Assembly Room History

This splendid interior has played host to Royalty, Heads of State and diplomats from all over the World on many great occasions. The Assembly Room is also used by thousands of Cardiff citizens for a variety of events – concerts, lectures, Gala dinners, public meetings, youth events, as well as award ceremonies and conferences. Perhaps at its most impressive when used for a grand dinner, when up to five hundred guests may sit down to dine beneath the magnificent ceiling. The Marble Hall and the Assembly Room are also very popular for important conferences and up to six hundred can be seated in what must be one of the most prestigious settings in Britain.

The Assembly Room is rich with ornamental mouldings that are a reminder of the City’s close links with the sea, and mermaids, seahorses, fish and shellfish are picked out in gold leaf. On the ceiling, which is decorated with elaborate plasterwork are three massive bronze chandeliers which were designed by the architects especially for the room. At either end of the Assembly Room, the wall panels still await the architect’s intended painted mural scenes.