London Canal Museum can be hired after closing time for receptions and parties of up to 200 guests, seated dinners of up to 120, conferences and award ceremonies of up to 160, and civil ceremonies licensed for up to 140 people. The venue is a former ice warehouse on New Wharf Road in King's Cross, London N1 9RT, on two floors with lift access.
Seminars and company events
Business events run in the evening. The museum closes to visitors at 4:30 pm and hire starts from that time, with evening events finishing by 11:00 pm. The site lists launches, awards ceremonies, dinners, receptions, corporate hospitality, conferences, breakfast events and team building among its formats.
During opening hours (10:00 am to 4:30 pm, Tuesday to Sunday) only the meeting room can be booked. It is used for board and committee meetings, away days and training courses.
Weddings and receptions
The museum is licensed for weddings and civil partnerships for up to 140 people. A wedding reception takes up to 200 guests standing or 120 seated for a meal. Ceremonies normally begin around 5:00 pm. The venue sets up ceremonies itself, and its conference room can be booked for storage and preparation before and after the event.
Music and dancing are allowed on Fridays, Saturdays or the evening before a public holiday, until 11:00 pm. The canalside wharf can be used until 10:00 pm.
Rooms and capacities
The ground floor gallery is dominated by a narrowboat and has a mezzanine next to the outdoor wharf, with full-height windows over the basin. It suits receptions, standing drinks parties and smaller dinners. The first floor can be cleared of exhibits to give a larger hall under a Victorian timber roof, with exposed brick walls that can be lit. It works for presentations, conferences, dinners and parties, and the solid floor suits dancing.
The meeting room, also on the first floor, seats 12 boardroom style or cabaret style, 20 theatre style and 14 in a circle of chairs. It holds 20 for a small standing reception and up to 8 diners for a private meal. It has daylight, air conditioning, a whiteboard, a pull-down screen and Wi-Fi. Self-service tea and coffee are included in the room hire, and a projector and flip chart are available as extras.
Catering
The museum does not supply food. You are free to choose any caterer and deal with them directly, and the site states there is no corkage and no commission on catering. The first-floor kitchen is basic, so caterers need to prepare part of the meal elsewhere. The museum can supply banqueting furniture, glassware, sound equipment, table covers, ice and bar staff as optional services. It does not provide staff to serve or handle food.
History and setting
The building was put up in the 1860s as a warehouse for natural ice imported from Norway, built for the ice cream maker Carlo Gatti. A view down into one of two preserved ice wells opens from the ground floor. It has been a museum since 1992 and stands beside Battlebridge Basin on the Regent's Canal. Guests can arrive by boat at the museum's own mooring at the rear.
Getting there
King's Cross station is a five-minute walk. The site counts five stations within walking distance, 24-hour bus services and two Night Tube routes. Street parking is free in the evening and on weekends after 1:30 pm on Saturdays. Access for guests with disabilities is by lift to both floors, and the museum reports a disabled toilet and handrails.
There is no accommodation on site.
