Royal Festival Hall revamp starts

The Royal Festival Hall will be given a whole new look

A time capsule has been buried in the walls of London's Royal Festival Hall signalling the start of a £91m revamp.

Violinist Nicola Benedetti, 17, carried out the ceremony at the concert venue, which is closing for 18 months to allow construction work to be carried out.

Another capsule was buried in the wall of the first floor when the hall was first built in October 1949.

The present-day capsule contained seven items reflecting the venue's history. The hall is due to reopen in 2007.

The refurbishment includes a major acoustics upgrade, a new education centre, improved public spaces as well as landscaping.

Hidden iPod

Benedetti, winner of the BBC Young Musician of the Year, buried the second capsule in the wall of the main building at the Ballroom Floor level.

It contained an Apple iPod containing recordings by the London Philharmonic, and the Philharmonia Orchestra.

The score of Mozart's Nine Variations on a minuet by Duport, signed by Alfred Brendel and performed by him at the last classical concert to be held in the hall, was also placed in it.

A new set of mint coins and a copy of the day's Times were also secured within it, exactly as in 1949.