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About

On Hitched.co.uk since 2021

Last update: June 2024

Lea Rowing Club is a historical British Rowing affiliated club venue that dates back to the 19th century and is based in East London, England. Perched between Hackney's vibrant east London boroughs and Waltham Forest, this space is set close to wilderness, directly overlooking a tranquil stretch of the River Lea and surrounded by ancient marshland. Recently renovated, the club's beautiful Boathouse offers a series of complementary spacious areas, perfect for holding a celebration or wedding reception.

Facilities and Capacities

Lea Rowing Club venue is fully licensed to host civil services. The main hall is a light and airy space with high ceilings and can accommodate up to 130 seated guests or 200 standing guests. It boasts a clean, modern, minimalistic backdrop for your celebration and is fully air-conditioned with a large dance floor. The L-shaped Bar and Study Area are characterful and charming rooms located at the venue's rear. They share a vast private balcony with stunning views over the River Lea and Walthamstow marshes.

Services Offered

To provide you with the most exquisite setting for your celebration at the Lea Rowing Club, you have the choice to hire The Boathouse, a newly refurbished clubhouse, for your wedding reception. To get the most out of your experience at this unique venue, choose between three inclusive wedding packages offering some of the following services:

  • Saturday hire of the entire venue from 8 am to 12.30 am
  • Use of the kitchen
  • Chef's Menu meal and drinks package for guests
  • Hire of furnishings and table settings
  • Decor, linen and lighting hire
  • Floral arrangements and centrepieces
  • Front of house, bar and kitchen staff
  • Assistance from the designated event manager

Frequently asked questions

Venue type:

In the country
Sporting
Unusual weddings
Historic
Landmark
In the city
Unique weddings

Ceremony options:

Civil ceremony licence

Dining options:

Seated meal facilities
Corkage option
Private catering allowed
Alcohol licence
Buffet meal facilities
In-house catering

Evening entertainment:

Dance floor
Entertainment licence
Live band facilities
Evening reception facilities
DJ facilities

Venue staff assistance:

Wedding coordinator

Other features:

Exclusive use
Accessible facilities
Car parking
Changing room for wedding guests
Pet-friendly
illustration notebook

Do you have any questions?

Reviews for Lea Rowing Club

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5.0 out of 5 rating
5.0 out of 5 rating
22 reviews
100% recommend it
  • Quality of the service
    5 out of 5 rating
  • Response time
    5 out of 5 rating
  • Professionalism
    5 out of 5 rating
  • Value for money
    5 out of 5 rating
  • Flexibility
    5 out of 5 rating
Elinor
Elinor G. Sent on 21/11/2023
5 out of 5 rating

Fantastic laid back East London wedding!

My husband and I chose Lea Rowing Club as our wedding venue as we wanted a large blank canvas space in London which we could put our own stamp on. Lea rowing club definitely allowed that! We hired all 3 rooms at the club and it provided amazing spaces for all our 140 guests. The spot on the river is gorgeous and luckily we had beautiful weather for guests to enjoy on the large balcony. We were able the access the venue the night before to decorate which was a great bonus. I can’t fault Stephen and JC who made the process from booking to the actual wedding day so seamless - both of their communication was great and any questions I had were always answered. We had the most special day - it was the laidback, fun, family event that I had always envisioned and the venue definitely played in a big part in that. I highly recommend!
Peter
Peter D. Sent on 20/11/2023
4.8 out of 5 rating

Wedding venue

We used the Lea Rowing Club for our wedding and for the reception later in the day. We had access to the building several times in the run up to the big day to figure out the arrangements, and the staff were helpful at all times. They did their best to provide us with all the information we needed. The day went very successfully, and we received many compliments from guests on the venue, which is right on the river Lea.
Emma
Emma '. Sent on 17/11/2023
5 out of 5 rating

The best day of our lives!

We had the most amazing wedding at the Boathouse on the Lea! After looking at many different venues in London, we chose this one for its beautiful location and dog-friendly policies.

