Livery Halls + Institutions

One of the ancient Inns of Court, Middle Temple stands apart for its unspoilt main Hall, featuring 16th-century heraldic panels, stained-glass windows and a splendid hammer-beam roof. The cosier Prince’s Room comes with an original fireplace and oak-clad walls, while the Queen’s Room has generous garden views (its lawns make a fine spot for summer drinks). Board-level meetings work well within the stained-glass confines of the Parliament Chamber.

Venue review of Middle Temple Garden

On a quiet square close to Moorgate, Brewers’ Hall is the 20th-century home of a 15th-century livery company. Across a marble lobby, at the top of a carved oak staircase, three interconnected function rooms marry a rich history to modern facilities. The oak-panelled Livery Hall is topped with chandeliers and heraldic crests. The pine-panelled Court Room is a useful reception area that’s grand enough to host standalone meetings and dinners. The homely Committee Room is for more intimate gatherings.

Home to the Worshipful Company of Pewterers, this City livery hall underwent a £750,000 refurb in 2013. Tucked just off London Wall, it houses a trio of rooms that provides versatile event space for dinners, receptions and meetings. The function rooms available to hire are all decorated with traditional features, like wood panelling and Georgian chandeliers. The Livery Room is a suitably grand setting for banqueting, while the first-floor Court Room comes with screens, blackout blinds and AV kit, making it popular for conferences of up to 110. The Ante Room – with its striking stained-glass windows – is the best bet for pre-dinner drinks receptions. Catering here is provided by Life’s Kitchen.

Refurbished and extended, this Grade II-listed post-war livery hall mixes historic architecture with state-of-the-art facilities. It’s an impressive venue for conferences, receptions and award ceremonies. The Main Hall is a beautifully panelled space; the overlooking Dining Room can be used separately or in conjunction with the hall; and the Court Room is a stylish reception and meeting option. The stylish garden also provides an alfresco entertaining area.

Versatile interiors and a handy location off Kensington High Street attract a loyal client base to Kensington Conference & Events Centre. Its mainstay is international conferences, as well as fairs and exhibitions, but dinner dances are also popular. The Great Hall can be hired along with two foyers and four breakout rooms. For more intimate board meetings, the Council Chamber has leather-topped desks, with individual microphones. 

Four Weddings and a Funeral, The Madness of King George and The Avengers all used the beautiful Old Royal Naval College in Greenwich as a backdrop. On the site of the birthplace of Henry VIII and Elizabeth I, the college contains many remarkable areas for entertaining, including the Painted Hall with its stunning baroque ceiling, the atmospheric Undercroft and the Upper Hall, which is a great platform for presentations and speeches. The former Quarters of the Admiral President is an elegant, stand-alone Georgian building with views over the river. Other facilities include a skittles alley, a private pier and spacious grounds that can accommodate large marquees.

Venue review of Weddings at Old Royal Naval College

Venue review of Admiral's House

Venue review of Weddings at Admiral's House

This famous City-based museum can handle anything from Christmas dinners to AGMs. Presentations and screenings are best held in the tiered Weston Room, but if you’re planning a soirée, look first to the Entrance Hall. A drinks reception should work nicely around its futuristic bar before guests move through to the large Sackler Hall, with its 360° digital screen. For summer parties, the Terrace Rooms have direct access to the Rotunda Gardens.

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Organise a spring event in the Entrance Hall and Sackler Hall, and guests will also get the chance to enjoy free access to the temporary display dedicated to the 100th Anniversary of Votes for Women. Minimum numbers apply. 

Venue review of Museum of London Docklands

The former residence of prime minister William Gladstone is now home to the British Academy, which under its venue moniker, 10-11 Carlton House Terrace, offers 11 rather grand event spaces for hire. Period features contrast with abstract art and up-to-date tech, providing rooms ready for modern business needs. In 2016, the venue added the book-lined Lee Library to its lineup of spaces, which lends its regency character to evening dinners.

Venue review on 10-11 Carlton House Terrace

History fans will love this Grade II-listed building and ancient monument. It’s well suited to dramatic banquets, presentations, receptions and wine tastings, with a host of attractive function rooms to choose from. The Livery Hall is the largest space, featuring 16th- and 17th-century armour, George II chandeliers and a Men-At-Arms candelabrum. For smaller events, consider The Library with its quiet, cosy atmosphere and ornate mahogany bookcases.

