Browns Covent Garden, Afternoon Tea Room

About Venue

Browns Covent Garden is a brasserie and bar on St Martins Lane in the heart of the West End, housed in the Grade II listed former Westminster County Courts building, and one of the most atmospherically distinctive private hire venues in central London.

The ground floor is a bright, open-plan brasserie with wooden floors, white tablecloths, and a lively all-day atmosphere. Upstairs, hidden within the building, is Browns Court Rooms — a two-floor suite of four private rooms reached by grand sweeping staircases and lined with original courtroom features. These are spaces with a proper sense of history: chandeliers hanging from high ceilings, original skylights, the judge's benches still in place, and walls that once witnessed Westminster County Court proceedings. The building has been a bar and restaurant since 1996, and the juxtaposition of the setting with a full modern brasserie menu and kitchen is what makes it so memorable for guests.

The private rooms range from The Study, which seats up to 12, right through to the Afternoon Tea Room which can hold 100 for both seated dining and standing receptions. All four rooms have their own PA system, natural daylight, air conditioning, and play-your-own-music capability, and AV, lighting, and staging production support is available on request. Full venue hire extends across the entire building for up to 800 standing or 550 seated.

Leicester Square station is 0.1 miles away, with Covent Garden 0.2 miles and Charing Cross station 0.2 miles. No parking on-site or nearby.

About this space:

The Afternoon Tea Room at Browns Covent Garden, also known as the Judges Court, is the largest of the four private rooms at 82-84 St Martins Lane in Covent Garden, with capacity for up to 100 seated or 100 standing guests.

The room was formerly the main courtroom of Westminster County Court, and the original judge's bench and gavel are still in place at the front of the room, making it one of the most dramatic and conversation-starting event spaces in the West End. Chandeliers hang from the ceiling, parquet flooring runs the length of the room, and a meet-and-greet area on the first floor landing gives arrivals a proper sense of occasion before guests even enter. It works brilliantly for private dinners, afternoon tea, birthday celebrations, hen parties, engagement parties, baby showers, wedding receptions, corporate events, conferences, and product launches. A PA system is included, guests can connect their own playlist, and full AV and staging production support is available on request.

- Capacity: 100 seated / 100 standing
- Largest private room in the suite
- Original judge's bench and gavel retained
- Chandeliers and parquet flooring
- Meet-and-greet area on first floor landing
- Private bar
- PA system, play your own music
- AV, lighting, and staging production support available on request
- Natural light
- Air conditioning
- In-house catering (full brasserie menu, afternoon tea packages available)
- Lift access to all floors
- No external catering, no BYO alcohol
- Alcohol licence until midnight (extension available)
- No on-site parking
- From £3,500 minimum spend

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