From the moment we arrived, the staff were incredibly responsive to our questions and needs. Stephen Mitchelson, the general manager, gave us a thorough tour of the venue and we could immediately see his vast experience with events. He gave us invaluable advice and instilled confidence that we could have the perfect wedding there.

JC, the bar manager, was an absolute gem! With his immense knowledge of the wine industry, he helped us choose and try wine and let us know how we could optimise our purchases. He was even able to give us guidance on the interior setup, which turned out to be incredibly helpful.

The venue was extremely considerate in allowing us to hang lanterns the day before and set up fairy lights on the balcony. They allowed an external vendor to bring in tables and chairs the night before who continued to finish setting up the next morning. On the day of the wedding, the venue was perfectly clean and air-conditioned, making it a comfortable space for all our guests for our summer wedding.

We held our ceremony in the main hall, which had excellent natural lighting and acoustics that amplified recorded music, speeches and the DJ! The bar was staffed by JC and his son, who provided extremely fast and friendly service. The balcony area was a big hit with guests, who enjoyed canapés, drinks, and a stunning view throughout the day and night.

We were so pleased with how all our vendors were able to work with Boathouse on the Lea to set up and work effectively. They were able to prepare a huge amount of food for our wedding and everything went off without a hitch. We highly recommend Boathouse on the Lea to anyone looking for a beautiful wedding venue in London. It truly was the perfect spot for our special day!

We’d recommend this venue to any couple looking for a relaxed and beautiful wedding just steps away from green spaces for pictures and with beautiful views of the river. In any weather you’ll be comfortable as the main hall's AC kept our guests cool on a pretty warm day in June! We couldn’t be happier with our choice of venue and our guests loved the location.
Elena
Elena M. Sent on 09/10/2022
5 out of 5 rating

Perfect wedding

A fantastic venue for our wedding - Stephen and JC were brilliant to deal with from the outset. We were able to arrange the room the evening before and tailor it all to our needs. JC and his team were amazing throughout - JC helped us with pretty much every aspect of the planning and organised everything perfectly from start to finish on the day itself. Would highly recommend.
J
Jeremy W. Sent on 16/11/2023
5 out of 5 rating

Wonderful venue, great staff, highly recommend

We rented the venue for our wedding and had the most wonderful experience. The staff were so great, everyone went above and beyond, they were flexible too, and we had the most memorable and fun day. Huge thanks to Stephen, JP and the team
D
Despina M. Sent on 16/11/2023
5 out of 5 rating

A perfect October wedding

A fantastic wedding venue overlooking the canal. Stephen and JC were quick to respond to our emails and gave us some fab recommendations which we took up. We had a wonderful day that flew by too quickly. The wines JC suggested were as delicious as he promised so thank you team for all of your hard work, it was a day to remember!
R
Richard B. Sent on 08/10/2023
5 out of 5 rating

Great Venue!

We recently used the Lea Rowing Club as the venue for our wedding reception. We hired the whole venue which was just the right size for our 130 guests.

The venue itself is great, we loved the fact that you would have no idea you were in the middle of London, it is so peaceful and quiet on the river.

Stephen, JC and the rest of the team were all really helpful and provided great service. JC was always available for calls or meetings in the run up to the day.

All of our guests absolutely lived the venue and we would definitely recommend them for any event!
M
Mark F. Sent on 26/08/2021
5 out of 5 rating

A great venue and better team!

Thank you so much to the team at Lea Rowing Club for help making our wedding day such a success. Organising a wedding in a pandemic is no mean feat but Stephen and JC were amazing throughout: from helping us find a new date twice owing due to lockdowns, to making sure everything ran smoothly on the day! The venue itself is unlike anything else out there, bringing a little bit of rural charm to a London location. We were able to put our own stamp on an already beautiful space that made the day feel truly ours. JC in particular was brilliant in helping us put into place all the little touches that we wanted and on the day his team were impeccable.
P
Priya M. Sent on 25/08/2021
5 out of 5 rating

A stress-free wedding in a stunning setting

We could not have asked for a better wedding! We organised it in three months but had no stress thanks to Stephen and JC.

