Ghosts of the Albert Hall
The Albert Hall. Kensington Gore. SW7.T he Royal Albert Hall stands on the site of Gore House the former home of Marguerite, Countess of Blessingdon (1789-1849), whose extravagant lifestyle led to her bankruptcy causing her to abandon England for Paris, where she died in poverty. Alexis Soyer, then transformed the house into a flamboyant restaurant, but this was forced to close within five months. The Royal Commissioners for the Great Exhibition, then purchased the property, demolished the house and built the Albert Hall, in commemoration of Prince Albert on the site.
Several ghosts are said to haunt the building. The first is that of Henry Willis ‘Father Willis’ who designed the 150-ton organ, that with an impressive 9,000 pipes was the largest ever when built. His ghost, dressed in Victorian clothing has been seen wandering around the Hall at night. The other spectres are more controversial and are based upon a local tradition that Gore House was temporarily used as a brothel prior to its demolition. Each November, two “Ladies of the night,” dressed in Victorian costume, are said to roam along the upper gallery level and are seen walking into one of the toilets. Their arms are linked and they remain oblivious to any comment made by those who encounter them. Indeed, as one employee at the Hall put it, “it is as though they are walking in their time not ours.”
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