12 Surprising things you didn’t know about some of London’s top event venues
Thursday 30 June 2016
Think of the top cities around the world. Then think of their event scenes. Have you reached the same conclusion as us? If you have, then you’ll agree that London has to be up there as having one of the best event scenes on the planet. From dining in a converted public toilet to doing yoga under the Rubens in a former royal residence...the possibilities are endless. Working in our line of work, we are constantly finding out unusual facts about the many event venues, our fair city (London) has to offer. We thought we would share 12 of our recent favourites:
1. Building Six at The O2
The entire structure of The O2 is a monument to time, in recognition of their proximity to the Greenwich Meridian Line: the circumference of the building is 365m (representing days in the year), there are 12 steel masts (representing months of the year), and the viewing platform at the top of The O2 is 52m above the ground (representing weeks in the year).
2. Tower of London
The Tower of London contained the original London Zoo. Everything from elephants to tigers, kangaroos and ostriches lived in what was known as the Royal Menagerie at the Tower of London. In 1832 the royal beasts were transferred to the new site in Regent’s Park where it has remained until this day.
3. BMA House
Charles Dickens, the famous novelist, lived at BMA House between 1851 and 1860 where he wrote Little Dorrit and A Tale of Two Cities.
4. Regent's Conference & Events
This venue started its life in 1849 as Bedford College and was the first higher education institution for women in the UK. Famous names who attended classes included the novelist George Eliot and Charles Dickens’s thirteen-year-old daughter Katey. Many of those early students and founders were campaigners for female education, suffrage, and married women’s property rights.
5. Barbican
The Barbican Conservatory hosted the world’s first silent disco when Aphex Twin performed a DJ set in the space in 2001.
6. British Library
The British Library has over 625 km of shelves, and grows by 12 km every year
7. Shakespeare's Globe
The current globe is the 4th reincarnation of Shakespeare’s original theatre. His first was located in Shoreditch in the late 1500’s, which Shakespeare and his acting peers literally stole overnight, rebuilding it on the south side of the river. The Globe then grew in popularity in its new location before burning down during some overzealous special effects in 1613, and was the rebuilt for a third time. Finally, in the 1640’s the Globe was torn down during the Civil War as the puritans and the theatre was no more. It wasn’t until 1997 when the Globe Theatre we know today reopened; the fourth of its kind
8. The Runnymede on the Thames
This Runnymede Hotel is the closest hotel to the site where the Magna Carta was signed over 800 years ago.
9. Middle Temple Hall
A new oak floor for Middle Temple Hall was laid by Field house in 1730. When the old floor was lifted, 100 pairs of dice found beneath the floor.
10. Belgraves – A Thompson Hotel
Belgraves in Kensington has many strong female influences. Their cigar sommelier Paola is one of only two female cigar sommeliers in the UK. Their executive chef, Sophie Michell is the youngest female exec chef in the UK and their property was designed by Tara Bernerd, a highly acclaimed female British interior designer.
11. The Brewery
The Brewery's largest room the Porter Tun was completed in 1974 and boasts the second widest timber span roof in London, second to Westminster Hall.
If you put the activity poles at Go Ape Battersea Park end- on - end they would reach 300.6 metres in height, which is higher than Canary Wharf (and just 9 metres shy of the Shard).