New year, new event spaces

January tends to be a bleak month- its back to work, back to school and back to reality after the festive frivolities. It may not seem like there is much to look forward to at this moment in time but 2018  is set to be a fantastic year for Unique Venues of London and here is just a selection of the many member venues that are undergoing exciting transformations this year.

 

Independent charity Historic Royal Palaces has announced that a brand new events venue is to be installed in the beautiful gardens of Kensington Palace in 2018.  The Kensington Palace Pavilion, a glass fronted building overlooking the palace’s famous Sunken Garden, will replace the Orangery at Kensington Palace for three years. Flooded with light and situated in the heart of the palace grounds, it will be available for hire from March 2018.

 

The new venue is a purpose-built, one of a kind building, offering a flexible space for a range of events, with a unique terrace overlooking the stunning gardens and East façade of the historic Georgian royal home. The Pavilion will feature two main event spaces, with capacity for an impressive 800 guests for a standing reception across both rooms, and 300 for a seated dinner with the option of a separate drinks reception area. The venue will also benefit from a covered terrace area, making it ideal for receptions in all seasons and a first for Kensington Palace.

 

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The National Theatre has been granted planning permission by Lambeth Council to build a new roof top entertainment venue, opening in Summer 2018 for an initial 25 year period.

Designed by RIBA award-winning architects, Haworth Tompkins, plans for the new structure include sliding glass screens which will allow the installation to open up to the external terrace, creating a free flowing space inside and out, while showcasing panoramic views of the London skyline.

 

Future events will benefit from the artistic imagination and stage craft that the National Theatre is renowned for, with organisers able to draw upon production experts, costume and prop innovators. This, coupled with the National Theatre’s dedicated events team and in-house catering, will result in exceptional immersive experiences for future attendees.  Additionally, wedding guests will, for the first time, be able to dance the night away at the venue, as the floor has been specially modified for dancing.

 

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The Science Museum in South Kensington has revealed that it will be launching a brand new multi-functional events space to the market in January 2019. The yet unnamed venue has been four years in the planning and will further enhance the museum’s already impressive events offering, while providing a venue that meets the ever-evolving demands of the industry.

 

The new events space is situated on levels four and five of the Science Museum and will be available for both daytime and evening hire for capacities of up to 400 for dinners and conferences and 450 for receptions. One of the unique features of the new space will be a panoramic window on level five offering stunning views of the City and an abundance of natural daylight, a key element in ensuring a productive meeting or conference experience.

As a first for the museum, the new venue will be a dedicated events space capable of hosting all manner of creative events, from daytime conferences, product launches, and lunches to evening drinks, receptions and dinners. The new space can be used in conjunction with the museum’s diverse range of innovative and ground-breaking galleries to offer clients an end-to-end solution for their conference or event.

 

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As of May 2018, Kew’s breath-taking Temperate House – the largest Victorian glasshouse in the world – will open after a five-year closure. The entire frame-work of the building has been painstakingly repaired, and its thousands of panes of glass replaced, along with its intricate ironwork and expansive paved flooring. The result is a glistening cathedral housing 10,000 plants, making it one of the most unique venues in London.

 

The stunning newly re-stored Temperate House, originally opened in 1862, is a Grade I-listed show house for the largest plants.  With pitched roofs and pillars support wrought-iron ribs, the House has a mix of decorative motifs, finials, pediments, acanthus leaf capitals, Coade stone urns and statues.

 

The impressing glasshouse will be able to host large evening dinners and standing receptions of up to 300 guests amongst 10,000 species of rare and endangered plants and can be hired exclusively from May 2018 to throw the most exquisite event in, with venue hire starting from £14,000 + VAT for the evening you can impress your guests with endless history within a completely unique space.

 

By hosting your event at Kew Gardens you will contribute to Kew’s mission and scientific work, as all income generated through corporate and private events supports Kew’s vital conservation, education and research programmes.

 

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The new East Stand spaces are being developed to focus primarily on match-day following the launch of England Rugby Hospitality, a new venture which sees the Rugby Football Union (RFU) become the exclusive provider of all hospitality at Twickenham Stadium from autumn 2018, supported by long-standing official hospitality agent Keith Prowse.

 

On non-match days, the new event spaces present a range of new opportunities for corporate events and a wide variety of private functions throughout the year, which will be managed by Twickenham Experience.

 

The East Stand development will include five levels of space for receptions, parties and dining, including the new rooftop Rose Garden which will have a built-in stage for live music performances. The updated stand will also include a space suited to conferences on level three, named The Lock, which will be able to accommodate meetings, dinners and receptions with great views of the pitch. There will also be more intimate spaces within the East Stand for high-end dinners with terrace access as well as informal drinks and dining options in The Gate and Ale House situated on Level One.

 

Work first began on the East Stand in early 2016, with the aim of re-opening the facility by autumn 2018.

 

Click here to contact the venue for further information.