Edinburgh is home to some truly original meeting facilities. Jenny Southan explores castles, churches and caves in search of the perfect event space.
EDINBURGH CASTLE
This 12th-century royal fortress is the city’s most famous landmark, and a highly prestigious place to hold events. Since the 17th century it has been a military base, and was used as a prison during the Napoleonic and Second World wars. Although the army moved to Redford Barracks in the 1920s, the castle still has a military garrison, with armed sentries guarding it at night – the Scottish crown jewels are housed here, after all.
There are three venues that can be hired. The 119 sqm Jacobite room has minimalist modern interiors and views across the city. It can host 100 people for a banquet or 250 for a reception, and guests have access to an outdoor terrace and the ramparts.
As the castle is open to tourists during the day, only the Gatehouse suite, which can seat 18 delegates, can be hired during opening hours (9.30am-6pm Apr-Sept, 9.30am-5pm Oct-Mar). However, the newly renovated Queen Anne building can host daytime events from November to March, accommodating 120 people for lunch. Between April and September, the whole castle can be hired for 500 people in the evening.
Guided tours can be arranged and delegates can see the jewels in the Crown room. The castle has contracted caterers and a wide range of media facilities, including mobile screens, projectors and PA systems.
Castlehill; tel +44 (0)131 668 8640; historic-scotland.gov.uk/corpevents
DYNAMIC EARTH
Located near the city centre, Dynamic Earth offers an interactive exploration of the history of our planet. Although the galleries are aimed at visiting families, they offer some unique settings for evening events. In winter Dynamic Earth is closed to the public on Mondays and Tuesdays, so it can be hired during the day as well.
The Earthscapes galleries are a quirky choice for events, with the option of having drinks by an iceberg, among extinct animals or next to coral reefs. They hold up to 550 people. Stratosphere is ideal for product launches and can host 550 people for a banquet or up to 1,200 for a reception. Ozone holds 120 people and can be used as a breakout area or exhibition space.
The Biosphere is a purpose-built conference space that can be hired at any time, with state-of-the-art technology and plenty of natural daylight. It holds up to 300 people theatre-style and can be spilt into two. The Salisbury rooms comprise the Salisbury suite, which has space for 40 delegates, the 16-capacity Boardroom and the eight-seat Hutton room.
112 Holyrood Road; tel +44 (0)131 523 1269; dynamicearth.co.uk
THE CAVES
Located beneath South Bridge, the 18th-century Caves were originally built to store barrels of whisky – that is, until the vaults began to flood and were taken over by prostitutes, criminals and down-and-outs. At one time or another they were also used as stables for the French cavalry, and as a watering hole for the poets, writers and philosophers of the Scottish Enlightenment.
The Caves began to be unearthed in the 1990s by Scottish rugby player Norrie Rowan and were carefully restored, opening up for events in 2004. Although there are still more caverns to be dug out, five subterranean venues are safe and well-equipped, while retaining their authentic atmosphere, with exposed brickwork and spooky crevices.
As natural daylight is limited, the Caves are best suited to product launches, dinners, themed nights and team-building events. The Main Vault can host up to 320 people for a reception, with the Gentleman’s lounge holding 130, the Balcony up to 40, and the Rowantree 110. The Caves come with a stage, bars and full catering.
8-12 Niddry Street South; tel +44 (0)131 557 8989; thecavesedinburgh.com
MANSFIELD TRAQUAIR
From the outside, Mansfield Traquair looks like just another solemn stone church, but step inside and you’ll find something very different. In 1892, Phoebe Anna Traquair, noted not only for her artistic talents but her love of partying, was commissioned to paint a series of murals reflecting the Old and New Testaments. Look closely and you’ll see the vibrant angels all have her red hair.
In 2003, after years of disrepair and neglect, Historic Scotland’s conservation centre led the restoration of the murals, taking two years to complete. The venue is no longer used as a church, but my guide assured me that Phoebe would have been thrilled to know her paintings could be admired by those with a glass, as well as a bible, in their hand.
The vast space is big enough for receptions of up to 700 people and sit-down dinners for up to 350. Event partner Heritage Portfolio can arrange everything from the lighting – which really transforms the place – to video-conferencing, mobile screens and film projectors. Menu options include canapés, buffets and three-course dinners. The venue is in the city centre and has wifi and natural daylight, but it’s the combination of sweeping neo-Romanesque architecture and state-of-the-art technology that really creates a striking event space.
