The Lighterman takes group dinners, corporate lunches, networking evenings, brand launches, birthdays and weddings, from a long table of 20 to 120 guests on its first floor, and up to 500 standing indoors when the whole building is booked. The venue is a gastropub and dining room over three floors at 3 Granary Square, in King's Cross, London, facing the Regent's Canal. It is run by Open House, the group behind The Broadcaster in White City and Boxcar and The Italian Greyhound in Marylebone.
Seminars and company events
For a business audience, the indoor section of the Canalside Bar is sized for networking events and corporate lunch meetings, with 40 standing or 32 seated. The First Floor is the main private space: up to 120 standing or 60 seated, behind floor-to-ceiling glass, with a terrace that wraps around the room and looks over Granary Square and the canal. It works for a client lunch, an after-work reception or a team dinner after a day in the offices around King's Cross. Larger companies can take the whole building for a product launch or a party.
Weddings and receptions
The Lighterman lists weddings among the uses of a full exclusive hire, along with birthdays and launches. For a smaller reception, the First Floor and its terrace can hold a seated meal for 60 and drinks outside.
Rooms and capacities
On the ground floor, Group Dining is a long table for up to 20, overlooking the canal. The Canalside Bar and Terrace, on the towpath, can be booked exclusively for 100 standing or 60 seated, and its indoor part alone takes 40 standing or 32 seated. Upstairs, the First Floor holds 120 standing or 60 seated, and the First Floor Terrace, recently redesigned with the aperitif brand Lillet, takes 100 standing or 45 seated. Taking the building as a whole gives 500 standing inside over three floors and another 200 outdoors. The website offers a 3D tour and a brochure for planners who cannot visit first.
Catering
All food and drink come from The Lighterman's own kitchen and bars. The menu is modern British and European, served all day, every day. For events there are set menus for groups of 13 or more, canapés, bigger bites and bar snacks, along with a full drinks list. The venue is dog friendly, which some teams appreciate for informal gatherings.
History and setting
Granary Square sits at the heart of the King's Cross redevelopment, between the canal and the former goods yard buildings. The Lighterman's glass facades and terraces open onto the square, its fountains and the towpath, so most event spaces get daylight and a view of the water.
Getting there
King's Cross St Pancras is the nearest station, a short walk south, served by six Underground lines, national rail and Eurostar at St Pancras International. That makes the venue easy to reach for guests coming from Paris, Brussels or the north of England on the day of the event.
