The Old Customs House has four private rooms for meetings, private dinners and celebrations of 10 to 50 guests, inside one of Portsmouth's original naval buildings. The pub occupies the Vernon Building at Gunwharf Quays, the waterfront shopping and dining district beside Portsmouth Harbour.
Seminars and company events
All four rooms come with internet access, a projector, a screen and a whiteboard, and each gets natural light, so a team can present in the morning and stay for lunch without moving. The Lord Nelson room is the largest, with 50 in theater style, 24 in a U shape or 20 around a conference table. The Wardroom sets up 14 for a conference meeting. Buster Crabb takes 10 around a conference table, and Overlord seats about 10 at one table for a board meeting or an interview panel. The pub also lists client entertaining and staff reward events among its corporate formats. The building has step-free access, an accessible toilet, air conditioning and free wifi.
Weddings and receptions
The pub takes wedding bookings, along with anniversaries, birthdays and private dining in a room of your own. Its rooms suit a wedding lunch, a rehearsal dinner or a drinks reception for a small party rather than a large wedding. Children are welcome in three of the four rooms, which helps for family celebrations.
Rooms and capacities
Lord Nelson takes up to 40 seated or 50 standing. The Wardroom takes 26 seated or 30 standing. Buster Crabb takes 20 seated or standing. Overlord seats 10 around one table. The room names refer to the site's naval past and to Portsmouth's place in British maritime history, from Nelson's fleet to the Royal Navy diver Lionel Buster Crabb and Operation Overlord, the D-Day landings of 1944.
Catering
Food and drink come from the pub kitchen and bar. The menu is built on pub classics made with fresh, seasonal produce, and brunch is served every day from 10 a.m. The bar pours cask ales, modern craft beers, wines and spirits. Offers and packages for private dining can be added to a booking. Outside, the pub has a garden with tables that can be reserved.
History and setting
The building belongs to the former naval estate at Gunwharf, where the Royal Navy once kept its ordnance and later ran HMS Vernon, its torpedo and mine warfare school, which gave the building its name. The pub is listed as a historic pub and is run by Fuller's. Today the quays hold shops, restaurants and the Spinnaker Tower, so a meeting can be followed by dinner or a walk along the harbor without a transfer.
Getting there
Portsmouth Harbour station, served by direct trains from London Waterloo, is a short walk from Gunwharf Quays, and ferries to the Isle of Wight leave from the same harbor. Southampton Airport is the nearest airport.
