Welcome to the (not-so) cheap seats: Private box in the Royal Albert Hall that sits 12 is put up for sale for £3million as its owners say they don’t use it enough
- The Grand Tier Box has been owned by the family of Brendan Parsons since 1871
A private box in the Royal Albert Hall has been put up for sale for £3million after its owners said they don’t use it enough.
The Grand Tier Box 14 has been owned by the family of Brendan Parsons, the 7th Earl of Rosse, for more than a century since the world-famous concert hall opened in Kensington, London, in 1871.
It seats 12 people and is located on the eastern side of the venue opposite the King’s Box on the western side. Purchasing the box also grants the owner added perks including a brass plaque with their name and private catering.
The Earl’s great grandfather, the 4th Earl of Rosse, was invited to purchase the box for a £100 ‘subscription’ by Prince Albert who was friends with his father the 3rd Earl.
He and his wife Alison, the Countess of Rosse, live in Birr Castle in Co Offaly, Ireland, and have decided to sell box as they no longer use it as much as they used to, accroding to The Times.
A private box in the Royal Albert Hall has been put up for sale for £3million after its owners said they don’t use it enough. Pictured: The view from the box
The Grand Tier Box 14 has been owned by the family of Brendan Parsons (pictured), the 7th Earl of Rosse, for more than a century since the world-famous concert hall opened in 1871
He and his wife Alison, the Countess of Rosse, (pictured together) live in Birr Castle in Co Offaly, Ireland, and have decided to sell box as they no longer use it as much as they used to
The Times reported there have already been enquiries for Box 14 from potential buyers in the Middle East, Hong Kong and eastern Europe.
Any prospective owners will need to pay £13,795 towards the upkeep of the venue on an annual basis.
Purchasing the box means that the owners will receive tickets to ‘ordinary lettings’ events, where tickets are not given to paid promoters.
These amount to around a third of the overall performances at the Royal Albert Hall in a 12-month period such as the Last Night at the Proms.
Its new owners can also make some of the money back by selling any unwanted tickets back to the box office.
Martin Bikhit, a luxury property expert at Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices, told The Times: ‘These luxurious situations come on the market very rarely and have historically been snapped up by the lucky few in the know or passed down through generations.
‘Fundamentally, it’s for someone who either has an immense appreciation for the arts with sizeable wealth, or it’s for an individual who has got the houses, the private jets, and the boats and they want an asset that almost feels as though it’s something money can’t buy.’
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