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14 UK concert halls that are ridiculously good looking
The United Kingdom boasts some of the best concert halls in the world - and they're real lookers too. Here's a small selection.
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1. The Minack, Porthcurno, Cornwall
The spectacular open-air theatre appears as if it was carved into granite cliffs 2000 years ago. Actually it was created by a determined Cornishwoman in 1932. Check it out for performances by New Cornwall Opera.
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2. Grand Opera House, Belfast
Designed by the most prolific theatre architect of the Victorian period, Frank Matcham, this stunning venue opened in 1895. It is probably the best surviving example in the U.K. of the oriental style applied to theatre architecture.
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3. Royal Albert Hall, London
Since its opening by Queen Victoria in 1871, the Royal Albert Hall has become one of the UK's most treasured and distinctive buildings, attracting the world's biggest stars. Each year it hosts more than 350 events including ballet and opera, school and community events, and classical concerts (not forgetting Classic FM Live).
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4. Wigmore Hall, London
Located in the heart of London's West End, this beautiful venue is the perfect setting for intimate recitals of chamber music. With near-perfect acoustics, it has attracted the world's greatest musicians.
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5. Sheldonian Theatre, Oxford
The Sheldonian was built from 1664 to 1668 from a design by Christopher Wren for the University of Oxford. It is used for concerts, lectures and ceremonies, but - unusually for a theatre - not for drama.
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6. Snape Maltings, Aldeburgh, Suffolk
The world famous Concert Hall was founded by Benjamin Britten and Peter Pears in 1948. Today it is operated by Aldeburgh Music, who create a diverse programme of music throughout the year.
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7. London Coliseum
One of London's largest theatres, the Coliseum opened in 1904 as a "people's palace of entertainment". The Sadler's Wells Opera Company moved into the building in 1968, before changing its name to the English National Opera in 1974.
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8. Royal Lyceum Theatre, Edinburgh
Built in 1883, this stunning 658-seat auditorium has been one of the main venues for the Edinburgh International Festival since its inception in 1947. Believed to be haunted, there have been sightings in the theatre of a ghostly blue woman, thought to be the great actress Ellen Terry. Photo: Tommy Ga-Ken Wan
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9. St. Martin in the Fields, London
There has been a church in the north-east corner of Trafalgar Square since medieval times. The present building was constructed in the 1720s. The church is a popular venue for lunchtime and evening concert and performances by the Academy of St Martin-in-the-Fields.
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10. Royal Opera House, Covent Garden
The home of The Royal Opera, The Royal Ballet, and the Orchestra of the Royal Opera House, the sumptuous building seats 2,256 people and consists of four tiers.
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11. Symphony Hall, Birmingham
One of the world's finest concert halls, Symphony Hall is a 2,262 seat auditorium and home to the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra. Completed at a cost of £30 million, the hall's interior was modelled upon the Musikverein in Vienna and the Concertgebouw in Amsterdam.
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12. Wales Millennium Centre, Cardiff
Located in Cardiff Bay, the spectacular Wales Millennium Centre houses the national orchestra and opera, dance, theatre and literature companies, a total of eight arts organisations in residence.
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13. Bristol Old Vic
The home of the Bristol Proms is the oldest continually-operating theatre in England, built during 1764–66. Besides the main auditorium, the complex includes the Studio theatre and the Side Stage, Paint Shop and Basement performance areas.
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14. Glyndebourne, Sussex
Nothing says English summer more than Glyndebourne, the Sussex country house near Lewes that has been the site of an opera house since 1934. Initially, operas were presented within the 600-year old house itself but there is now a purpose-built opera house in the grounds. Photo credit Leigh Simpson.
