
/ About
1 Wimpole Street is the venue-hire arm of the Royal Society of Medicine, trading under its own name from the society's landmark Edwardian building on the corner of Wimpole Street and Henrietta Place. The building was officially opened in 1912 by King George V and Queen Mary, five years after seventeen specialist medical societies merged to form the RSM, and it has been the society's home ever since. Profits from hire go back into the RSM's postgraduate education work, which is a fair summary of the place: a serious institution that lets its rooms rather than a venue that happens to look institutional.
The spread of spaces is unusually wide. Three purpose-built lecture theatres seat 298, 146 and 60 with their own control rooms and technicians. Behind them sit the rooms that actually hold a party: the Max Rayne Atrium, a full-height space under a vaulted glass roof that reads as outdoors in any weather; the Cavendish Room next door, which takes 200 for a reception and 110 for a banquet, and has its own bar; the Toynbee-Mackenzie ENT Room, a two-level wood-panelled hall hung with historic medical instruments and opening onto a small terrace; and the Wheatley Room, thirty-three metres of floor-to-ceiling bookshelves inside the RSM library. Booked together, the Atrium and the Cavendish Room take up to 300 guests. Beyond those sit two dozen meeting rooms, from the horseshoe table and marble fireplace of the 1912 Marcus Beck Library down to a four-seat working room.
Hire terms are those of a learned society, and worth knowing before you plan. You do not need a medical connection to book, but every event is vetted and the RSM can decline a client whose business it considers at odds with its aims. Music and entertainment need consent in advance and must be kept to a level that does not carry to the rest of the building; guests leave by 11pm unless written permission says otherwise. All catering is in-house. And while you may name 1 Wimpole Street as the location, invitations and publicity may not reference the Royal Society of Medicine.
/ Rooms Available
Cavendish Room
PrivateThe venue's principal party room, on the ground floor beside the auditoriums and next door to the Max Rayne Atrium. Skylights run the length of the ceiling, columns break up 17.6 by 10.8 metres of floor, and the room has its own bar. It takes reception drinks, buffets, banquets and exhibitions, and is the space most often booked as catering for a conference in one of the lecture theatres.
Max Rayne Atrium
PrivateA double-height room under a vaulted glass roof, glazed on the surrounding walls too, with planting at floor level and a marble finish underfoot. Daylight does most of the work here. Booked with the Cavendish Room next door it becomes the largest configuration in the building.
The Wheatley Room
PrivateThirty-three metres of floor-to-ceiling bookshelves inside the RSM library, air-conditioned and lit down one side by tall windows. Built for cabaret-style meetings, presentations and away-days, with catering served at the rear among the library's exhibition cases.
Max Rayne Foyer
PrivateA flat-floored ground-floor room beside the Max Rayne Auditorium, used as a drinks reception, catering or exhibition space for the auditorium next door, or booked on its own.
Seminar Suite
PrivateSeminar Rooms 2 and 3 opened into one lower-ground room, the largest of the contemporary meeting spaces and the only one of them that takes a standing reception of any size.
Toynbee Mackenzie ENT Room
PrivateA two-level wood-panelled hall on the upper floor, its cabinets holding historic medical instruments from the RSM's collection, with doors onto a small terrace. The gallery above looks down on the floor, which suits a dinner in the round.
Dame Deirdre
PrivateA fourth-floor room that reconfigures for boardroom, U-shape, cabaret or reception, with a large screen and daylight on one side.
Henrietta Room
PrivateAn 11-metre-square room with natural light, a permanent screen and wireless presentation, laid out for anything from classroom to banquet.
Wimpole Room
PrivateOne of two rooms inside the RSM's members' area released for hire, panelled in oak and hung with framed prints. It takes a business breakfast, a dinner for 24 or a drinks reception, and sits alongside the Hewitt Room.
Wigmore Room
PrivateA flexible meeting room with natural light and a permanent screen, taking 30 for standing refreshments.
Mezzanine Room
PrivateA mezzanine-level room fitted for hybrid meetings, reconfiguring between classroom, boardroom, cabaret and reception.
Training Suite
PrivateAn air-conditioned room with a wipe-clean floor, a sink and a partition wall that splits it in two for breakout sessions. Takes 20 standing.
Seminar Room 3
PrivateThe largest of three interconnecting lower-ground rooms, contemporary and fitted with a screen, taking 20 for a standing reception.
Seminar Room 2
PrivateThe middle room of the interconnecting lower-ground trio, joining Seminar Room 3 to form the Seminar Suite.
Seminar Room 1
PrivateThe smallest of the three interconnecting lower-ground rooms, taking 20 standing or 12 around a table.
Hewitt Room
PrivateThe smaller of the two rooms released from the RSM's members' area, seating 14 for a business breakfast, a private dinner or a lunch.
Guy Whittle Auditorium
PrivateThe largest of the three lecture theatres, seating 298 in gently tiered leather chairs under wooden panelling, with its own AV control room and technician. Step-free access runs onto the stage as well as through the audience seating. Published for theatre layout only; the venue quotes no dining or reception figure for it.
Max Rayne Auditorium
PrivateA 146-seat theatre of tiered leather seats facing a purpose-built stage, panelled in wood for acoustics and wired for recording and streaming. Two wheelchair spaces at the front, and an induction loop built in. A theatre figure only; no dining or reception capacity is published.
Naim Dangoor Auditorium
PrivateThe smallest of the three theatres, seating 60 on a tier facing a flat-floored stage and a multi-display screen. Electronic blackout blinds mean it can run dark or on daylight, and the front row takes up to six wheelchairs. A theatre figure only.
Nightingale
PrivateA fourth-floor meeting room with a good run of natural light, seating 30 cabaret or 50 theatre. No dining or reception figure is published.
Marcus Beck Library
PrivateA room from 1912, once a Medical Research Council laboratory and now home to the RSM's rare medical books. A horseshoe table sits on oak parquet under a marble fireplace, seating 30. Published for U-shape layout only.
Heritage Centre
PrivateA meeting room set inside the library among glass cabinets of rare books from the RSM archive, held at a steady 20 degrees to protect them. Seats 14 around the table.
TEC Room
PrivateA mezzanine-level room kitted out for hybrid meetings, seating 14 around the table.
Library Boardroom
PrivateA second-floor boardroom for 12, used for interviews, appraisals and small workshops.
Louis Forman Room
PrivateA modern meeting room named by the RSM, seating 11 around the table.
The Chinese University of Hong Kong Room
PrivateA third-floor room sponsored by the Chinese University of Hong Kong, naturally lit and air-conditioned, seating 10 around the table and set away from the busier floors.
MacAlister Room
PrivateA boardroom for six inside the RSM library, for interviews and small meetings.
Darwin Room
PrivateA four-seat working room with a coffee table, for very small meetings and breakouts.
/ Perfect For
/ Features
AV Equipment
- – PA System
- – Wireless Microphone
- – Projector
- – Stage
Catering
- – In-House Luxury Dining
- – Canape Service
Licensing
- – Full Alcohol Licence
Venue Specs
- – Wheelchair Accessible
- – Air Conditioned
- – Dedicated Events Team
- – Wi-Fi
- – Green Room
/ Getting Here
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