Usher Hall
Address: Lothian Road, Edinburgh EH1 2EA
Usher Hall is a large concert hall in Edinburgh, seating an audience of up to 2,200 people. The venue hosts concerts of all musical genres, national and international orchestras, along with other live performances and events. It is also a major venue for the Edinburgh International Festival. It is named after founder Andrew Usher, a whisky distiller who donated £100,000 to fund the project in 1896. He died two years later, so never saw the building completed. His widow, Marion, officially opened it in 1914, before the outbreak of World War I.
The Edwardian building is designed in a classical style, inspired by Beaux-Arts architecture. Well loved for its outstanding acoustics, it has unusual curved walls, a domed roof and an ornate interior with a grand organ as the focal point.
5 things to do at the Usher Hall
- Attend a concert or show.
- Take in the unique architecture.
- Enjoy the superb acoustics.
- See (and sometimes hear) the great organ, an original installation in the hall which was restored to its full glory in 2002.
- Have pre-show refreshments at one of the bars on each level of the hall.
