Our Brutalist Venue

Brutalist Event Venue

20 Bedford Way is proudly brutalist. We believe that our unique architecture makes us stand out from the crowd. Events, conferences and performances held at our central London venue are guaranteed to make an impact and last longer in the memory.
 

What is brutalism?

Brutalism is a school of modernist architecture that began during the 1950s, but is widely associated with 1970s architecture. Brutalist buildings are often “geometric, massive, monolithic and blocky” and typified by the use of poured and moulded concrete in their construction. See how our very own 20 Bedford Way in construction in these rare photographs or to find out more about what brutalist architecture is and where to find it in London.

Brutalist London

London has many fine examples of Brutalist architecture. Our venue shares its architect, Sir Denys Lasdun, with iconic buildings such as the National Theatre on the South Bank and SOAS building for the University of London. In a review of London’s Brutalist buildings, the Londonist described the UCL Institute of Education at 20 Bedford Way as, “a gorgeous hunk of a building.” This is a fact recognised by its grade II* listed status.

Other famous buildings from the era including the Barbican Centre, the Royal College of Physicians and the Centre Point Tower. You can see more examples of brutalism in our Guide to Brutalist London.

In recent years, Brutalism has found a new audience with numerous fans taking to Instagram and other platforms to share their love of raw concrete and brutalist architecture. The resurgence has also been seen across cinema and television; with brutalism an in-demand aesthetic for film and TV producers as well as photographers.

Brutalist Locations for filming & photo shoots

The features of our iconic building provide fantastic backdrops for photo shoots and filming. Seventies architecture, socialist and Soviet architecture and brutalist locations are very popular at the moment. The textures and contrasts are visually powerful and evocative.

You’ll find no better example than 20 Bedford Way with its dramatic ventilation system and captivating external staircases. You also get an incredible view of Bloomsbury and London’s famous skyline from our roof space. From music videos to fashion shoots, cold war dramas to action films, make sure you visit our unique venue.

Brutalist Event Venue for Hire

If you are interested in hiring any of our spaces for events, conferences or even meetings or want to talk to us about shoot locations then contact our team on 020 7612 6143.

You can see more examples of brutalism in our Guide to Brutalist London or find out more about the architect by viewing our interactive Sir Denys Lasdun timeline.