Funky Venues

Venue Review

Character: Romanesque Victorian epic.

Funky Features: Spectacular dinosaur hall with bridge above space.

Location and History

When the Government released the funds to build a natural history museum in London in the 1860s, Captain Francis Fowke, architect of the V&A and the Albert Hall was commissioned to provide his Victorian take on the renaissance palace. But Fowke died suddenly and the contract was awarded instead to young Manchester architect, Alfred Waterhouse.
Waterhouse, architect of Manchester Town Hall altered Fowke’s design from Renaissance to German Romanesque and created a distinct and unmistakable landmark that has become perhaps the best-loved museum in South Kensington’s museum ghetto.

Interior

The terracotta brick building constructed in 1881 is as much loved as the treasures it holds. The building is majestic in scale and design - the arches of the grand entrance were inspired by basalt columns at Fingal’s Cave in western Scotland - yet it is lovingly and intricately detailed. Monkeys climb the gables and gawp at visitors; bees and butterflies alight on ledges whilst delicate vines are etched into columns. This is vivid Victorian architecture at its most exuberant and exciting.

Spaces for Hire

The Main Hall famously houses a reconstructed dinosaur that can be dressed for any occasion.  Mosaic floors, intricate brickwork and the soaring ceiling add grandeur and splendour.  Colonnaded galleries flank the upper echelons of the hall, and the bridge over the entrance provides a great view of the space which is ideal for ceremonies, fashion shows, receptions and dinners.

Also for hire is a long vaulted corridor with skylight ceilings, arches, wooden flooring and display cabinets that run the length of the long bars.  This space leads on to the Bird Gallery which is filled with cabinets of exotic plumes which works well with the previous space or as a reception area.

The Earth Galleries benefit from a separate entrance that provides a spectacular view over the room: dark stone walls highlight six icons which display antique scientific paraphernalia, ancient fossils and minerals.  A large metal globe hanging from the corner of the ceiling provides a focal point as well as access into the upper galleries via an escalator.  This dark and dramatic space can be dressed to spectacular effect with simple details.

The upper space, The Power Within is a display which demonstrates the power of the moving planet complete with a simulator that recreates the earthquake of Kobe in 1995.  Meanwhile the Earth’s Treasury is the perfect space for an intimate reception or dinner where guests can nestle amongst a hoard of precious and semi-precious stones that glitter brightly in the grey room.