What’s new

In Conversation with Spectra

As part of Spectra’s 70th Anniversary celebrations, we will be expanding our series of informal chats “In Conversation with…”   In this latest episode, Paul, Graeme and Frances look back on 2020 and going forward in 2021. To view the video in full, click here.

Spectra celebrates 70 years!

2021 is a year for celebration as we recognise Spectra’s platinum anniversary – there have been many pivotal moments in the history of Spectra and we look forward to bringing these to you over the coming months. Keep up to date with our plans by visiting our social media pages or check our website for updates.

Read what Paul Miller, Spectra’s Managing Director, and Wendy Moffat, Chairman have to say about this incredible achievement.

St James Quarter in Edinburgh Close to Completion

After closing its doors for redevelopment in 2016, the re-opening of the St James Quarter has been one of the most anticipated events in Edinburgh. The city centre development is in its final stages of the £1 billion refit with almost all areas of the development, including shops, restaurants and pop-up events, set to open in 2021 followed by the stunning W Hotel (pictured) which will welcome guests in 2022.

Photo: Ian Georgeson Photography

1 Leith St
Edinburgh EH1 3SS

Artist Ai Weiwei takes over the screen at Piccadilly Circus

For the month of October, Ai Weiwei’s digital art piece New York Days takes over Europe’s largest screen at Piccadilly Circus for two minutes every night at 8pm. Viewers will be able to plug-in and access the accompanying audio via CIRCA’s website for a fully-immersive art experience. New York Days explores Weiwei’s formative experiences of living in the US and his friendships with artist Andy Warhol and writer Allen Ginsberg.

Piccadilly Circus,
London W1J 9LL

The Virtual Event Experience

Virtual event experiences have become an invaluable business tool over the last few months. From virtual wine and cheese tasting, to a live cook-a-long or afternoon tea baking workshop with a professional chef, to a creative and personalised cocktail masterclass, to an adrenaline inducing virtual escape room with colleagues and clients, the opportunities to achieve an engaging and creative virtual event are countless!

Spectra takes the FAM Trip Virtual

Over many years Spectra has showcased our destinations in the UK over countless Familiarisation Visits and since many FAM Trips were cancelled in 2020, we were determined to take our FAM Trips virtual. See below our Case Study on how we are creating an authentic, cultural and personal experience for prospective buyers in London and Edinburgh.

Spectra Virtual FAM Trip Case Study

Woods Quay has arrived!

The long-awaited home to Woods’ Silver Fleet, Woods Quay is set to become an important landmark on London’s riverscape. Moored on the Victoria Embankment, Woods Quay not only offers private charter guests a beautiful and sleek passage to their awaiting boat, but there are three additional event spaces which can be also be enjoyed pre or post-river cruise.

Victoria Embankment
London, WC2N 6AY

The Julia and Hans Rausing Room at The National Gallery

Following a 21-month closure and a £4 million donation, Room 32 at the National Gallery is now re-open after an extensive refurbishment. This space now known as The Julia and Hans Rausing Room is home to over twenty 17^th-century Italian art including Caravaggio, Reni and Giordano. This beautiful gallery makes for a thought-provoking and opulent space for a drinks reception or dinner.

The National Gallery
Trafalgar Square
London, WC2N 5DN

Westminster Abbey Event Spaces

Excitement is bubbling as Westminster Abbey not only unveils a new space for events, but we are now able to offer The Cloisters for events once again. Hidden for over 700 years, The Queen’s Diamond Jubilee Galleries (pictured above) has never been open to the public. This is one of London’s newest event spaces and has been said to have “the best view in Europe”.  Ideal in the warmer months, the 13^th-century Cloisters are a beautifully elegant and atmospheric location for a drinks reception or dinner.

20 Deans Yard
London, SW1P 3PA

Andy Warhol at Tate Modern

The Andy Warhol exhibition displaying over 100 works offers a rare personal insight into how Warhol and his work marked a period of cultural transformation. At the exhibition you’ll see a recreation of the psychedelic Exploding Plastic Inevitable, with lighting and film projections that turned the Velvet Underground rock shows into an event-spectacular, and experience Warhol’s floating Silver Clouds, a playful, interactive installation filled with silver helium balloons.

Tate Modern
Bankside, London SE1 9TG

12 March - 12 September 2020

Malmaison City Hotel Edinburgh

Nestled in St Andrews Square, the Edinburgh Hotel is in the heart of the New Town and only a 10-minute walk to the Old Town. The designers have taken inspiration from nearby Thistle Street and Rose Street to create a lavish garden of texture, light and style, offering one of the most unusual hotels in Edinburgh.

