Usher Hall facts for kids
The Usher Hall as seen from Lothian Road
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| Address | Lothian Road Edinburgh EH1 2EA |
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| Location | Edinburgh, Scotland |
| Coordinates | 55°56′48″N 3°12′15″W / 55.94675°N 3.20420°W |
| Owner | City of Edinburgh Council |
| Type | Concert hall |
| Capacity | 2,200 |
| Construction | |
| Opened | 16 March 1914 |
| Renovated | 2010 |
| Architect | Stockdale Harrison and Howard H Thomson |
The Usher Hall is a famous concert hall located in the West End of Edinburgh, Scotland. It has been a popular place for concerts and events since it was built in 1914. The hall can hold about 2,200 people. Its main hall, called the auditorium, has been recently updated. Performers really like it because of its great sound quality. The Usher Hall is close to two other theatres: The Royal Lyceum Theatre and The Traverse Theatre. It is also a very important building, listed as a Category A listed building by Historic Environment Scotland.
Contents
History of the Usher Hall
The money to build the Usher Hall came from Andrew Usher. He was a whisky maker and gave £100,000 to Edinburgh specifically for a new concert hall. Finding the right place for the hall took some time. In 1910, a competition was held for architects to design the building. The rule was that the hall should look simple but grand.
The winning design was chosen from 130 entries. It came from Stockdale Harrison and Howard H Thomson. Their design moved away from the popular Victorian Gothic style of the time. Instead, it used classic features, similar to the Beaux-Arts style. On July 19, 1911, King George V and Queen Mary helped lay two special memorial stones. More than a thousand people came to watch this event.
The hall has curved walls, which was quite new for its time. This was possible because of new ways to use reinforced concrete. The dome on top was made to match the curved walls. It was designed so that the inside of the hall would still have excellent sound.
Inside the hall, you can see beautiful decorated panels made of plaster. These were created by an Edinburgh artist named Harry Gamley. The panels show figures from the world of music and famous Scots. Some of these include: Sir Walter Scott, Robert Burns, Allan Ramsay, R L Stevenson, Johann Sebastian Bach, George Frideric Handel, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Johannes Brahms, Edvard Grieg and Anton Rubinstein. Harry Gamley also created sculptures for the outside of the building. These include two large figures called Inspiration and Achievement. There are also three other figures by Crossland McClure, showing the Soul of Music, Music of the Sea and Music of the Woods.
The Usher Hall officially opened its doors on March 16, 1914. The first concert featured music by famous composers like Handel, Bach, Wagner, Beethoven, and the Scottish composer Hamish MacCunn. The total cost to build the Usher Hall was £134,000. Sadly, Andrew Usher, who gave the money, passed away before the building work even began.
Events and Uses Over Time
The Usher Hall has been used for many different types of events. Besides music, it has hosted political meetings, religious gatherings, charity fundraisers, and even sports. In 1914, the Prime Minister at the time, H. H. Asquith, gave a speech about "the War." He used this chance to encourage men in the audience to join the army.
Sometimes, music and politics mixed at the hall. For example, there were concerts to raise money for the Republican movement in Spain in the 1930s. The hall also hosted celebrations for Edinburgh's 600th birthday in 1929. Political rallies stopped being held at the Usher Hall after a serious event in 1934. Sir Oswald Mosley came to speak, and between five and six thousand people protested outside. Several people were hurt during this protest.
In 1986, the Commonwealth Games were held in Edinburgh. The Usher Hall was chosen as the place for the boxing tournament. The large basement rooms of the Usher Hall made it a good place for an air-raid shelter. The building was ready to be used during the Second World War. However, there are no records that it was actually used as a shelter. Still, signs like "No Dogs" on inside doors show that they were prepared.
Musical Performances
The Usher Hall has been a stage for many famous classical musicians from around the world. The Vienna Philharmonic orchestra, led by Bruno Walter, performed there at the very first festival in 1947.
It is also the main home in Edinburgh for the Royal Scottish National Orchestra. They play concerts there regularly during their season. Other groups, like the Scottish Chamber Orchestra, Scottish Fiddle Orchestra, and National Youth Orchestra of Scotland, also perform often. Local groups, such as the Edinburgh Royal Choral Union, also use the hall.
In March 1972, the Eurovision Song Contest took place at the Usher Hall. It was hosted by Moira Shearer. The hall also hosted Eurovision Young Musicians in August 2018.
The Grand Organ
A very important part of the Usher Hall is its large organ. It was built in 1913 by Norman & Beard of Norwich and cost about £4,000. The organ was designed to be a main feature of the hall, both to look at and to listen to. The Usher Hall Organ Trust was created to help raise money to fix the organ. It had stopped working well because of problems with moisture and temperature. It wasn't played for several years.
The company Harrison and Harrison of Durham worked for three years to restore the organ. It was put back in the hall in 2002. The organ was played again for the first time in a special concert on June 7, 2003, by Gillian Weir.
The Usher Hall Today
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The City of Edinburgh Council still owns and manages the Usher Hall. It is used constantly for many different events. It is one of the main places for the Edinburgh International Festival. Other events held there include the Holocaust Memorial Ceremony and the Colin O'Riordan Memorial Concert. Special "Freedom of the City" ceremonies have also taken place at the hall. The most recent one was for the famous film star and Scottish icon Sean Connery in 1991.
On April 13, 1996, a few hours after a concert, a large piece of plaster fell from the roof. It dropped 130 feet into the main hall. Only three chairs were damaged, but this showed that the hall was starting to fall apart. Important repairs were needed to make sure the building was safe and protected from wind and water. The City of Edinburgh planned a £25 million project to fix the hall and make it better. This included making the auditorium suitable for different types of events and adding new places for food and tickets.
However, the plan ran into problems when funding applications were not approved. In 1998, the City of Edinburgh announced it would set aside £9 million to start the repairs again. In 2002, plans for a second phase of improvements were announced. This phase needed another £11 million. Work on this second part began in 2007. It added better facilities and public spaces, including a new glass section. This work was finished in 2010 and cost a total of £40 million.
See also
In Spanish: Usher Hall para niños
- List of Category A listed buildings in the Old Town, Edinburgh
- List of concert halls
- Adjoining buildings
- Royal Lyceum Theatre
- Traverse Theatre
Images for kids
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The Usher Hall from Cambridge Street
