Venue Hire
Quentin Blake Centre for Illustration is housed in New River Head, a restored former water works dating back to the 17th century. The heritage site is now the world’s largest space dedicated to illustration, offering a unique setting for a wide range of events.
Multiple spaces within the Centre are available to hire, accommodating for events of different types and sizes against a unique historical and cultural backdrop. The spaces support a range of uses, including:
- Corporate receptions and client hospitality
- Small daytime conferences and away days
- Exclusive private dinners
- Product and book launches
- Panel discussions, talks and screenings
- Filming and photography
To discuss availability, pricing or request our venue hire pack, please contact venuehire@qbcentre.org.uk.
Illustration changes everything. Find out how hiring Quentin Blake Centre for Illustration will empower more people as illustrators here.
Our spaces
Boiler House Cafe
Once New River Head’s Boiler Room, this space at the centre of the site is now an open-plan cafe opening onto an south-facing outdoor terrace.
The space is home to an original Quentin Blake mural created for the Centre as well as built-in AV suitable for speeches, screenings and panel discussions. The Boiler House Cafe is ideal for a variety of events from receptions and dinners to talks and screenings.
The capacity for this space is as follows:
- 150 guests for standing receptions
- 40 guests for seated dinners
- 40–60 guests for conferences and away days
Engine House Galleries
Our galleries in New River Head’s former Engine House can be exclusively opened for evening or daytime* hires allowing guests to explore our exhibitions outside of opening hours. The space is ideal for welcome drinks, private views and receptions and can be booked independently or in combination with the Boiler Room.
The Engine House Galleries have a capacity of 100 across all three floors.
Please note that food and drinks restrictions apply in the galleries to protect artworks.
*Monday and Tuesday only
Creative Studio & Windmill Base
Located outside the central Boiler Room and Engine House, the Creative Studios host family, school and community projects, while the Windmill Base provides a dedicated space for illustration residencies to create and display their work.
Both spaces are available for daytime or evening hire and are ideal for small meetings and away days or as breakout spaces when booked alongside the Boiler Room and Engine House Galleries.
The Creative Studios can accommodate up to 30 people for meetings and workshops or 40 for talks, while the Windmill Base has a capacity of eight people.
Additional Experiences
Quentin Blake Centre for Illustration can offer additional experiences for venue hire clients, tailored to suit each event. These include:
- Curator-led exhibition tours
- Illustration workshops and demonstrations
- Talks by illustrators, designers and cultural practitioners
To find out more, contact a member of our events team.
Full daytime venue hire is available on Mondays and Tuesdays. Full evening venue hire is available on enquiry.
To discuss availability, pricing or request our venue hire pack, please contact venuehire@qbcentre.org.uk.
- Daytime hire (full day): starting from £1,200
- Daytime hire (half day): starting from £900
- Evening receptions: starting from £3,000
- Evening dinners: starting from £3,500
- Filming & photography: from £250 per hour
- Small meetings and private events (Creative Studio, short daytime use): starting from £225 per hour
Please note all hire fees are excluding VAT.
Location
The Centre is well located, less than 10 minutes’ walk from Angel Station and close to Farringdon and King’s Cross St Pancras stations as well as numerous bus routes.
Venue Hire FAQs
We can host private events across four principal hire areas: the Cafe, Engine House Galleries, Creative Studios and Windmill Base. Depending on the format, the foyer and terrace can also support arrivals, circulation or breakout use.
Capacities depend on layout, catering and collections restrictions, but current headline figures are:
- Cafe up to 150 standing or 40 for seated dinners
- Engine House up to 100 people across all three floors
- Creative Studios up to 40
- Foyer up to 70
Final agreed capacities are confirmed as part of the event planning process.
Private hire availability varies by space, date and the Centre’s public programme. Our current operations allow private evening hires in the Cafe and Engine House, with the Creative Studios and Windmill Base hires available more flexibly during the day and evening. All bookings are subject to diary availability, programme use and venue approvals.
Yes. Daytime hires are possible Mondays and Tuesdays for formats such as meetings, away days, workshops and launches, with availability depending on the space and the public programme.
The hire fee includes use of the booked space within the agreed hours and capacities, access to the existing in-house AV in that space, standard Wi-Fi, basic house furniture and venue event management. Catering, upgraded production, additional staffing and security and any out-of-scope setup are quoted separately.
A 10% agent commission is payable on the net venue hire fee only, excluding VAT. Commission is calculated after any discounts, based on the actual hire fee paid. It is payable only after the event has taken place and all invoices have been fully settled. Only one commission claimant is permitted per booking.
No commission is payable on cancellations. Claims must be submitted within 60 days of the event date.
Yes, subject to approval. Quentin Blake Centre for Illustration is working with preferred and approved suppliers, but the venue papers also allow for client-choice caterers where they comply with venue policies, insurance, RAMS, collections rules and operational procedures. External caterers can use fixed kitchen equipment for a fee, but movable kitchen equipment is not included.
Yes. The venue operates in a residential area and has curfews and planning conditions in place. Evening private hires are capped annually, guests must leave by the agreed off-site time at 10.30pm, the terrace closes at night at 10pm and there is no amplified sound outdoors. Food and drink are not permitted in Coal Store galleries and décor or production elements must be approved where collections or historic fabric are involved.
A client logo or image can be shown on the welcome screen free of charge. Additional branding, signage and venue dressing may be possible by arrangement, but all requests must be collections-safe and approved in advance. Nothing can be fixed directly to walls or historic fabric without permission.
Yes, cloakroom provision can be arranged for many events. A cloakroom can be established in either the foyer or the Creative Studios. Final cloakroom setup depends on the event format and staffing plan.
Accessibility is a core part of the venue’s design and operations. Current documents reference accessible toilet facilities, assistive listening across the venue, induction loops at reception and the cafe, support for British Sign Language applications, service-animal access, mobility scooter charging and limited pre-bookable accessible parking. Access requirements are also built into event planning.
We have a quiet space suitable for up to two VIPs.
We do not offer accommodation, but we have partnership deals with local hotels.
Yes. Smoking and vaping are prohibited indoors, on the cafe terrace and in the Studio Garden, but venue hire guests may use the designated smoking area near the Myddelton entrance.
Yes. Standard Wi-Fi is included in venue hire. We have wireless access points and network connectivity across key event spaces.
We have very limited back-of-house storage. All external event equipment brought to site must be collected before the next opening.
Yes, by prior arrangement. Deliveries are managed through booked slots and agreed routes, with engines switched off during loading and one vehicle at a time in the courtyard access. Larger or bulk deliveries are handled carefully around opening hours and site operations.
There is no general guest parking offer. Limited pre-booked accessible parking is available for visitors and delivery or service access is controlled separately. For most guests, public transport and nearby loading bays and pick-up points are a better option. Find out more here.