An A-Z of Ally Pally

Because the action’s only just got underway…

‘Ally Pally’, ‘Alexandra Palace’, or simply ‘The Palace’. Whatever you choose to call it, there’s no doubt this iconic London venue has gained the status of national treasure.

It might have just said farewell to the PDC World Darts Championship for another year, but it now prepares to welcome Masters Snooker, as well as gear itself up for a whole host of other events in 2022. In the meantime, to fill the sporting sandwich, here’s an A-Z of this unique place.

A is for ‘Ally Pally Classic’. Maybe a bit of a cop-out to start with, but this has become a much-used phrase since sport became a regular fixture at the venue.

B is for Brit Awards. Held here from 1993 until 1995, i.e., when they were worth watching.

C is for Charity. Responsible for the running and very survival of the ‘People’s Palace’. You can donate here.

D is for Draught beer. With its very own pub on the premises, there’s no shortage of this.

E is for Entertainment. Says it all really.

F is for Fancy dress. A right of passage for darts fans the world over, the Palace is the place to be seen as a Mexican, a monk, or Elton John.

G is for Grade II. The Palace’s official listed status.

H is for Hill. It’s a steeper climb than it looks, but as we all know it’s instantly gratifying once you’re at the top.

I is for Ice rink. This place has got everything.

J is for Journey. They come from the length and breadth of the country to make this pilgrimage; some from even further afield.

K is for Kilowatts. It must take a few to light things up on a dark winter’s night.

L is for Led Zeppelin. The legendary rockers played back-to-back sellout nights in December 1972. See, it’s not all about darts and snooker!

M is for Maximum. Surely we’ll see a 147 break over the coming week.

N is for Nine-darter. We certainly saw a few of those. Okay, maybe it is all about darts and snooker.

O is for Out the way. It’s perched on that summit all on its own… and doesn’t it look magnificent!

P is for Peter Wright. ‘Snakebite’ has just been crowned King of the Palace for a second time.

Q is for Quite expensive. Ally Pally cost £417,000 to build back in 1865 – that’s around £40.8m in today’s money…

R is for Rebuilt. A mere two weeks after completion, Alexandra Palace caught fire. Thankfully, the damage was minimal.

S is for Sinclair C5. Sir Clive Sinclair’s electric vehicle had its launch here in 1985.

T is for Turkey n’ stuffing rolls. Hopefully they’ve improved since I last went. Still, you can’t have it all.

U is for U2. Why haven’t they played here?

V is for Victorian. Another product from the golden age of construction and engineering.

W is for Wood Green. The nearest tube station, just so you know.

X is for X-Factor. Bootcamp for the 2013 series of the once all-conquering TV talent show was filmed here. Who knew? Who cares?

Y is for Yan Bingtao. The defending champion at this year’s Masters.

Z is for Zhao Xintong. The UK Championship winner is making his Ally Pally debut at the event.