This grand Georgian venue has five function rooms and fine views towards the Tower of London. There’s a distinctly nautical feel to the decor, which features maritime paintings, ship models and the brass bell from the royal yacht Britannia. Our choice space is the Court Room, with a ceiling fresco by Pre-Raphaelite artist William Holman Hunt. Pick the Library for banquets and take the adjoining Pepys Room as an entertainment space.

Grade II*-listed Goodenough College sits within a pretty garden square in Bloomsbury. Its grandest space is the Great Hall, a handsome, oak-panelled setting for conferences, banquets and receptions. The Churchill Room is best for private dining and board meetings, while a pair of large common rooms are popular for conferences. If it’s an outdoor event you’re after, the garden Quad is the spot for summer receptions and barbecues.

With artefacts and artwork from its illustrious history, the UK Chamber of Shipping’s modern home has plenty of character and individuality. Located on Bankside, this multi-room venue is full of natural light and suits business events of most types. Removable walls make rooms 1, 2 and 3 flexible for meetings, and they can host 100 guests if taken as a single entity. The UK Chamber itself is the largest function room, and its bright, airy space works well for networking and receptions. The Boardroom has floor-to-ceiling windows and plenty of room for meetings. Food is provided by a local supplier on request.

Built by architect John Gibson in the mid-19th century, this striking City venue lends its neoclassical charm to business events and parties. The Main Hall, with its marble columns and crystal chandeliers, is a natural choice for formal dinners and Christmas parties; it also doubles as a popular place to host trade shows and conferences. The art deco-style Garden Room is a relatively modern edition, and opens out onto a spacious outdoor space.

Set in prestigious Portland Place in Marylebone, conveniently near Oxford Circus, The Academy of Medical Sciences occupies a picture-perfect Georgian townhouse built in 1773. Its conference and meeting facilities are spread across three floors that still look fresh following a £5m revamp in 2010. Function rooms include a purpose-built 70-capacity conference suite and a collection of smaller spaces that can be combined to host receptions for 225. Interiors are elegant and bright throughout, while a terrace is available for summer drinks receptions and break-outs. Catering, based on menus that mix traditional and contemporary dishes, is in the safe hands of Harbour and Jones.

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Located next to St Pancras International, and within walking distance of King’s Cross and Euston stations, The British Library is well connected to the capital and the continent. As the largest building constructed in the UK during the 20th century, it maintains a very British identity. And this goes for food – catered by Peyton Events – as well as architecture. Inside, it houses a 240-capacity state-of-the-art conference centre and a range of meeting spaces, such as the Dickens and Bronte rooms, in addition to a wealth of artefacts that includes the Magna Carta. The venue can accommodate evening receptions and dinners, as well as barbecues in the Terrace restaurant, which has space for 280 guests.

The award-winning Middle Temple Garden is among Zone 1’s best-kept secrets. Amid the handsome red-brick buildings that define Middle Temple Hall, relaxed Fountain Court – a good spot for a pop-up bar – gives way to clipped lawns stretching towards the Thames. There’s space for a marquee, or alfresco receptions can be combined with dinners in one of the hall’s stately indoor spaces. When you’re finished, Temple tube station is a three-minute walk away.

Venue review of Middle Temple Hall

This popular central London venue occupies a distinctive mid-century modernist building, with event spaces that range from small, hi-tech meeting rooms to the striking 1950s Congress Hall. The latter offers a sprung-wood floor and glass ceiling, which fills the room with natural light. Besides conferences and exhibitions, it’s a good fit for product launches, awards dinners and fashion shows. Excellent AV facilities include HD 3D projection.

Information on holding an event in the Invision Suites at the Congress Centre

Behind the scenes: Congress Centre

Home to one of London’s oldest livery companies, Saddlers’ Hall is constructed in the classical style, with period details and furniture. Events from conferences to AGMs, large drinks receptions and banquets can be held in its rooms. The highlight is the Great Hall, with exquisite stained-glass windows and a musicians’ gallery. Multiple breakout spaces provide extra conferencing facilties, while the secluded courtyard can be used for alfresco summer entertaining.

Information on Party Ingredients

Tucked away in a garden square off London Wall, the red-brick Barber-Surgeons’ Hall occupies one of the City’s prettiest locations. Its centrepiece is the wood-panelled Great Hall, a bright space with elaborate ceilings and huge windows. The Reception Room, Court Room and Charter Rooms are just as well turned out and show off artefacts from the livery company’s long history. A terrace overlooks peaceful grounds and a medicinal garden.

