Toynbee Hall takes conferences, talks, training sessions, away days, receptions, private dinners, charity galas and celebrations for groups of up to 100, in two historic halls and a set of meeting rooms. The venue occupies a Grade II listed Victorian building at 28 Commercial Street in East London, a few minutes from Aldgate East and Liverpool Street stations. Toynbee Hall has been a center of social action since 1884.
Seminars and company events
The Lecture Hall is the main room for conferences, panel talks and corporate events, and the Ashbee Hall handles workshops, away days and networking sessions. The meeting rooms take training, interviews and board meetings, seven days a week. Wi-Fi runs through the building and supports hybrid meetings, livestreams and video calls. Microphones, lecterns, projectors and LCD screens are available, and the team can arrange event production. The halls can be hired on their own, together as a multi-room booking or for exclusive use.
Weddings and receptions
The venue lists weddings and celebrations among its uses. The Lecture Hall can be set for a banquet of up to 100, and the Ashbee Hall, with natural light and high ceilings, suits receptions and private dinners for up to 60.
Rooms and capacities
The Lecture Hall is the largest space for hire, at 111 m², for 40 to 100 people. It keeps its wood paneling and high ceilings and can be set in cabaret, theatre, classroom or banquet style, or left flexible. The Ashbee Hall measures 97 m² and takes 40 to 60, with natural light, high ceilings, air conditioning and boardroom, classroom, cabaret or banquet layouts. Both halls are on the ground floor with step-free access. The three meeting rooms measure 31, 53 and 63 m² and take up to 40 people, in layouts from U-shape to theatre. A further board room, the Atrium, is announced as coming soon.
Catering
Catering comes from a group of partner caterers. Trade serves modern British food such as sandwiches, salads and baked treats for corporate lunches and networking. Karma Cans offers seasonal tiffin-style meals for meetings and conferences. OiTij Jo Kitchen cooks Bangladeshi dishes, with full dinner menus for receptions and community events. Shoots & Leaves prepares sharing platters, salads and canapés for workshops and smaller celebrations.
History and setting
Toynbee Hall opened in 1884 as a settlement house where university graduates lived and worked alongside residents of the East End, and it remains a charity working on poverty and social justice. The listed building has been restored, and the halls keep the high ceilings and paneling of the Victorian interior while offering modern connectivity. Hiring a room here means working in a building with more than 130 years of East London history.
Getting there
Aldgate East, on the District and Hammersmith & City lines, and Liverpool Street, with Underground, Elizabeth line, Overground and national rail services, are both a few minutes' walk away. The City of London and Spitalfields are next door. London City Airport is the closest airport.
