Victorian London - Publications - History - The Queen's London : a Pictorial and Descriptive Record of the Streets, Buildings, Parks and Scenery of the Great Metropolis, 1896 - The Old Royal College of Music

The Old Royal College of Music - photograph

THE OLD ROYAL COLLEGE OF MUSIC.

The Royal College of Music was founded in 1882, and incorporated in 1883. Sir George Grove, editor of the standard "Dictionary of Music and Musicians,'' being the Director from the beginning until his recent retirement. Sir Charles Freake defrayed the cost of the building shown above, and the Commissioners of the 1851 Exhibition granted the site, which is opposite the western part of the Royal Albert Hall, Kensington Gore. When the College was founded, the public subscribed no less than £126,000 for its purposes. The Prince of Wales opened the building; and performed a like service when the new and more commodious College - of which a picture appears on the next page - was erected in the Prince Consort Road; it being intended that the older should be used for the junior classes an for practising.