Whatever is going on outside the Royal Albert Hall this season? The place looks like a mix between a construction site and a fortress.
I suppose we have to accept the hideous concrete blocks as a sign of the times and the security, though well meaning seems a touch OTT to me but then I suppose some will derive comfort from that. On the other hand is there really any need for security staff to go chasing after two elderly women who hadn't had their bags searched? Some perspective surely?
I had naively thought that the refurbishment work carried out a few years ago would have been enough but the front of the hall, facing the Albert Memorial, is yet again wreathed in scaffolding as it was last year and the rear is again being dug up for 'essential roadworks' leading to it being shut off forcing different queuing arrangements for Arena and Gallery. Diggers etc are visible through gaps in the metal fence.
The Proms season is the RAH's biggest time of the year when it has a very high profile but, frankly, the way it is now, the environs look forbidding, unwelcoming and a total mess. All ok inside though which is what counts but shouldn't these endless refurbs be carried out in the winter months?
I suppose we have to accept the hideous concrete blocks as a sign of the times and the security, though well meaning seems a touch OTT to me but then I suppose some will derive comfort from that. On the other hand is there really any need for security staff to go chasing after two elderly women who hadn't had their bags searched? Some perspective surely?
I had naively thought that the refurbishment work carried out a few years ago would have been enough but the front of the hall, facing the Albert Memorial, is yet again wreathed in scaffolding as it was last year and the rear is again being dug up for 'essential roadworks' leading to it being shut off forcing different queuing arrangements for Arena and Gallery. Diggers etc are visible through gaps in the metal fence.
The Proms season is the RAH's biggest time of the year when it has a very high profile but, frankly, the way it is now, the environs look forbidding, unwelcoming and a total mess. All ok inside though which is what counts but shouldn't these endless refurbs be carried out in the winter months?
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