Everyone commented on how beautiful the venue was and that it was such a hidden gem. Everything went smoothly and every single person had fun. Thank you Lea Rowing Club! We will be back on our anniversary for a Sunday roast...
T
Tatiana Sent on 30/07/2021
4.8 out of 5 rating

Hidden gem, forever memories

We had the best wedding day imaginable. So glad we found this beautiful venue in such a pretty setting by the river. Stephen and JC were very communicative and helpful from the beginning and made our lives so easy. The venue looked beautiful and the service from everyone on the day was outstanding. All of our guests had a great time and were impressed by this hidden gem of a venue. It was so much fun. Special shout out to JC for dealing with everything along the way, really helpful advice on the wines and making the day run smoothly, always with a smile. Perfect venue and a perfect day, we will cherish the memories forever (and will come back for a roast sometime!)
Thank you!
Tati & Paul
H
Harriet B. Sent on 20/07/2021
5 out of 5 rating

Amazing summer wedding

We loved our wedding at the Lea Rowing Club. Organising a wedding during Covid was no mean feat, but Stephen and his team supported us every step of the way and always with a smile. They were very responsive, organised and brilliant with all our suppliers, which made a huge difference especially as we chose not to use a wedding planner.

The venue is already a lovely space so we had to do very little to decorate it, but Stephen was happy to let us use flowers and simple decorations to add some flair. Although the weather was so good on our wedding day, our guests really got to see it at its best - we had so many people say what a gorgeous spot it was. We got lots of amazing photos on the bridge and in the surrounding areas as well as in the Club itself - there's lots of variety in terms of wedding photography.

We had a wedding with kids in attendance so the different spaces in the venue really helped. We were able to use the main hall for our ceremony, the bar and deck for our reception and the anteroom next to the bar as a creche so it felt like we had unique and differentiated areas, which worked really well.

Thanks so much to Stephen and particularly JC, the bar manager, who was brilliant! We had the best day!

Harriet and Alex
F
Fiona R. Sent on 12/07/2021
5 out of 5 rating

Fantastic wedding at the Boathouse

We had the most incredible day celebrating our wedding at the Boathouse. We hired the bar and the study, and the venue looked beautiful on a glorious June day. All of our guests were so impressed at this little hidden gem in the city! Stephen and JC were so helpful - especially as we had to postpone and change things around due to Covid. But they were both on hand to answer any questions and help arrange everything we needed and the day ran seamlessly. The bar staff were fantastic too, and our guests had a brilliant time. The Boathouse was everything we had been looking for in a venue - as soon as we visited we knew it would be the perfect location for our day - it's a beautiful space, full of character, while remaining relaxed and fun too. Thank you so much for everything and making our day extra-special!
J
Jane Sent on 30/07/2019
5 out of 5 rating

We just wanted to thank you for your wonderful ven

It really was perfect for our event and day.
I particularly wanted to thank you for the bar staffs fabulous work on the night, you looked after us brilliantly and whilst a lot of people commented on how great the venue was and looked, quite a few friends said how fantastic the staff were - and you looked after us a treat, handed over bubbles at all the right moments and were a joy.

Thanks again, the whole thing couldn't have been better - and your venue was a huge part of that.

Very best,
S
Sue Sent on 26/09/2018
5 out of 5 rating

Great Location

Guests really loved the venue, despite me choosing the evening with the worst weather. Good time had by all, perhaps too good by some!
A
Amelie Sent on 14/08/2018
5 out of 5 rating

Great time

Dear Sally
Please say thanks to Steve on my behalf. I had the most lovely party.
The room looked lovely with the fairy lights, it all worked very well, Francisco provided good food and Pedro did a good job at the Bar.
The wines were praised, so thanks to his suggestions, and the Champagne was generally very much appreciated.
With best wishes
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Lea Rowing Club Real Weddings

Isabel & Tom
67 photos · 07/10/2023

Map

The Boathouse E5 9BL Hackney (East London)
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