20 Cavendish Square

An extraordinary Georgian mansion house enriched with historic architecture and cutting edge technology, 20 Cavendish Square is a central London venue with a complete proposition for all occasions. Having played home to England's Prime Minister, Lord Asquith and other dignitaries over the centuries, this venue has the reputation, heritage, and elegance of a truly impressive British establishment offering a wide range of spaces for a variety of special events. With its period decor, wood panelling, ornate plasterwork, glittering chandeliers and a prominent location, this is a magnificent setting for gala dinners, cocktail receptions and fashion events that require a landmark venue.

20 Cavendish Square is an extraordinary eighteenth century venue offering cutting edge event facilities in a prestigious location. A remarkable blend of historic and contemporary architecture, this fashionable 18th century venue was built in 1729 and is now Grade II listed. The venue was one of the earliest buildings in the square with eminent residents including England's Prime Minister, Lord Asquith as well as Lord Montford and Lord Barrington. It is now home to the Royal College of Nursing, a professional organisation that has been supporting nurses since 1926. The 20 Cavendish Square event spaces cover a wide range of preferences in terms of style and are suitable for hosting a variety of memorable events.

With its period decor, wood panelling, ornate plasterwork, glittering chandeliers and a prominent location, this is a magnificent setting for gala dinners, cocktail receptions and fashion events. The ballroom (Cowdray Hall), together with the adjoining Council Room form an outstanding combination of event spaces for high profile private and corporate events. For workshops, seminars, conferences and training, there are a range of 11 different spaces with state of the art Audio Visual integration. This includes the two modern conference rooms; Annie Altschul and Agnes Hunt, both of which are flexible and have natural light with a capacity of up to 70 guests, theatre style. On the other end of the scale, there are the graceful Mona Grey and Sarah Swift rooms which are perfect for exclusive board meetings, private dinners and other intimate events.

The proposition for high calibre events at 20 Cavendish Square is complete with incredible hospitality by Wilson Vale, flexibility of event spaces, quintessentially Georgian architecture combined with cutting edge technology and a prominent central London location – minutes from Oxford Circus tube station. With a total of 13 different rooms for events, this landmark venue is the right choice for a vast range of corporate events and private celebrations. This is not all. Guests to any event at 20 Cavendish Square will also discover striking historic features like the painted main staircase, created in 1730 by Sir James Thornhill - the painter of the Dome in St. Paul's Cathedral. Over the centuries, this central London venue and its locality has built a reputation for hosting world-class exclusive events.

The 18th century town house at no. 20 Cavendish Square was one of the earliest houses in the square and had some eminent residents including England's Prime Minister, Lord Asquith as well as Lord Montford and Lord Barrington. The other properties on the square have also been home to distinguished individuals including Lord Nelson, Earl of Gainsborough and Princess Amelia; daughter of George II. The building is thought to have been built in 1729 by Edward Shepard, after whom Shepard Market was named.

The Royal College of Nursing was founded in 1916, in response to the need for an organisation to represent the interests of the thousands of nurses who had joined the profession during the First World War. Due to its rapid expansion, one of the principal founders of the College, asked Viscountess Cowdray, who had given assistance for many years to the College and its work to provide the College with a new building. She purchased it in the early 1920's in order to convert it into a Professional Women's Club for the nurses of the College, which was later known as the Cowdray Club. The Club was taken over by the College in 1972 and gradually disappeared. The building is now home to the Royal College of Nursing.

Around 200 years ago, the site on which this building stands was a stretch of generously wooded countryside and green fields. Cavendish Square was initially laid out for the 2nd Earl of Oxford in 1717 as the first development on the Earl's London estate. From early in the eighteenth century, this beautiful locality gradually became one the most fashionable neighbourhoods of Georgian England.