Venue hire - London Canal Museum

What We Offer At A Glance

Victorian waterside heritage building, a former ice warehouse, with exposed brickwork and timber pitched roof
Exclusive use of two floors
Capacity up to 120
Choose your own caterer and menu.
Available 1630 - 2300 daily. On Mondays we also host lunches.
Our own mooring to arrive by boat.
No commission or corkage charges
Furniture available in-house
Fully accessible venue
Storage facilities before and after the event available
Excellent public transport. Street parking is free in the evenings.
Optional extras available including glassware, audio-visual, logistics and bar staff

round tables with black cloths laid for dinner with lit brick wall behind

Kye facts - greater detail

The building was built in the 1860s as an ice warehouse and has a fine timer roof, exposed brickwork, and events take place on the two exhibition floors
Choose your own caterer. We don't take commission from caterers, so you don't have to pay more. You have a free choice of caterer.
Street parking is free in the evenings and generally available but public transport is excellent. There are numerous bus routes, six Underground lines, and mainline rail services to the south coast, Kent, Bedfordshire, the East Midlands, Hertfordshire, Cambridge, and to Paris and Bruxelles. Euston, King's Cross, St. Pancras, Caledonion Road and Barnsury (London Overground) stations are all within walking distance.
We can provide all the furniture you're likely to need. We have round tables, and some oblong tables for bar, buffet, reception etc. There is a charge for banqueting furniture. You're free to hire other furniture if you prefer.
Both floors are accessible to wheelchair users, via lifts.
Our meeting room can be booked for storage and preparations before or after the event, for example if your caterer needs to have equipment delivered in the daytime and collected next day.
Excellent public transport including at night.
Music will not be audible outside the building. A DJ is not allowed at this type of event, but background music such as a string trio or recorded music is acceptable.
We have flutes, wine and water glasses available for hire, and table ice buckets
We have projectors, screen, microphone and PA system available for speeches and presentations

red and white check table covers on laid round tables. Brick wall behind, uplit

Such a nice place to eat

The museum is on two floors and guests will typically arrive for pre-dinner drinks on the ground floor, where they will also leave coats and any luggage. The ground floor is an atmospheric space with colourful exhibitions all around. The atmosphere can be enhanced by additional lighting effects, and there is access to the wharf outside, where there is a fine urban view across the adjoining canal basin with its colourful boats. You won't believe you are in central London here.

Guests will go upstairs to our first floor to eat. The first floor boasts a magnificent Victorian timber roof and there are exhibitions around the outside of the space. Round tables are chosen by most clients but the option of more formal long tables at which guests are seated in lines is also possible with some external furniture hire.

Boat trips can be arranged in connection with functions at the museum, normally to arrive at the venue by boat from Camden or Islington.

Our Facilities

The building is Victorian and Edwardian, but the facilities are modern. We have a small kitchen providing the basic infrastructure to enable your chosen caterer to serve you anything from a snack to a five course dinner. The caterer provides all cooking equipment. You are free to use the outside caterers of your choice, whether they bring in drinks, snacks or a lavish buffet. We provide coat rails as standard and of course there are modern toilets, plus a toilet for disabled persons. Power supplies are available around the walls of the museum so that nowhere is far from one if you need to use electrical equipment.

Decorations and decorative lighting can be installed if wanted, but if you prefer the atmosphere to be businesslike or more formal that is also achievable. The style of the event can be customised to your preferences

The Most Accessible Venue

There are two meanings of "accessible" in the context of a venue and we could hardly score higher on either of them

close shot of table laid in formal style with wall up-lighting on brick to rear

The museum is fully accessible to disabled guests. Wheelchair users may reach both floors using our lifts. The entrance is level, and there is a ramp to the wharf. We have tactile and Braille signage and we will be happy to arrange hire of a portable induction loop system for speeches etc. The staircases are well adapted for the visually impaired and those who climb stairs with some difficulty.

The museum is within a short walk of Euston, St. Pancras International, and King's Cross stations, is near six Underground lines, the Thameslink route, and the London Overground east-west route is about 15 minutes' walk. There are numerous bus routes in all directions. Minicabs may be called to the door. Few other venues are so conveniently located, and even fewer are in a world apart from the hustle and bustle of the big city.

Large Picture Gallery

Darkened room, tables laid for dinner, candles on tables, lit wall behind

Music and Entertainment

Parties with loud music and dinner-dance parties are the subject of our Music Parties Page. At a dinner-only event, on any night of the week, you can have background music that cannot be heard outside. For example, why not book a harpist, a string trio, or a flautist? You can also engage an entertainer such as a magician or after-dinner speaker. You can have recorded background music, at a level that cannot be heard outside the building.

Overnight Stays

The museum does not offer accommodation but there are numerous hotels within walking distance. We will be happy to provide a list and advice. The nearest hotel is just a two-minute walk away!

Dinners

Corporate and Private Dinners near St Pancras