The Royal Albert Hall was first opened to the public in 1871, and is a huge building of elliptical form in the style of the Italian Renaissance. The first stone of the Hall was laid by Her Majesty Queen Victoria, on the 20th May 1867, and it was opened by Her Majesty the Queen on the 29th March 1871. Paranormal activity at the Hall include sightings of two Victorian ladies in the basement, while the area round the organ was said to be haunted by a stooped old man wearing a skull cap who berated workmen whenever repairs were carried out on the instrument. Staff patrolling the building at night would speak of "feelings of unease", while the repeated failure of the basement alarm system has remained a mystery.