Seminars and company events
Asylum Chapel takes weddings, private and commercial events, exhibitions, and photo and film shoots for up to 120 guests in a single main hall of about 14 by 11 meters. The chapel stands in Caroline Gardens, off Asylum Road in Peckham, south London, and is run by Maverick Projects, a company that restores disused buildings while keeping their original fabric.
The chapel is not set up as a conference venue. There is no kitchen, no built-in audiovisual system and no late licence, so it suits formats that need atmosphere more than infrastructure: a brand shoot, an exhibition opening, an acoustic performance or a dinner brought in by an outside caterer. Lighting and heating are included in the hire, along with 120 chairs and six trestle tables. A Bluetooth speaker is provided. Background and acoustic music are welcome inside the main space, while amplified music, drums, brass, saxophones and bagpipes are not allowed.
Weddings and receptions
The chapel is licensed for marriage ceremonies and is booked for exclusive use. Ceremonies run in a morning window from 9 am to 2:30 pm or an afternoon window from 3:30 pm to 8 pm, with late morning and late afternoon starts recommended. The wedding hire covers the ceremony, help with setup, trestle tables for the signing, chair hire, lighting and candle decoration, and time for drinks and canapés. Couples choose their own registrar, caterer and drinks. Guests gather on the front portico steps after the ceremony, where only real flower petals may be thrown. Wedding coordinators are available as an option.
Rooms and capacities
The main space measures roughly 14 by 11 meters under a tall ceiling, lit by large stained-glass windows, and seats up to 120 guests. A floor plan is available on the venue's site. Facilities are simple: two toilets, ten electrical sockets and a single-phase 32 amp supply. Both entrances have steps. Movable ramps are kept at the back doors, but there is no accessible toilet, which organisers should note for guests with reduced mobility.
Catering
There is no kitchen on site, so food comes from an outside caterer, chosen freely or from the venue's list of recommended suppliers. Clients may bring their own drinks but must supply glassware, ice and table linen. Drinks are served by members of the party, and the bar must stay inside the building rather than on the portico.
History and setting
The chapel was built in the late 1820s at the heart of the asylum of the Licensed Victuallers' Benevolent Institution, an almshouse estate for retired pub landlords. Asylum here meant sanctuary: residents received a weekly allowance, coal and medical care. In the Second World War an incendiary bomb gutted the chapel, though its stained glass and carved stone memorials survived. Southwark Council bought the estate in 1960 and renamed it Caroline Gardens, and the chapel stood largely empty for decades. Arts projects began there in 2010, Maverick Projects was formed in 2013, and grants paid for repairs to the roof and portico in 2018 and for a restored memorial window in 2020. The building is Grade II listed.
Getting there
The address is Caroline Gardens, Asylum Road, London SE15 2SQ. Queens Road Peckham station, on the London Overground, is a short walk away. There is no parking on the estate, but metered on-street bays are available on Asylum Road.
