Izzie Tilston, Architecture Today
This year’s CMA Awards will be held in one of London’s most fabled and atmospheric venues.
Completed in the 1920s by Architect Charles William Long in a style described by the celebrated architecture critic Nikolaus Pevsner as ‘Neo-Grec’, Victoria House captures a moment of transition in London’s architecture, as classical form collided with the emerging glamour of the Art Deco age.
Originally designed as the head office of the Liverpool Victoria Friendly Society, who occupied the building for many years, the Grade II-listed building’s composed classical façades offer just a few subtle hints of its Art Deco leanings.
Inside, however, the venue encapsulates the roaring twenties in full swing. An elegant marble entrance gives way to an opulent bar and ballroom both of which capture the exuberant atmosphere of an era characterised by a cultural explosion of music, fashion, theatre and cabaret.
While many similar spaces have been repurposed or lost, the original art deco ballroom was sensitively transformed in 2012 to create The Bloomsbury Ballroom, a modern venue that retains all of its historic charm that provides a home for The London Cabaret Club and hosts many of the capital’s glitziest events – from live cabaret to the location for the finalists’ business launches in the final episode of The Apprentice.
And now, of course, the CMA Awards 2026. We look forward to recognising and championing your creativity and success in a building that provides the perfect stage to celebrate your achievements in style.