15 Mansfield Place; tel +44 (0)131 555 8475; mansfieldtraquair.co.uk
CABARET VOLTAIRE
Around the corner from the Caves is Cabaret Voltaire, the lower levels of which are part of the underground caverns of the Old Town’s Cowgate district. Excavations were completed in 1996, and it has belonged to Sarah David since 2005. It’s open daily as a nightclub with DJs and live bands.
Much has been done to preserve the original 18th-century building – raw brickwork arches on one side are protected by glass – yet the venue feels darkly exotic. The décor was inspired by Prohibition-era jazz clubs and combines art deco furnishings and elegant illuminations with sunken leather booths and a glossy catwalk beneath a vaulted roof.
Downstairs, the main club can host 300 people for a reception, and the two back rooms can each seat 20 delegates boardroom-style. On ground level is the 109 sqm Speakeasy, which lends itself well to corporate get-togethers, presentations, fundraising events and receptions. It has a capacity of 60 people cabaret-style or 220 for a reception, with a height of just over two metres. The Speakeasy has its own cocktail bar and is kitted out with four screens, surround sound, catering, air conditioning, projectors, some natural light and wifi access.
36 Blair Street; tel +44 (0)131 220 6176; thecabaretvoltaire.com
ROYAL YACHT BRITANNIA
Forget the recession – if you’re looking for a rather special place to hold a reception or banquet, the Royal Yacht Britannia could be it. It’s moored 3km outside the city centre, where its 40-odd years of sailing the world came to an end in 1997. The Royal Family used the yacht for almost a thousand official visits, and the interiors have been kept, with the Queen’s chintzy cabin on view and in pristine condition.
In the daytime the yacht is overrun with tourists, but come the evening, guests will receive the red-carpet treatment, even being serenaded by a bagpiper as they climb aboard. Guests receive individual invitations to events by post, private tours of the vessel, a pianist in reception, champagne and canapés, an executive chef who prepares all the food on board, and seamless service fit for a monarch (staff even maintain such practices as measuring the distance between silverware on the table to ensure the perfect layout). If so desired, a fireworks display, an orchestra or even the Royal Marines can be arranged to entertain, as well as casino nights, after-dinner dancing and whisky tasting. The elegant venue might seem the perfect place to hold a wedding or birthday celebration, but unfortunately the Royal Yacht can only be booked for corporate events.
There are four venues on board that can be hired. The Wardroom holds 20 people banquet-style, while the Drawing room and the State dining room can host 100 and 150 people for a reception, respectively. At a cost of about £1 million, the new Royal Deck opened at the beginning of the year and has impressive sea views through floor-to-ceiling windows. It has space for 130 people standing.
Ocean Terminal, Leith; tel +44 (0)131 555 8800; royalyachtbritannia.co.uk
ROYAL BOTANIC GARDEN
A short drive out of the city centre will bring you to the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh, with its 70 acres of manicured lawns, landscaped grounds and gardens. These strive to maintain biodiversity by growing about 17,000 species of plants and trees from all over the world. Dating back to 1670, the venue started life as a small garden for medicinal plants in Holyrood Park, but later relocated to the larger Inverleith site when botanists started importing plants from overseas in the 19th century.
Aside from being a pleasant place to take a stroll, the Royal Botanic Garden has a number of meeting and conference facilities, ranging from the Hansel and Gretel-style Caledonian hall, which can host 100 for a reception, to the 240-capacity lecture theatre.
However, the highlight is the £15.7 million John Hope Gateway by the West Gate, which opened this month and doubles as a visitor facility and events venue. Inside is the John Hope restaurant, which can be transformed in the evenings for receptions of up to 200 guests.
The designers have put a lot of thought into creating a building with high levels of sustainability. It features a wind turbine, biomass boiler, solar panels, a funnel and cedar grass on the roof for collecting rainwater. There is no need for air conditioning as the building is naturally cooled by cleverly placed wind vents.
The spacious interiors are made from Austrian larch with a freestanding wooden spiral staircase leading to the upper level, which looks back down into the atrium, where a fig tree is to be planted. Bright green panels on the ceiling have been cut into shapes to look like the cross-section of a leaf, and floor-to-ceiling windows upstairs lead on to a broad terrace overlooking the Biodiversity garden and pools. Organise a meeting here and even your tables will be organic – they’re shaped like leaves and made from solid elm, ash, sycamore and oak.
20A Inverleith Row; tel +44 (0)131 331 3303; rbge.org.uk
