Queens' Building
The Queens' building is undergoing renovation until 2025. Please note that The Octagon is currently closed to external hire. We anticipate reopening in the last quarter of 2025. We appreciate your understanding during this transformation.
The Grade II listed Queens' Building is home to the elegant Octagon. Built in 1887, the Octagon was originally the Queen Mary library, designed by Victorian architect ER Robson and inspired by the Reading Room at the British Museum.
Restored in 2006, brightly coloured leather bound books have been reinstated to the bookshelves with busts of famous literati looking down from the beautiful high domed ceiling; combining to create a wonderfully atmospheric setting in order to provide a ‘wow’ factor for any event.
The Octagon is ideal as a standalone venue for banquets, dinners, receptions, conferences, launches, networking or in conjunction with other facilities as exhibition or catering space.
For more information on using Queen Mary as a venue for a civil ceremony or wedding reception, visit our dedicated Weddings at Queen Mary website. You can also view our flythrough of the venue below.
| Room | Room layout | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Select room diagram for information | |||||||||
| Boardroom | Classroom | Cabaret | U-shape | Theatre | Reception | Exam | Dinner | ||
| Octagon | • | • | 180 | • | 250 | 500 | 180 | 240 | |
| LG1 | 50 | 70 | 50 | 50 | • | • | 52 | • | |
| LG2 | 20 | 44 | 16 | 20 | • | • | 25 | • | |
| LG3 | 15 | 36 | 16 | 15 | • | • | 25 | • | |
| LG4 | 20 | 47 | 36 | 20 | • | • | 28 | • | |
| LG6 | 40 | 57 | 36 | 40 | • | • | 30 | • | |
