Venue of the week: Vintners’ Hall

It’s certainly not impossible to host an event surrounded by history and heritage in London, but sometimes the level of history on display for an event venue still astounds me. Vintners’ Hall sits among some very modern architecture on the Thames, yet the building itself is unashamedly, gloriously out of time.

Still in possession of the original deed to the land and proudly on display despite being well over 500 years old, it can feel almost daunting – certainly surreal – to stand where so many of London’s most respected have stood for hundreds of years, wine glass in hand. Its wine trading was once to its detriment though; when the Great Fire reared its ugly head in 1666, the site didn’t stand a chance, but in true London style they rebuilt, and the building has proudly stood for over 300 years since.

Wherever you look, delicate wooden carvings and relics of a long-forgotten age line the walls. Paintings of kings and lords still stand centuries later, and they haven’t aged a day. Offering businesses access to a large selection of elegant rooms, it’s surprising how much space is available in a London venue, for larger and smaller gatherings. The spaces allow for events as straightforward as a meeting in the boardroom, a sit-down meal in the court room or banquets and balls in the great Livery hall.

The verdict
Vintners’ is a grand, magnificent site, filled with as many nooks and crannies and it has wide open spaces. The historic feel gives the venue a unique sensation in the modern age, and it holds plenty more secrets including – according to Vintners’ Steve Marcham – the occasional moving shadow and ghostly figure.

Want to know more about attending an event at Vintners’? Read Penelope Alice’s review exclusively on the PA Life Club. 

Picture by @Searcys who hosted our latest PA Life Club event