How Many Times Has The Royal Albert Hall Been Refurbished?

The Royal Albert Hall opened in London in 1871 and has only been significantly refurbished once, which was completed in 2003.
The aim of the refurbishment was to drag the Hall into the twenty first Century and to make it more comfortable for both performers and audiences, as well as to make the putting on of shows easier and to ensure that access for disabled people was included.  
The Hall was not closed during the refurbishment, which meant that works had to be carried out over a number of stages.  It was also important that the public were not disrupted during the works, or audience figures would have dropped.  
Consequently the work was phased over a total period of nine years, starting in 1994.
The end product is a magnificent building which is now more comfortable for everyone, since there are increased public foyers and the Auditorium has been ventilated.  In addition the number of dressing rooms and backstage facilities have been increased, turning a rather tired building into a modern day prestigious venue.