Mansfield Traquair is an exclusive-use event venue in Edinburgh, in a former church restored for weddings, parties and corporate events. It seats up to 350 guests for dinner and up to 300 for a dinner dance, and it receives up to 700 for a standing reception. The venue sells conferences, product launches, gala dinners and award ceremonies, and it is also a wedding venue.
Seminars and company events
The venue lists conferences, product launches, corporate meetings and gala dinners among its corporate events. Audiences can be seated theatre-style, and the team can build the room around a launch or an awards evening. The restoration added modern technology inside the historic stone, including lighting and entertainment capability. The ceiling carries a five-tonne lighting rig, and the structure is built to hold the weight of a car for aerial performers.
An in-house event design team works with organisers on the layout, staging and branding of the room, from a discreet business conference to a society ball. You can be as involved or as remote as your time allows. A full technical specification, floor plan and dimensions are available from the venue on request.
Weddings and receptions
Weddings are a core use. Ceremonies take place in the Baldacchino, the Nave or the garden, and receptions follow in the same spaces. The venue offers wedding planners and event designers, a wedding brochure to download, and appointments to view the building. The same team also runs parties, from ceilidhs and birthdays to graduation balls and Christmas and Hogmanay events.
Rooms and capacities
The official site gives these maximum guest numbers: dinner, up to 350; dinner dance, up to 300; seated buffet, up to 275; reception, up to 700. The named spaces are the Baldacchino, the Nave and a secluded garden. The Baldacchino is used for ceremonies and cocktail receptions, the Nave for dinners and dancing, and the garden for garden parties and tea. Because the venue is hired exclusively, your group has the whole building.
Catering
Food and drink are provided by Heritage Portfolio, the venue's event partner. The team offers menus and drinks selections for conferences, weddings and parties, and tastings are available for wedding clients. Dietary requirements are handled as part of the menu planning.
History and setting
The building was commissioned as a church by the Catholic Apostolic Church. In 1892, Phoebe Anna Traquair was chosen to paint the interior murals, which cover the chancel arch, the chancel aisles and the nave with biblical and apocalyptic scenes. The chancel arch mural is 19 meters high. The architecture is neo-Romanesque, and a long restoration returned the building to use as an event space. The venue calls itself Edinburgh's Sistine Chapel because of the murals.
Getting there
Mansfield Traquair stands at 15 Mansfield Place, Edinburgh EH3 6BB, at the eastern edge of the New Town. The site describes the location as convenient for most guests. Ask the venue about parking, transport and access when you enquire.
