Built in honor and memory of Prince Albert, the husband of Queen Victoria and the official Prince Consort, Royal Albert Hall was a tribute to the prince's affinity for the arts and his desire to establish in the city a permanent venue for the public to enjoy a variety of concerts, dance, and theatrical performances. The venue would be part of the so-called Albertopolis, which was to become a center for the arts and science.
After the prince's untimely death in 1861, Queen Victoria hired Captain Francis Fowke and Major-General H.Y. Darracott Scott of the Royal Engineers to design this proposed building, which was dubbed Great Hall. It is said that the two men were greatly influenced in their design by the ancient amphitheaters of Rome and Greece as well as by Gottfried Semper's Opera House in Dresden.