Institut français du Royaume-Uni
/ About
The Institut français du Royaume-Uni has stood on Queensberry Place since 21 March 1939, when President Albert Lebrun and Princess Mary opened the building Patrice Bonnet had designed for it. Bonnet was architect in chief to the French government and architecte conservateur at Versailles, and the house he built is Grade II listed: red brick faced in cream faïence, a stepped oriel over the door, and behind it a foyer of terrazzo, columns and a marble staircase. It sits two streets from the V&A and the Natural History Museum, in the middle of South Kensington's museum quarter.
Eight spaces are let. Ciné Lumière, the Art Deco auditorium, seats 225, with a stage eight metres wide, digital and 35mm projection and a separate live-sound PA; it takes private screenings, press launches and concerts, and guests move afterwards into one of the adjoining rooms. Le Foyer, the arrival hall, holds 300 standing and is the room the Institut sells for parties. The listed library upstairs (wood galleries, parquet, a balcony under a barrel vault) receives 110 for a cocktail and is free in the evenings and on Mondays and Sundays, once the reading room has closed. Les Salons, a period reception room with a kitchen off it, seats 60 for dinner. Below ground, Ciné Lumière II is a 34-seat screening room with a lounge attached, opened in 2018 alongside the café in the foyer. Three smaller rooms take meetings and workshops.
Hire is arranged with the Institut's own team rather than through an agent, catering is brought in from a recommended list, and Gazette Brasserie occupies the same address. The cinema is being renovated in three stages across the summers of 2026, 2027 and 2028; the first closed it from mid-July until 27 August 2026, with the rest of the building trading throughout.
/ Rooms Available
Le Foyer
PrivateThe hall you walk into from Queensberry Place, and the largest space in the building. Terrazzo floors run between round columns to a marble staircase, carved reliefs sit above the arches, and a wrought-iron balustrade rims the gallery overhead. The Institut lets it as a reception and party space; the café installed in 2018 sits off one side.
Ciné Lumière
PrivateThe Art Deco auditorium, opened as a cinema in 1997 in what had been a theatre. Raked seating faces a stage eight metres wide and four deep, under angled lighting panels set into the side walls, with a balcony at the back. Digital and 35mm projection, cinema surround sound and a separate live-sound PA are installed, and blackout and air conditioning come as standard. Used for private screenings, press launches, conferences and concerts.
Art Deco Listed Library
PrivateOriginally the building's ballroom, converted to a reading room in 1950 and restored between 2014 and 2017. Wood-panelled galleries run the length of both walls under a barrel vault, a large abstract mural fills the end wall, and perforated Art Deco screens filter the daylight onto inlaid parquet. Available in the evenings and on Mondays and Sundays, when the library has closed.
Les Salons
PrivateA period reception room on the first floor, recently revamped, with herringbone parquet, tall windows onto the street and framed works hung along the walls. A kitchen with fridge and microwave opens directly off it, which is what makes the room work for dinners and receptions rather than talks alone. A mobile stage and a concert grand piano are available on request.
Ciné Lumière II
PrivateA 34-seat screening room on the lower ground floor, opened in 2018. Rust-orange velvet seats, concealed cove lighting and timber panelling give it an Art Deco line with a contemporary finish, and a lounge with brass-railed cocktail tables sits directly outside the doors. Let together, the two make a self-contained space for an evening.
L'Atelier
PrivateA ground-floor workroom with tiered timber steps built against a yellow wall, used for talks, small conferences and workshops. Level access from the street.
Le Studio
PrivateA 50 square metre meeting room with its own kitchenette, screen and lift access, for boardroom sessions and workshops.
La Salle Baudoin
PrivateA 35 square metre room with good daylight, named for the mural the French artist Baudoin painted across one wall. Meetings and seminars; no step-free access.
/ Perfect For
/ Features
AV Equipment
- – Projector
- – Stage
- – Sound System
- – PA System
- – Microphone
- – Wireless Microphone
Catering
- – External Catering Allowed
Venue Specs
- – Dedicated Events Team
- – Wheelchair Accessible
- – Wi-Fi
/ Getting Here
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