21 -22 St Andrews Square
Edinburgh EH2 1AY

Davies & Brook at Claridges

Davies & Brook at Claridges  sees chef Daniel Humm return to the kitchen at Claridge’s 25 years after he made his culinary debut there aged 15. While the menu does share some similarities with the food Humm serves at New York’s Michelin-starred Eleven Madison Park, the chef is determined to make Davies & Brook shine on its own, with dishes that reflect the cultural diversity of London.

Claridges
Brook Street
London W1K 4HR

nHow Hotel

The new 4*, 190 bed nHow Hotel is themed ‘London Reloaded’! Interior design by architect James Soane combines British icons with unconventional contemporary elements. These include a Big Ben rocket sculpture in the lobby and a wood installation around an LED fireplace.  The design reflects the industrial past and technological future of its location and provides a creative hub for the neighbourhood

2 Macclesfield Rd,
London EC1V 8DG

City of Aberdeen Distillery

Aberdeen’s first distillery for over 75 years and first ever Gin School is tucked away under a city centre railway arch. The City of Aberdeen Distillery has restored the tradition of distilling in Aberdeen after a hiatus of almost 80 years.   Visitors can discover the history of distilling in Aberdeen, tour the distillery, and even distill a bottle of gin to their own recipe.

Arch 10
Palmerston Road
Aberdeen AB11 5RE

David Hockney, Drawings from Life

The first major exhibition devoted to David Hockney’s drawings in over twenty years, David Hockney: Drawing from Life includes 150 works from the 1950s to the present,  focusing on depictions of himself and a small group of sitters close to him: his muse, Celia Birtwell; his mother, Laura Hockney; and friends, the curator, Gregory Evans, and master printer, Maurice Payne.

National Portrait Gallery,
St Martin’s Place,
London, WC2H 0HE

Ends 28 June 2020

Illuminated River

Illuminated River, the longest public art project in the world, is on track for completion by winter 2020. Of the 17 bridges spanning the Thames between Albert Bridge and Tower Bridge, from the mighty arches of Waterloo, constructed by women during the Second World War to the futuristic Millennium Bridge, the project will eventually light 14; four  have already opened to give us a sneak preview of the ambitious project.  The artwork is transforming the bridges, with sensitively developed lightshows that pay attention to the heritage, wildlife and the built environment around them to create an unparalleled experience.

River Thames
London

Great Scotland Yard Hotel

Great Scotland Yard Hotel, tucked away in Whitehall, occupies the listed 1820s building that was the first home of the Metropolitan Police and there’s still plenty of evidence in place despite the addition of 120 bedrooms and a separate townhouse (yours for £10,000 a night). The Forty Elephants bar commemorates a notorious Victorian all-female gang while mugshots and artefacts are in the public areas, alongside Robin Gill’s Yard restaurant, whiskey snug Sibin and the tea-minded Parlour.

3-5 Great Scotland Yard,
London, SW1A 2HN

Neidpath Castle

Neidpath Castle, an unspoilt  keep dating back to the 12th century perched high above the River Tweed, offers private tours as well as exclusive dinners and lunches in the Great Hall. Just one hour south of Edinburgh, Neidpath Castle’s structure has been untouched since the 1600s. Featuring a dungeon, a well and fireplaces large enough to roast an ox, there is also a set of exquisite 20th century batiks, telling the story of Mary, Queen of Scots, who stayed at the castle in 1563.  The castle now offers every convenience and can host 80 guests for events in the castle,  or larger numbers within the grounds.

Neidpath Castle,
Peebles EH45 8NW

Tutankhamun: Treasures of the Golden Pharaoh

Tutankhamun: Treasures of the Golden Pharaoh    commemorates the 100th anniversary of the discovery of Tutankhamun’s tomb and is the final chance to see these glittering world heritage artifacts before they return to Egypt forever. Explore the life of King Tutankhamun and the story of the discovery that captivated the world through more than 150 authentic pieces from the tomb.

Saatchi Gallery,
Duke of York’s HQ, King’s Road
London SW3 4RY

2 November 2019 – 3 May 2020

Kimpton Blythswood Square Hotel

Kimpton Blythswood Square Hotel,  set in a garden-filled square in Glasgow’s city centre, combines the elegance of a stately 19th-century Georgian townhouse with the luxe modern amenities of a five-star property. It’s all topped off with exceptional service and a raved-about spa.

11 Blythswood Square,
Glasgow G2 4AD

Seven Dials Market

Seven Dials Market, a converted cucumber and banana warehouse, is the latest “food hall” type opening in the heart of London’s Covent Garden, run by Kerb (a membership association of street food traders). The food hall’s bookshop is available for private dining for up to 40

Earlham Street
London WC2 9LX