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Venue Focus Magazine Feature, Autumn 2005 - 'Bigger Fish to Fry'

Address:	Old Billingsgate Market, 1 Old Billingsgate Walk, (Riverside Entrance), 16 Lower Thames Street EC3
Tel	020 7283 2800
Fax:	020 7626 1095
Email:	Contact by email
Website:	Visit their website

Venue Focus Magazine Feature, Autumn 2005 - 'Bigger Fish to Fry' Information:

Once the home of barrow boys and fish traders, Old Billingsgate Market now hosts glamorous events for A-list stars and top corporate clients. Design writer Bethan Ryder is impressed with the space.

It may not have seen a flapping fin for more than 20 years, but the impressive arcaded building known as Old Billingsgate has a rather fishy past. Designed by Sir Horace Jones and erected in 1875 to house the famous Billingsgate fish market, it stands on a site that was once a Roman port and where fish-trading traditions date back to the 16th century. The salt-battered fishermen have long since departed (the market moved to Canary Wharf during the booming 1980s), leaving behind a stunning riverside venue that now operates solely as an events space, more likely to host glittering gala dinners than early morning auctions.

Particularly popular with the film industry (its size alone makes this place a favourite with the big players), Old Billingsgate has played host to a number of star-studded events, including the recent post-premiere party for Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, attended by, among others, Johnny Depp (aka Willy Wonka). The venue’s sales and marketing manager, Andrew Morrow, was impressed with what the organisers did with the space. ‘It looked amazing. There were loads of sweets and chocolate fountains, bouncy castles going up to the roof, and glass elevators servicing the VIP area on the mezzanine,’ he says.

Another stellar occasion was the Moet & Chandon Fashion Tribute to Matthew Williamson, at which Sienna Miller, Helena Christensen and Kate Moss were among the 350 guests. With such a style-conscious audience, creating the right look was of great importance and the organisers chose Old Billingsgate for its blank canvas character, as Lizzie Cunningham, the PR director for Moet Hennessy UK, explains: ‘It’s just such a huge open space and you can dress it however you want – plus it’s easy to get to from the centre of town and has beautiful river views. We’d definitely use it again.’

Old Billingsgate has only been a full-time events venue since the tail-end of 2001, and Morrow says its relative youth adds to its appeal. ‘I think a lot of people are bored with the big Park Lane venues as they’ve been done so many times,’ he explains, adding that the venue’s location is also a real advantage. A short drive from the West End and just a few minutes’ walk from Bank, Cannon Street and Tower Hill, it is also very close to City Airport, making it a popular choice for events that attract visitors from Europe.

Then there’s the site’s versatility. This place can cope with anything from conferences and exhibitions to elaborate evening events and, unusually, one-day hire runs from 6am to 6am, so there’s plenty of time to get in and out. Furthermore, the site comprises four main internal hire spaces: the hall, the terrace, the deck and the vaults.

The triple-height 28,000sq ft ground-floor hall is the main attraction, and can accommodate dinners for 200-1,500 guests, receptions for 2,400 or conferences for up to 1,000 delegates. Beautiful glass skylights flood this lofty space with light and, at the rear, swathes of plate glass reveal the spacious riverfront terrace that usually serves as an entrance area for evening events. Overlooking the hall is the deck, a broad, cantilevered walkway or mezzanine area that can be linked with the main hall below but has a surprising capacity of its own. It can accommodate up to 800 standing guests, or 300 for a sit-down occasion.

Meanwhile, deep in the bowels of the building is the vault, a cellar of interlinking exposed brick arches surrounding an internal sunken courtyard, which makes a fantastic dance floor. The vault can accommodate 750 people, although its quadrant-style layout lends it a cosier feel than this size would suggest, making it ideal for loungey, late-night gatherings. The organisers of last year’s Unicef charity dinner, La Dolce Vita, made great use of this space by allowing the nightclub Pangaea to host a VIP after-party event in the vaults. This followed a Gordon Ramsay-catered dinner, featuring a live performance by Sting.

Last but not least there’s the gallery. This intimate upstairs area has accommodated private dinners for up to 200 guests. Simple and rectilinear, it benefits from a stunning barrel-vaulted glass ceiling, which creates a light and airy feel. Its proportions make it particularly well suited to events centred around a catwalk – Top Man and Levis have both held fashion shows here – but it also makes a great theatre-style conference space for up to 300 delegates.

Let’s Go Outside

One of Old Billingsgate’s most striking features is its riverfront terrace, which can accommodate up to 1,000 guests against the backdrop of spectacular Thames vistas and a clear view of Tower Bridge. And, although it comes into its own in summer, there’s nothing to stop organisers using this fantastic space year-round. Why not ask guests to wrap up warm for a festive mulled wine reception ahead of a seasonal event? Or, better still, apply for a fireworks permit from the Corporation of London and finish that bash with a bang.