Information on Party Ingredients

No.11 Cavendish Square occupies an elegant Grade II-listed Georgian townhouse with four floors of event space. The ground-floor Green House offers a verdant spot with a central champagne bar and AV kit for meetings. The venue’s standout space, though, is the light and modern Orangery, which is flanked by a tranquil courtyard garden. The hi-tech Burdett Theatre is the spot for important presentations.

Venue review of Summer parties at No.11 Cavendish Square

Venue review of The Green House at No.11 Cavendish Square

Venue review of The Orangery & Courtyard at No.11 Cavendish Square

With a colourful history going back more than 600 years, the Honourable Society of Gray’s Inn is a distinguished event venue located between the City and the West End. Stand-out spaces among its six function rooms include the large oak-panelled Elizabethan Hall, an attractive portrait-lined room that sits beneath a beautiful hammerbeam roof, and the 150-capacity Large Pension Room, which has ornate chandeliers and a marble fireplace. The property’s five acres of gardens provide a beautiful backdrop for a popular summer marquee (available to hire from June to July each year), holding up to 300 guests for dinner-dances or 600 for informal barbecues.

Venue review of Summer Marquee at Grays Inn

Christmas at Grays Inn

Weddings at Grays Inn

Restaurant review of The Garden Room in The Walks

Venue Vendor - an interview with Simon Webster of Gray's Inn

The London Stock Exchange: Events & Studios is located in the City, very close to St Paul’s Cathedral. The venue combines the latest in presentation technology with contemporary and versatile event space. Every day, broadcasters report on current business and market news live from the TV studios, providing a dynamic backdrop for company presentations, conferences and product launches. The venue houses a tiered 120-seater theatre with web-casting, audio and video-conferencing facilities. In addition, the Atrium space and the Gallery, overlooking the TV studios, provide stimulating settings for drinks receptions for up to 200 people.

The Roehampton portfolio now includes Elm Grove, a new-build conference centre a short train ride from Waterloo. It joins 18th-century Grove House and Parkstead House, adding contemporary spaces and state-of-the-art facilities to the group offer. Its main Oak Suite can be divided into three and features keypad-controlled AV. A pair of smart boardrooms work well as breakout spaces, while the top-floor Lime Tree Suite has scenic city views and its own terrace.

Bloomsbury’s Grade II-listed De Morgan House is home to the London Mathematical Society. This year saw the addition of the Cartwright Boardroom and the Rayleigh Room. The former overlooks Russell Square, while both benefit from period features and state-of-the-art AV. Other rooms work well for away days, press conferences, and receptions. The latest AV kit and wi-fi can be found throughout, and food is by green-leaning Eden Caterers. Not-for-profit organisations can get a 20% discount on room hire.

Home to the Worshipful Company of Painter-Stainers, this City livery hall houses a fine collection of royal portraits, dating from the late 17th century to the present day. The grandest of its three rooms is of course the Livery Hall itself. Lined with stained-glass windows and paintings, it is approached via an oak staircase and can be used for conferences, banquets or wedding receptions for up to 250. At the other end of the spectrum, 14 people can be seated round the polished wood table in the Painted Chamber, which provides an intimate setting for meetings and private dining. The Court Room offers a backdrop of contemporary art for a conference breakout or drinks reception.

The Worshipful Company of Butchers is one of the seven oldest City of London livery companies. Its headquarters, Butchers’ Hall, are centrally located in the historic and vibrant Smithfield area. The largest space here is the Great Hall, which holds up to 250 and boasts huge windows that flood the room with natural light. The Court Suite on the first floor is made up of two interconnecting rooms and has a warm, inviting interior – complete with grand fireplace – that makes it a cosy setting for dinners. Drinks work well in the striking Reception Room, where an unusual glass screen depicts the four seasons. The intimate Library offers private facilities for eight.

Home to the British Academy, this charming St James’s property offers a range of rather grand event spaces. Period features contrast with abstract art and up-to-date tech, providing rooms ready for modern business needs. The venue has just completed the refurbishment of its Lecture Room and Wolfson Room. Both have benefitted from an updated colour scheme, while the former has a new stage, making it the best spot for important presentations.

Venue review on British Academy

This Grade II-listed Georgian townhouse in Marylebone features interiors designed by neoclassical architects Robert and James Adam, with pretty signature touches such as filigree plasterwork and inset classical paintings. The three Fine Rooms, Hutchison Room and Library make elegant, Regency-style settings for dinners, conferences and receptions. Elsewhere, the more modern Gallery has been designed as an exhibition space and can be hired separately.