and organ then pealed forth another verse of the “National Anthem,” a battery of artillery in Hyde Park boomed forth a salute, and the royal party retired as they had entered, and proceeded by the principal staircase to the royal box in the grand tier. Her Majesty sat in the centre of the box, with the Prince of Wales, the Princess Louise, and the Princess Beatrice on her left hand. On her right the Princess of Wales, the Duke of Saxe-Coburg, and the Princess Christian. The Marquis of Lorne and the Princes Arthur and Leopold were in the rear among the lords and ladies in waiting. During the remainder of her visit Her Majesty was observed to keep up an animated conversation with the Prince and Princess of Wales.
The remainder of the programme, which was purely musical, was proceeded with. The first part consisted of a Biblical cantata, composed for the occasion by Sir Michael Costa, who presided over the orchestra. The solos were rendered by Mesdames Sherrington and Patey, and Messrs. Vernon Rigby and Santley. The orchestra had been splendidly trained for the performance, and the organ, one of the largest in the world, rolled forth such volumes of harmony that one almost feared it might prove too powerful even for so mighty a building. At the end of the cantata the Queen retired and returned to the Palace. A grand miscellaneous concert followed, at which the Prince and Princess of Wales, Prince Arthur, the Prince and Princess of Teck, and the Duke of Cambridge remained. The first of the miscellaneous pieces was composed by the late Prince Consort. The programme was brought to an end by the overture to “La Gazza Ladra.”
The Princess Louise, the Marquis of Lorne, and the Princess of Wales were warmly cheered by the spectators as their carriages drove away.
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