Royal Institution
/ About
21 Albemarle Street has housed the Royal Institution since 1799, its Georgian rooms and celebrated lecture theatre standing where Humphry Davy and Michael Faraday once staged the earliest public science demonstrations. A 2008 restoration by Terry Farrell rebuilt the building inside and out, adding a glass-roofed atrium and mezzanine without disturbing the original library or the raked, magenta-seated auditorium that still hosts the Christmas Lectures every December.
Exclusive hire covers the first, ground and lower ground floors. Upstairs, the Library's book-lined walls and the pale blue plasterwork of the Georgian Room suit a formal dinner; the Conversation Room, Sunley Room and Writing Room work for smaller briefings and receptions. Downstairs, the Mezzanine's checkerboard floor and its suspended ring of antique optical instruments make for a less formal reception, opening onto the museum's exhibition galleries. The Theatre remains the address's set piece: tiered seating beneath a domed, circular balcony, built for a lecture and equally suited to a conference or screening.
An in-house events team works alongside caterer Searcy's, with AV and hybrid-conference technology fitted throughout. The Institution publishes no stated policy on amplified music or dancing; anything beyond a seated dinner or standing reception is worth confirming directly.
/ Rooms Available
Theatre
PrivateThe Royal Institution's domed, circular lecture theatre, raked in tiers of the room's signature magenta beneath twin balconies. Built for the Christmas Lectures and still used for them every December, it seats several hundred for a conference, address or screening.
Exclusive Hire
Exclusive HireExclusive use of the Royal Institution across its first, ground and lower ground floors: the Theatre, Library, Georgian Room and every reception space, plus the museum galleries. The largest configuration the Institution offers, taking the whole building out of public hours.
Conversation Room
PrivateA book-lined reception room on the ground floor, with a working fireplace and a screen for presentations. Suits a drinks reception, dinner or briefing ahead of a Theatre event next door.
Library
PrivateA Grade I library of floor-to-ceiling bookshelves, sea-green walls and a pair of brass chandeliers, looking out over Albemarle Street. Its long room and marble fireplace suit both a seated dinner and a standing reception.
Mezzanine
PrivateA contemporary space added in the 2008 rebuild, its black-and-pink checkerboard floor sitting beneath a suspended ring of antique optical instruments. Opens onto the glass-roofed Atrium below for a standing reception.
Demonstration Room
PrivateA first-floor room hung with large-format scientific photography, fitted for conference-style presentations with fixed AV. Suits a seminar, workshop or briefing rather than a dinner.
Atrium & Exhibition
Semi PrivateA glass-roofed atrium on the lower ground floor, opening onto the Institution's heritage exhibition and its display cases of historic scientific instruments. Works as a standing reception space, with the museum itself as a backdrop.
Sunley Room
PrivateA daylit, book-lined room over Albemarle Street, named for a past Institution benefactor. Set boardroom-style or cleared for a reception, it suits a smaller meeting or dinner.
Georgian Room
PrivateA pale blue drawing room with fluted columns and portraits of past Royal Institution presidents, opening off the Library. Its scale and plasterwork carry a formal dinner or a smaller reception equally well.
Writing Room
Semi PrivateAn intimate room off the Library, with a marble fireplace beneath a bronze relief of Michael Faraday and tall windows onto Albemarle Street. Suits a small private dinner or as a breakout from the Library next door.
Speaker's Room
PrivateA wood-panelled meeting room on the first floor, lined with antique bookcases and set boardroom or U-shape. Suits a smaller briefing or private meeting ahead of a Theatre lecture.
/ Perfect For
/ Features
AV Equipment
- – Projector
- – PA System
- – Lighting Rig
Catering
- – In-House Luxury Dining
Venue Specs
- – Wi-Fi
- – Air Conditioned
- – Dedicated Events Team
/ Getting Here
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