We’ve dug deep to unearth London’s lushest locations for outdoor entertaining
Capacity 200
Over in the City, the Grade I-listed home of the Skinners’ Company hides a secret. Through its ceremonial gates, across the courtyard, and above the Great Hall, its crowning glory is an Italianate rooftop garden, where olive trees will make yours a particularly summery party.
Capacity 120
No.11 Cavendish Square is a Georgian townhouse with a rare asset. Its tranquil courtyard garden is scattered with informal seating areas, barbecue facilities and a statement water feature. Hire it together with the adjoining Orangery, a modern dining space of glass, light wood and exposed brickwork.
Capacity 40
A filming location for Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, this 20th-century hall with Tudor styling has an intimate courtyard. Hire it for smart drinks receptions or laid-back barbecues around an ornamental pond and fountain.
Capacity 200
On the edge of Regent’s Park, this modernist masterpiece offers up some more conventionally beautiful green space. Its medicinal garden is a living museum of more than 1,300 plants and herbs where guests on picnic blankets can enjoy top-notch sustenance from caterer Fare of London.
Capacity 600
There aren’t too many three-acre gardens in central London, yet Inner Temple’s even comes with views of the Thames. Available for evening hire in May, June, July and September, it’s a serene spot with ample room for a marquee.
Capacity 500
The 900-year-old green space that surrounds Westminster Abbey might just be the nation’s oldest continually cultivated garden. In June and July, party guests can soak up the history – and perhaps just a few glasses of fizz – from a smart, glass-fronted marquee.
Capacity 250
A new build after the Great Fire of London, Grade I-listed Stationers’ Hall has a capacious garden furled around a venerable centrepiece: London’s oldest plane tree. In case of rain, the Court Room is but a wrought-iron staircase away.
Capacity 400
Once a year, the extensive grounds of Sir Chris Wren’s Royal Hospital Chelsea are a generous host to the Chelsea Flower Show. From July to September, its picturesque Ranelagh Gardens are given over to private celebrations from straight-up drinks receptions to sports-based activity days.
For more summer party destinations in London, click here.