The Cinema Museum hosts talks, presentations, screenings, product launches, awaydays and parties for up to 100 guests in its Main Hall, with a smaller screening room under restoration. The museum occupies part of the former Lambeth Workhouse at 2 Dugard Way in Kennington, south London, close to Elephant and Castle.
Seminars and company events
The Main Hall takes up to 100 people with a mix of theatre and café-style seating, which suits a presentation followed by networking, a team awayday or a company screening. Full audio-visual support is available, and the hall can project both digital files and film. Any booking can be combined with a guided tour of the collection, themed around the event, with refreshments. The museum also hires its rooms for filming when a production needs a cinema-related backdrop, and for public meetings, annual general meetings, socials and fundraisers.
Weddings and receptions
The museum has hosted marriage celebrations, anniversaries and memorials in the Main Hall. Couples and families looking for a reception with a film theme can pair the event with a private screening or a tour of the collection.
Rooms and capacities
The Main Hall is the principal space for hire, for up to 100 guests. It is decorated with artefacts from the collection and is reached by lift from the ground floor, so access is step-free. A café and a licensed bar serve the hall. The Screening Room, with 36 seats and flexible projection, is being restored and is due to open for smaller events, presentations and screenings later in 2026.
Catering
The hall has its own café and licensed bar, and refreshments can be added to a tour. The museum website does not describe set menus, so organisers planning a dinner or a large reception should raise food when they ask about dates.
History and setting
The museum is a registered charity, run largely by volunteers, that collects and preserves the history of cinema-going. Its collection covers artefacts, memorabilia and projection equipment from the 1890s to the present day. The building was once part of the Lambeth Workhouse, and the Main Hall was its chapel. Charlie Chaplin entered the workhouse as a child when his mother could no longer support the family, and the museum keeps Chaplin items, including a sculpture of his Little Tramp. The museum receives no public funding and is raising money to buy the building it occupies. There are no regular opening hours: visitors see the collection on guided tours of about two hours, which include around thirty minutes of short films.
Getting there
The address is 2 Dugard Way, off Renfrew Road, London SE11 4TH. Kennington and Elephant and Castle stations are within walking distance. The site lies inside the central London Congestion Charge zone. Cycle parking is provided, and limited car parking can be arranged in advance. The ground floor has level access and an accessible toilet, and a lift serves the upper floor.
