Lindley Hall, London facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Lindley Hall
London flower show in Lindley Hall
Location	City of Westminster, London, England, United Kingdom
Built	1904
Architect	Edwin J Stebbs
Architectural style(s)	Edwardian, Renaissance, Arts and Crafts
Listed Building – Grade II
Designated	1970
Country	United Kingdom
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Lindley Hall is a famous building in Westminster, London, England. It's one of two special halls owned by the Royal Horticultural Society, a charity that loves plants and gardens. Lindley Hall is used for many different events, like big product launches, important meetings, cool fashion shows, and even weddings! It's a really busy and important place in central London.

History of Lindley Hall

Lindley Hall (on the right) in London

The idea for Lindley Hall came from King Edward VII, who was the monarch (king) of England at the time. He thought the Royal Horticultural Society needed its own special building to hold its amazing flower shows.

A talented architect named Edwin J Stebbs designed Lindley Hall. It was built in 1904 using red bricks and stone. The building has a mix of styles, including Arts and Crafts and Renaissance details. One of the coolest things about its design is how much natural light it lets in. Even today, that's a key part of what makes the building special, though it can also be made completely dark for events. It's a great example of Edwardian architecture, which was popular during King Edward VII's reign.

On July 22, 1904, King Edward VII and his wife, Queen Alexandra, officially opened the hall.

For many years, from 1910 to 1939, Lindley Hall was home to the All England Open Badminton Championships, a major badminton tournament. In 1970, the building was officially recognized as a Grade II listed building. This means it's an important historical building that needs to be protected.

The hall is named after a famous English botanist (plant scientist) called John Lindley. The Lindley Library, which has a huge collection of books about plants, is also managed by the Royal Horticultural Society on the same site.

Inside the Hall

Lindley Hall has several different areas that can be used for events. It's a very large and flexible space!

Cool Events Held Here

Lindley Hall has hosted many exciting events over the years. Here are just a few examples:

• The 1946 World Snooker Championship
• A big launch for Marks & Spencer's new women's clothing in 2003.
• The International Peace Conference in 2005.
• The Lancôme Colour Design Awards in 2006.
• Fashion shows for famous designers like Stella McCartney (2009), Tom Ford (2014), Moschino (2014 and 2015), and Mary Katrantzou (2015).
• A fundraising dinner for the Katie Piper Foundation in 2014, attended by celebrities like Simon Cowell, Cheryl Fernandez-Versini, Louis Walsh, and Mel B.
• Fashion shows for Paul Smith and classic car auctions by Coys of Kensington (both in March 2017).
• A launch event for Volkswagen (March 2017).
• During the Covid-19 Pandemic in 2021, it was even used as a vaccination centre to help people get their vaccines.

The hall can hold different numbers of people depending on the type of event:

Seen on Screen

Lindley Hall is so cool that it's even been used as a location for filming!

• The TV show BBC Question Time has been filmed there.
• The music video for Robbie Williams' song "Old Before I Die" was shot in the hall.
• An advertisement for the Audi Q5 car was filmed there.
• Parts of the music video for Harry Styles' song "As It Was" were also filmed at Lindley Hall.