/ About
Christopher Wren was appointed surveyor of the Royal Hospital for Seamen in 1696, on ground that had held the Tudor Palace of Placentia, and the result is the set piece the Thames still turns to look at: twin domes, four colonnaded courts and a mile of Portland stone facing the water. At its centre is the Painted Hall, which Sir James Thornhill covered between 1707 and 1726 with more than 3,700 square metres of Baroque wall and ceiling painting, and which reopened in 2019 after a two-year conservation. The site sits inside Maritime Greenwich, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and everything earned from hire goes back into the charity that keeps it standing.
The hire offer runs from the very large to the genuinely intimate. The Painted Hall takes 550 standing or 450 for dinner and is let for the evening only, so guests arrive after the public has gone and the ceiling is revealed to a room that is theirs. Below the neoclassical Chapel, the Queen Mary Undercroft is the site's party room, vaulted and column-lined, with a built-in bar and a dancefloor; it is the room most Painted Hall dinners move to afterwards. Admiral's House, commissioned by Charles II in 1660 and never open to the public, hires by the room or whole, and its panelled first-floor rooms look straight at the river.
For a DJ-led evening the combination is unusually good: a reception in a hall almost nobody has seen empty, then a dancefloor two minutes' walk away in a stone undercroft that was built for noise to sit in. Catering is contracted to one house partner and the supplier list is closed, so production is planned with the events team rather than around them. Boats come alongside at Greenwich Pier, which is the arrival most guests remember.
/ Rooms Available
The Painted Hall
Exclusive HireThornhill's Baroque interior, painted between 1707 and 1726 across more than 3,700 square metres of wall and ceiling, and reopened in 2019 after a two-year conservation. Let for the evening only, with the earliest access at 5pm, so guests arrive to an empty hall after the public has left. Dressed for a long table down the centre or for round tables under the ceiling, with a marble floor that takes a dancefloor. No naked flames, candles or confetti.
The Chapel
Exclusive HireJames 'Athenian' Stuart's neoclassical interior, rebuilt after the 1779 fire, with a curved 18th-century ceiling that gives it the natural acoustic it is hired for. Seats 340 in the main nave and 100 in the galleries. A working church, so weddings and services go through the Chaplain. The concert package includes a daytime rehearsal, music stands, backstage space for up to fifty performers and an event manager; a grand piano is available by arrangement.
Queen Mary Undercroft
Exclusive HireDirectly beneath the Chapel, a vaulted stone hall on heavy columns with a built-in bar and a dancefloor. Hired alone, day or evening, or as the after-dinner room for a Painted Hall event. Natural daylight, and the Colonnades outside take the drinks reception when the weather allows.
Admiral's House
Exclusive HireCommissioned by Charles II in 1660 as part of his new royal palace, the oldest building on site and the only one never open to the public, so a hire has it entirely. Light, panelled rooms with double-height ceilings and river views, hired whole or room by room, with the ground floor step-free and the first floor reached by staircase only. The one space on site available for dry hire.
Hardwick Room
PrivateThe largest of the Admiral's House rooms, panelled and hung with marine paintings, with a fireplace and windows to the river. Takes a boardroom, a theatre set or a round-table dinner.
King William Hub
PrivateA newly refurbished room with Wi-Fi, projector and screen, level access and accessible facilities nearby. Hired for smaller meetings and press conferences, or as a breakout room alongside a larger space.
Webb Room
PrivateA first-floor room in Admiral's House named for John Webb, architect of the King Charles Court, with daylight on two sides and the same panelled character as its neighbours. Used for seminars, boardroom meetings and private dinners.
Wren Room
PrivateNamed for the surveyor who designed the hospital, a panelled Admiral's House room of the same size as the Webb, working equally as a dining room, a theatre-style seminar or a boardroom.
Hawksmoor Room
PrivateA small panelled room in Admiral's House named for Wren's clerk of works, suited to an intimate dinner or a private meeting rather than a seated presentation.
Kay Room
PrivateThe smallest bookable room in Admiral's House, taking ten around a table. Used as a breakout room alongside a larger hire, or on its own for a private meeting.
Chapel Garden
Exclusive HireA 30 by 10 metre garden beside the Chapel, the third of the site's smaller outdoor spaces and the closest to the Chapel and its undercrofts.
King Charles Lawn
Exclusive HireThe twin of the King William Lawn at 88 by 40 metres, also quartered around a fountain and running down to the river. For two days each year it holds one of London's largest free outdoor arts festivals.
King William Courtyard
Exclusive HireA cobbled court in red brick and Portland stone, carved with shells and sea creatures, laid out to echo the Union flag around an ornate central lantern. Steps lead up to the Colonnades.
King William Lawn
Exclusive HireA 96 by 40 metre lawn beside Greenwich Pier, divided into four quadrants around a central fountain and bordered at one end by the Thames. Hired for away days, weddings and outdoor events.
King William Undercroft
Exclusive HireThe second of the pair of vaulted undercrofts beneath the Chapel building, let alongside the Painted Hall, the Chapel or the Queen Mary Undercroft, or on its own. Used for mingling and catering around a concert or a dinner, and the room the genuine Victorian Skittle Alley opens off.
Lower Grand Square
Exclusive HireThe 70 by 60 metre court between the Grand Square and the river, paved and lawned, opening onto the Thames path. Used for concerts, festivals and charity events alongside or independently of the Upper Square.
Monument Gardens
Exclusive HireA 30 by 10 metre garden overlooking the Cutty Sark and the Thames river walk, sold alongside Pepys Lawn and the Chapel Garden for smaller outdoor events.
Nelson Room
PrivateReached through the Painted Hall, a stone-floored room under shallow vaults with a roof lantern, monumental stonework and a statue of Nelson at its head. Sold as a private dining package with a five-course menu, live music from Trinity Laban musicians and an arrival tour.
Pepys Lawn
Exclusive HireA 40 by 15 metre lawn giving onto the Old Brewery and the Visitor Centre. One of three smaller off-shoot spaces the venue sells for intimate outdoor events of 300 to 600, or as a base for activity across the wider site.
Quarter Deck, Visitor Centre
Semi PrivateA semi-private area inside the Discover Greenwich centre in the Pepys Building, with Wi-Fi, projector and screen and level access. Used for training sessions and meetings; the venue publishes its capacity on request only.
Queen Mary Courtyard
Exclusive HireThe plainer of the two courts at 50 by 40 metres, flagstoned rather than cobbled, with its own steps onto the Colonnades. Hired for receptions, builds and outdoor activations.
The Colonnades
Exclusive HireThe King William and Queen Mary Colonnades run either side of Upper Grand Square, 100 metres each under Baroque ceilings and the site's lanterns, widening to a central section. Hired with the Painted Hall, the Chapel or the undercrofts for a drinks reception, or on their own.
Upper Grand Square
Exclusive HireThe 82 by 33 metre court at the centre of the World Heritage Site, the view Canaletto painted, in paving and lawn between the twin domes. Hired for concerts, festivals and large-scale outdoor events, with the domes available to be lit in colour.
/ Perfect For
/ Features
AV Equipment
- – Projector
Catering
- – In-House Luxury Dining
- – Private Bar
- – Bespoke Menus
- – Canape Service
- – Halal Available
Venue Specs
- – Dedicated Events Team
- – Wheelchair Accessible
- – Wi-Fi
- – Outdoor Terrace
/ Getting Here
Old Royal Naval College
Old Royal Naval College, King William Walk, Greenwich, London, SE10 9NN
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