Unique Venues of London signs up three new event spaces

Venue consortium Unique Venues of London (UVL) has signed up three new members: Harrow School, the Museum of the Order of St John and the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA).
 
The three venues will join UVL’s 76 other member event spaces from January 2013.
 
Harrow (pictured) was founded in 1572 under a royal charter granted by Elizabeth I. Distinguished Old Harrovians include seven British Prime Ministers and the first Prime Minister of India, Pandit Nehru, as well as poets and writers as diverse as Byron, Sheridan and Richard Curtis.
 
Harrow School can host meetings and events for 10-550, has four spaces licensed for civil ceremonies and even has furniture dating back to the time of Henry V.
 
Museum of the Order of St John was the main ceremonial gatehouse entrance to the Priory of the Order of St John; it was built by the Knights of Malta in 1504. After the Reformation it was given by Elizabeth I to her Master of Revels and several of Shakespeare’s plays were first permed there.
 
The Museum had a £4m redevelopment in 2010 and offers tours of rooms not normally opened to the public as part of an event. There is a famous chandelier from the Borghese Palace in Rome hanging in the Chapter Hall and a rare wooden spiral staircase, which dates from the sixteenth century, in the West Tower. The Museum is licensed for wedding ceremonies.
 
RIBA is a 1930s Art Deco building built in 1934. It houses the largest architectural library in Europe and has 23 event spaces including an original 1930s tiered auditorium which can accommodate up to 400, as well as more modern rooms, outside space and the Florence Hall.
 
UVL was established in 1993, initiated by the Natural History Museum. It is a membership organisation of 79 unique and specialist properties within the capital.
 
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