The Usher Hall is Edinburgh’s top concert venue and a vital part of the city’s cultural scene. Andrew Usher, a renowned whisky distiller and founder of Andrew Usher & Co., donated the building to the city because he believed that everyone should have access to music and culture.
His donation paid for the hall, which was designed as a public space to support the Edwardian idea that the arts should benefit the whole community.
Construction started in 1910, and the hall opened in 1914, just a few months before the First World War began. The architects Stockdale, Harrison & Lithgow designed it in the Beaux-Arts and Edwardian classical styles, with a large domed roof over an oval auditorium. Its location on Lothian Road places it in the centre of Edinburgh’s growing cultural area, connecting the Old Town, New Town, and the west end.
Great Acoustics
From the beginning, the Usher Hall was known for its great acoustics, making it ideal for orchestral and choral music. Over the years, it has hosted top orchestras, conductors, soloists, composers, and major public events. The hall is a main venue for the Edinburgh International Festival and stays busy during the city’s festival season. It also hosts concerts, popular music, comedy, talks, and civic events year-round.
The building has been updated to meet modern performance standards while preserving its heritage charm. Major improvements in the late 1900s and early 2000s made the hall more comfortable, accessible, and better equipped behind the scenes. Even with these changes, the auditorium’s impressive design and excellent acoustics remain what make it special.
More than a hundred years after it opened, the Usher Hall is still a busy concert venue and a tribute to Andrew Usher’s generosity. It shows Edinburgh’s strong support for music, public culture, and community giving. Here, performers from around the world meet local audiences, and the city’s cultural life is shared with the world.
