All Change at Chelsea Old Town Hall

I’m delighted to bring you the latest news about the Chelsea Old Town Hall Refurbishment!

If you didn’t know, the gorgeous Chelsea Old Town Hall, home to Chelsea Register Office, closed its doors at the end of August for major refurbishment. I’m not going to lie: given how many weddings I photograph there every year, I was definitely not pleased to see my busiest and favourite venue close for eight months, but at the same time was very excited to see what the refurbishment would look like.

Well the wait is over! This weekend, Chelsea Old Town Hall re-opens to the public, with ceremonies back in full swing from next week. And I was privileged to be asked to photograph the rooms for the new Chelsea Old Town Hall Brochure. I’ve been dying to share the new look with you, and here it is!

Chelsea registrars will continue to hold their ceremonies in the three main room. The Brydon Room, The Rossetti Room, and The Harrington Room.

So what’s changed? Well first of all, the carpet is gone, and the beautiful parquet flooring has been brought back. Also, the thick curtains have been removed allowing a great deal more light into the rooms with windows.

Colourwise, the wall colours have all changed, some more significantly than others. The Brydon Room has gone from a golden yellow to a slightly fresher, greenier yellow. The Rossetti Room is now a light apple green. And the Harrington Room is more of a greenish stone colour.  All the seating has been replaced with more contemporary mahogany coloured wooden chairs with purple seats, aiming for a more contemporary feel.

The Waiting Area too, has been freshened up considerably, with light taupe walls replacing the dark red, and a purple carpet replacing the red that used to wind itself up the stairs. The effect is a much brighter space, especially on a sunny day. Purple love seats have been added, too.

But of course what hasn’t changed, is the great team of registrars that will be conducting your ceremony, and I look forward to being there to capture the moment you say “I do!”.

The Brydon Room

At the time these photographs were taken, Chelsea Old Town Hall were just preparing for a styled photoshoot, so there are some extra flowers, floor decorations and candelabras in the images that are not part of the standard furniture. But everything else will be as you see it.

The Rossetti Room

With a totally fresh new feel, it was great to see that the seating has now been completely re-arranged to allow for a proper “walk down the aisle”. That wasn’t really the case with the previous room arrangement, and should make for much better “walking in” photos than were previously achievable. The flower arrangements in this room are a permanent feature and were supplied by the amazing Amaranthine Blooms, who make THE most realistic artificial flowers you’ll ever see.

The Harrington Room

There is no getting around the fact that the Harrington Room has no windows. But the planned addition of a standing lamp and another mirror  will help to reflect more light around the room.

The Waiting Room

The biggest change of all is in the Waiting Room.. where dark red walls and red carpet have been replaced by a much brighter and fresher look.

I hope you like what you’re seeing and I hope to see you there very soon!

Click HERE to find out more about my wedding photography at Chelsea Old Town Hall.