Albert Hall's £70m facelift

It has taken eight years and £70 million to complete. This afternoon the Queen confers royal approval on the radical reconstruction of the Royal Albert Hall.

The venue, built in 1871 and funded by public subscription, is now fit to meet the demands of a 21st-century audience.

Its acoustics have been vastly improved by rearranging the "mushrooms" on the hall's ceiling to bounce sound back better to the public.

A new South Portico has been constructed and the classical terracotta frieze encircling the top of the building has been restored to its original high- Victorian grandeur. A new 60,000-piece mosaic by artist Shelagh Wakely has been added to complement the old.

The Albert Hall's circle has been completely remodelled and the stalls have new, more comfortable seats.

Crucially for promenaders, there is a new air-cool ventilation system which should provide relief from the worst of summer's heat.

Together with new carpeting, improved lavatory facilities and bars and restaurants the hugely expensive project - which was funded with £40million of Lottery cash - has transformed the formerly run-down hall into a luxurious destination.

The hall's centrepiece, its huge "Father Willis" organ, has been renovated with new pipes added. The changes mean the Royal Albert Hall can boast of having the biggest pipe organ in Britain.

The most revolutionary part of this refurbishment has taken place away from the public eye, however, deep under the main hall.

A huge new underground entrance into the building - big enough to take an articulated lorry - means that even the most overblown performers can bring all their rigging and sets straight into the venue.