Crypt on the Green offers four rooms for hire in a Georgian church building at Clerkenwell Close, on the edge of the City of London. Company events range from a 20-person board meeting to a 350-guest conference or reception. It is a dry hire venue, so you bring your own caterer, entertainment and any installation, and you control how each room is set up.
Seminars and company events
The Crypt is the main room for business use. It sits below the church and has a vaulted brick ceiling, a parquet floor and eight large windows, which gives it daylight that many basement spaces lack. The venue lists capacities of 45 in boardroom layout, 100 to 120 cabaret, 200 theatre style, 150 seated dining, 100 for a dinner dance and 300 standing. Tables and chairs are included in the hire, and extra equipment can be added.
For smaller sessions, The Vestry is upstairs in the main building. It seats 20 in boardroom layout, 30 theatre style or holds 35 standing, and hire includes a media screen with ClickShare so presenters can share from a laptop without cables. Teams use it for board meetings, away days and presentations. The Church itself, with its modern designer lighting and furniture, takes up to 250 guests downstairs or 350 with the balcony open, and the venue suggests it for conferences, talks, concerts and exhibitions. The site also lists product launches, press days, Christmas parties, wine tastings and filming among the events it hosts regularly.
Rooms can be booked Monday to Saturday, 7 a.m. to 11 p.m. The Church and The Vestry can be hired together.
Weddings and receptions
The Crypt is offered as a reception venue. The wedding package covers hire of The Crypt and The Well, four hours of set-up the day before, a PA system and a parking space, with a dedicated member of staff on the day. Ceremonies, legal or non-legal, can take place in the church above, but they are arranged through the Church Administrator, not through the venue team. The venue states that unauthorised ceremonies and mock ceremonies are not allowed.
Rooms and capacities
The Crypt includes use of The Well, a small room next to it that works as a green room or storage. The Long Walk is the outdoor space outside the church, suited to a drinks reception, a summer garden party or photography. The Church and The Vestry complete the four spaces. The venue publishes floor plans for its rooms, which helps when you plan a layout.
Catering
Because the venue is dry hire, catering is your choice. The site has dedicated pages for catering and for approved suppliers, so ask which caterers already know the building before you commission one.
History and setting
The building dates from 1792, and its original features remain, alongside lighting and furniture by Tom Dixon. The church is Grade II* listed and stands in the Clerkenwell Green Conservation Area. It is also the home of Inspire Saint James, and the spaces are available for external hire.
Getting there
Farringdon station is a 5 minute walk away, and Angel Tube station is 15 minutes on foot. The address is Crypt on the Green, St James Church, Clerkenwell Close, London EC1R 0EA.
