The Red Lion at Whittlesford Bridge takes board meetings, presentation days, training sessions and weddings for up to 200 guests across the whole venue. The building is a 13th-century coaching inn with some 700 years of history, in the village of Whittlesford, south of Cambridge. It stands next to Whittlesford Parkway station and has 17 bedrooms plus a bridal suite.
Seminars and company events
Two adaptable rooms serve business events. The Garden Room seats 70 in cabaret style and has full audiovisual equipment, so it is the room to choose for presentations and training days with screens and sound. The Atrium has a glass roof, high ceilings and views of the terrace and lawns. It suits board meetings and workshops, although the daylight makes a projector screen hard to read. Its long monks table, made from a 13th-century oak beam, seats 20 for a board meeting or a working lunch. Teams arriving from London or Cambridge step off the train next door, which keeps travel time short for a one-day meeting.
Weddings and receptions
The whole venue can be booked for weddings of up to 200 guests. The Atrium hosts civil ceremonies for up to 70 guests, and the Garden Room, the largest space, takes up to 140 for the wedding breakfast and the evening reception, with views over the landscaped grounds. Couples have the bridal suite, and the events team meets each couple to plan a bespoke package.
Rooms and capacities
The Garden Room seats 70 cabaret style for meetings and 140 for a wedding breakfast or an evening reception. The Atrium hosts civil ceremonies for 70, and its monks table seats 20 for dining or board meetings. The terrace and lawns extend the space in good weather. The full venue takes up to 200 guests.
Accommodation
The inn has 17 en suite bedrooms, singles and doubles with a bath or a shower, plus the bridal suite. Dogs are welcome in the rooms for a supplement, which helps guests traveling by car for a wedding weekend.
Catering
The head chef and the kitchen team cook for the restaurant and for events, using local produce where possible. Wedding breakfasts are planned with each couple at a personal meeting, and meeting menus are arranged with the events team.
History and setting
The Red Lion describes itself as a quirky coaching inn from the 13th century. Its old timber, the oak beam of the monks table and the centuries-old rooms give a meeting a different feel from a city conference center, while the Atrium and the Garden Room add bright space looking onto the grounds. The terrace and landscaped lawns are used for drinks and photographs.
Getting there
The inn is on Station Road East, Whittlesford, CB22 4NL, beside Whittlesford Parkway station. Trains reach central Cambridge in about 8 minutes, two stops away, and London Liverpool Street in about an hour. By road, Cambridge is about 10 minutes away and junction 10 of the M11 is close by. The car park has 10 free spaces, and vehicles are registered at the bar. London Stansted is the nearest airport.
