Venue Focus
Old Billingsgate:
Old Billingsgate was originally a fish
market and stopped trading in 1982. After
a brief time as a back-up bank it opened as
an events venue in 2000. The venue will
celebrate its 20th anniversary in 2020.
Located in the heart of London, the venue
has three spaces and a capacity of 2,500
people. It attracts a range of events, from
wrap parties to product launches.
Key features of the venue are the Terrace,
with its capacity for 800 and views of
Tower Bridge and The Shard, The Grand
Hall, which has a double height ceiling, and
The Vault, which contains The Well and its
historic dancefloor.
56 — January
Battersea Arts Centre:
The Grand Hall, located within
the Battersea Town Hall, and part
of the Battersea Arts Centre, has
been restored following a fire in
2015.
Within the first nine months
since the Grand Hall reopened,
the venue has hosted a number
of events, including Sky Arts’
Portrait Artist of the Year, the
BBC Proms and the Osbourne &
Little Fabric Fair.
The venue contains a main hall
with an original stained-glass
octagonal dome ceiling and mosaic floor, a fully restored
theatre organ designed and built
by Robert Hope-Jones, and a bar
space.
The hall is a Grade II* listed
building, meaning those running
the hall are responsible for
protecting the heritage of the
space, which can pose some
difficulties when hosting events.
In 2019 the rebuild was awarded
a RIBA National Award and RIBA
London Client of the Year award.
In spring 2020 The Grand Hall
will open a community garden
space.
The Victory Services Club:
The Victory Services Club (VSC)
is the only London Club for all
ranks of the military, and was
founded in 1907 by Major Arthur
Haggard to promote ‘esprit de
corps’ within the military.
The VSC is a registered charity
that re-invests revenue from
commercial events to fund
schemes for injured members of
the Armed Forces, veterans and
their families.
The venue attracts annual
conferences, AGMs, award
ceremonies, and mid-size
exhibitions and conferences. The main event space at the
venue is the Carisbrooke Hall and
its adjacent bar. It is designed in
an Art Deco style with a double
height ceiling, balcony and a
chandelier. The hall has its own
dedicated entrance, and a large
retractable flat screen in addition
to disabled access and flow
between all of the event spaces.
The VSC can be limited by its
size, and so exhibitions for over
500 people must be spread across
three rooms in the venue.
New for 2020 is the launch of a
new event space.