The lecture hall is a large cruciform room defined by four pairs of columns bearing capitals adorned with lotus leaves inspired by those at Pergamon in Asia Minor. These also echo the iron columns with palm leaf capitals in Nash's Great Kitchen at the Royal Pavilion Brighton. The link with the kitchens being that the lecture room was created from the upper part of the great kitchen at the Palace. The ceiling in the kitchen was lowered taking advantage of the new air conditioning introduced into the kitchen areas.