Play to the gallery

Garden Museum

• By the River Thames, in Lambeth Palace Road, London, the museum is a deconsecrated church with mediaeval tower, pillars and stained-glass windows. It houses a national garden-history collection.
• You can host 80 standing in the Sackler Garden, 120 seated in the nave, 250 standing in the nave. A new extension, clad with copper and bronze, surrounds the Sackler Garden, created by Dan Pearson, an award-winning garden designer.
• Fully wheelchair accessible throughout
• Parking at the Novotel hotel opposite
• External kosher caterers welcome

 

Victoria & Albert Museum

• The V&A in central London is the most famous museum of art and design in the world and encompasses more than two million works of art. Those attending events in the Raphael Gallery are surrounded by the priceless Raphael Cartoons. In the Dome, they can party underneath the focal Dale Chihuly Chandelier. The Italianate garden can host pre-dinner drinks in summer. This is one of few museums in London that allows dancing — as well as and late finishes, until 2am.
• For a seated dinner, the V&A hosts 70 to 400.
• Fully disabled accessible
• Parking free in local streets after 6.30pm
• Kosher catering by Tony Page or Food Story

 

Museum of London

• The entrance hall is a contemporary open space with a futuristic bar and can be used for a drinks reception for 400 before moving through to the Sackler Hall or as an event space in its own right, seating 200. The Sackler Hall has a show-stopping digital ellipse and plasma screen. Décor and presentation offer endless options, from a twinkling chandelier to a bespoke display. the hall holds 600 for a reception; 420 for dinner; 260 within the 360-degree digital ellipse.
• The award-winning galleries, which tell the story of the capital city and its people, have been designed with events in mind. Guests can “experience” London’s history from 450,000 BCE to the present as they approach the main event space in the Sackler Hall. More intimate events can be held in the museum’s galleries, using one or more spaces.
• As part of a package, drinks receptions can take place in the 17th-century Pleasure Gardens, then guests might move on to the Victorian Walk, strolling 
through streets from 150 years ago. Dinner can be served in the People’s City Gallery, next to the original art deco lift from Selfridges and a 1903 taxi. The Medieval Gallery is a distinctive dining space for smaller gatherings.
• The Museum of London’s newest gallery, Designing a Moment: The London 2012 Cauldron, is now available for hire.
• This holds 70 guests, or 50 for dinner and guests have exclusive access to the Olympic cauldron as part of a breakfast or evening event.
• All event spaces are disabled accessible.
• Two National Car Parks close to the museum
• External kosher caterers are allowed, subject to the venue’s approval.

 

Banqueting House

• The Main Hall of this central London venue holds 300 guests for a dinner/dance, 380 seated for a dinner and 500 standing. The space can also be divided for smaller events. Alternatively, the atmospheric Undercroft with its vaulted ceiling, long dramatic aisle and candelabra, can accommodate 120 guests for a seated dinner and 380 standing.
• Banqueting House originally formed part of the legendary Palace of Whitehall, once Europe’s largest palace and, while most of the building was destroyed by fire in 1698, this grand building survived. It has hosted royal banquets, dances and even the execution of Charles I. The Main Hall is framed by classical pillars, which lead the eye to Rubens’ ceiling painting. The Undercroft was designed to entertain James I and his friends, away from the public eye and is an intimate setting with vaulted arches. The space can be transformed by changing the colour of the lights to bright pinks, purples or blues for a fun party vibe.
• The Undercroft is wheelchair accessible via a ramp. There is no lift in the venue but guests may be able to use the one in the adjoining building.
• Coaches can drop off and collect directly outside and there is a public car park at QPark Trafalgar, a six-minute walk away.
• Kosher caterer Food Story is included on Banqueting House’s approved supplier list.

 

National Gallery

• Overlooking Trafalgar Square, the gallery has a large choice of event spaces, accommodating guest lists from 10 to 1,200, depending on event type.
• The Portico Entrance is ideal for a summer drinks reception or al fresco dining. Features include an attractive black-and-white mosaic floor.
• The Mosaic Terrace also suits a drinks reception or intimate dinner and has an exquisite tiled floor, glass ceiling and intricate illustrations of celebrated people from 1930s Britain.
• Lit by an elevated glass rooftop, the Central Hall showcases Northern Italian paintings from the 16th century. The striking marble entrance leads up to an intricately decorated ceiling of golden leaves.
• Room 30 houses some of the Gallery’s most celebrated Spanish paintings from Velázquez to Zurbarán, including The Rokeby Venus.
• The Barry Rooms have an impressive domed roof, ornamental marble pillars and British portraits.
• Gallery A has a contemporary feel. It tells the entire story of 400 years of painting in a single space.
• The Yves Saint Laurent Room is an elegant gallery housing French 17th-century paintings. The opulent fabric on the walls adds to the atmosphere.
• The Turner Room offers an exclusive dining experience surrounded by the work of Claude Lorraine and J.M.W. Turner.
• The Annenberg Court is the blank canvas of the National Gallery, well-located for tours of the Gallery’s best-known paintings.
• The National Dining Rooms are in the modern Sainsbury Wing, designed by the award-winning architect Robert Venturi, with a mural by Paula Rego and views over Trafalgar Square.
• The National Café is generously sized and has its own entrance overlooking St Martin-in-the-Fields. There are marble topped bars and plenty of space for dancing.
• The Wohl Room is the largest event space in the National Gallery, containing gold-framed Venetian Renaissance paintings. It is decorated with green damask walls and has a dramatic glass roof.
• The temporary exhibition galleries can also be exclusively hired and you can arrange extras such as guided tours and goodie bags.
• All picture galleries are disabled-accessible and four entrances have level access.
• Local parking is limited, although one Blue Badge space is bookable.
• Although there are not yet any kosher caterers on the approved list, there are plans to invite applications from kosher caterers soon. At the moment, a kosher caterer would need to be overseen by a firm from the venue’s approved list.

 

Lisa Hatswell is managing director of Unique Venues of London, a consortium featuring heritage homes, palaces, museum and galleries, uniquevenuesoflondon.co.uk