Main Hall
The old casting hall, 46 metres long, with brick walls and roof lights that black out at the press of a switch. Conferences, dinners, launches and parties.
Standing400
Conference by day, party by night
A restored iron foundry with a main hall for 400 standing, a terrace over the river and three daylight meeting rooms. Hire one space for an afternoon, or the whole building from breakfast to midnight.
400standing in the Main Hall
14 mfrom the floor to the roof trusses
1 dayto answer every enquiry
Six spaces under one roof
The casting hall, the pattern shop and the furnace house all survived the foundry closing. Each one now has its own use, and they connect on a single level.
The Terrace
A deck along the river with a retractable awning and heaters, used for receptions, breakfasts and the hour before dinner.
Standing120
Pattern Rooms
Three daylight rooms where wooden casting patterns were once carved. Book one, or fold back the partitions to make a single room.
Theatre90 combined
Furnace Bar
The old furnace house, with the chimney base still standing, now a bar for receptions and the late part of the night.
Standing80
Green Room
A private room behind the stage for speakers, performers and crew, with mirrors, a sofa and its own washroom.
Seats15
Loading Bay
A drive in door straight onto the hall floor, so cars, exhibition stands and staging roll in without a single stair.
Door4 m wide
Capacity by layout
The right number depends on how the room is set. These are the most each space holds in each layout, before a stage or exhibition stands take up floor.
| Space | Theatre | Classroom | Banquet | Standing |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Main Hall | 320 | 160 | 240 | 400 |
| The Terrace | 70 | Not offered | 60 | 120 |
| Pattern Rooms, combined | 90 | 48 | 60 | 110 |
| Pattern Room One | 40 | 20 | 24 | 50 |
| Pattern Rooms Two and Three, each | 20 | 12 | 12 | 25 |
| Furnace Bar | 50 | Not offered | 48 | 80 |
| Whole building | Not offered | Not offered | 300 | 650 |
These limits come from the fire safety assessment for this building. Capacity and exit rules differ by country and by building, so the numbers apply to The Foundry only.
Hire packages
Hire a single space by the hour, or choose a package that brings the rooms, the kit and the staff together. Food and drink come from our kitchen partner and are quoted alongside.
Day conference
per delegate, from$68
- Main Hall or Pattern Rooms set to your layout
- Projector, screen and four wireless microphones
- Coffee on arrival, two breaks and a hot lunch
- A technician in the room all day
Evening event
from$5,200
- Main Hall and Furnace Bar
- House sound, stage lighting and a DJ booth
- Cloakroom and door staff
- Access from 10:00 to set up
Whole building
from$12,800
- Every space, the Terrace included
- Loading bay for vehicles and stands
- A production manager from planning to load out
- Room to dress the building in your own branding
Prices exclude tax and catering. A deposit of 30 percent confirms the date, with the rest paid two weeks before the event. Cancel more than 60 days ahead and the deposit is returned in full; closer to the date it is kept.
Built for the crews who build the show
The old crane rails along the hall ceiling now carry rigging points rated at 500 kg each, so lighting trusses and screens hang in the air instead of standing on the floor. Three phase power sits at both ends of the hall, and a fibre line reaches every room.
Bring your own production company or use ours. Either way, our technician walks the crew through the building at load in and stays until the last flight case has gone.
- Twelve rigging points on the crane rails
- House sound and LED wash lighting in the hall
- Fibre internet with a wired line for streaming
- Load in from 07:00 through the loading bay
From enquiry to event day
One events manager stays with you from the first message to the last guest leaving.
Send an enquiry
Give us the date, the guest count and the kind of event, and we answer within one working day.
See the building
A viewing takes forty minutes and covers the spaces, the access routes and the kit.
Hold, then confirm
We hold the date for ten days, then a signed agreement and the deposit secure it.
Production meeting
Two weeks out, your team and ours agree the floor plan, the run sheet and the timings.
On the day
Our duty manager opens up, looks after your guests and locks up once the last one has left.
Included with every hire
The basics never appear as extras on the invoice. These come with every space and every package.
- Tables and chairs
- Staging up to 12 by 6 metres
- Lectern
- Wireless microphones
- Projector and screen
- House sound system
- Guest wifi
- Cloakroom
- Duty manager
- Cleaning before and after
- Blackout for the roof lights
- Level access and a lift
LED walls, extra lighting, interpreting booths and larger stages can be hired through our technical team at cost plus 10 percent.
Events at The Foundry
Conferences, launches, dinners and late nights in a building that still feels like a foundry.
What organisers say (example reviews)
Three hundred delegates in the hall, breakout sessions in the Pattern Rooms and lunch on the terrace, without a single queue all day. Their technician knew every socket in the building.
We drove the new model through the loading bay and straight onto the stage. With the rigging points, the screens hung exactly where our creative team wanted them.
Sunset on the terrace won the room over before dinner had even started, and the Furnace Bar kept the party going long after the awards.
Questions organisers ask
Can we use our own caterer?
Our kitchen partner cooks for most events and quotes with your package. An outside caterer can use the prep kitchen for a fee of $450 once we have seen their insurance and the hygiene paperwork our local authority asks for.
What time do events have to finish?
Amplified music on the Terrace stops at 22:00 and inside the building at midnight, as our licence requires. A later finish is sometimes possible with a temporary licence, which takes about a month to arrange.
How long do we get to set up?
Evening events include access from 10:00 on the day. Bigger builds can add the day before as a set up day at half the daily rate.
Is there parking?
Six spaces by the loading bay are kept for suppliers. Guests use the public car park two minutes away or arrive from the central station, a ten minute walk along the river.
Is the building accessible?
Every space has level access, a lift serves the Terrace, and there are accessible toilets on both floors. A hearing loop covers the Main Hall and the Pattern Rooms.
Can you hold a date while we get sign off?
Yes. We hold a date for ten days without a deposit and extend it once if nobody else has asked for it.
Book a viewing or check a date
Send the date, the number of guests and the kind of event. Within one working day the events team confirms which spaces are open, suggests a layout and offers times to see the building.
- Dates held for ten days while you get sign off
- Quotes broken down by space, kit and staff
- Viewings on weekdays between 09:00 and 17:00
Finding the building
The Foundry stands on the river in the old works district, a short walk from the central station.
Events team
The old riverside works district, a ten minute walk from the central station
Office hours
| Monday to Friday | 08:30 to 18:00 |
| Saturday | Viewings by appointment |
| Sunday | Event days only |
Planning a big build?
Production managers are welcome on a technical visit with our in house technician, and leave with drawings of every space and the rigging plan.
Ask for a technical visit