Picture the beautiful green countryside of the Cotswolds, UK, for your wonderful wedding weekend. A gorgeous country manor house complete with accommodation, so your nearest and dearest can celebrate the whole weekend with you. To help you narrow down your search, here are my top 5 favourite Cotswolds manor houses:
1. Euridge Manor
Euridge Manor is an exclusive-use gem in the heart of the Cotswolds, on the borders of Somerset and Wiltshire. It is available for a three-day hire so you have plenty of time to settle in, relax and enjoy. The venue's large private grounds include authentic Georgian architecture, water features, palm trees, rose gardens and a thatched boat house! A truly magical venue that gives off Italian villa vibes too.
Euridge has the capacity for 120 – 150 guests depending on the space required and sleeps up to 32 guests on-site in the Cloister Apartment, quaint cottages and a beautiful cabin. For ceremonies, choose between the Ballroom, Cloisters or the Lost Orangery, or take advantage of the outside spaces: the Boathouse or Castle Arch are popular choices in the summer.
Your wedding breakfast can take place inside the Orangery or Ballroom, as well as some alfresco options you could consider. The venue is also near major cities such as Bristol and Bath, and approx. 2 hours’ drive away from London.
If you're looking for something a little different with a luxurious, slightly Mediterranean feel, this is one manor house you should definitely visit.
Photo credit: Kristin Sautter
2. Cornwell Manor
Cornwell Manor is a privately owned 2000-acre estate on the Oxfordshire-Gloucestershire border. It is private hire, is never open to the public and is only available for a few months of the year for summer weddings, making it a rare and extremely special, exclusive wedding venue.
The Georgian-fronted manor house provides Pride and Prejudice's romantic vibes, with a modern twist, providing numerous inspirational wedding ideas to celebrate your big day. How about placing your ceremony in the beautiful ballroom with up to 100 guests? Or choose the local church with 80 of your friends and family, capturing pictures on the luscious lawns or overlooking the lake? You could then set up a stunning marquee for up to 200 on the croquet lawn for your wedding breakfast and evening party.
The house sleeps 24 guests, so your nearest and dearest will be close by to relax and enjoy the private swimming pool, as well as a lazy post wedding day brunch or lunch BBQ before the 5 pm departure. The Cornwell Manor is perfect for couples looking for a marquee wedding on the grounds of a stunning English manor, surrounded by gorgeous green countryside.
Fun fact: this beautiful venue is also the location of Jude Law and Cameron Diaz’s countryside date in the film The Holiday!
Photo credit: Cornwell manor website
3. Kin House
Tucked away in the Wiltshire countryside is the newly renovated Georgian stately home, Kin House. In fact, it only reopened in 2022 and is another hidden gem to those in the know.
This Cotswold wedding venue is available for a one-day hire or yours for the whole weekend. If you're unsure whether you want an indoor or outdoor wedding, or maybe a bit of both, this venue is very flexible to your requests. Choose between the Arbour for outdoor wedding ceremonies, the Garden House for large parties of up to 200 guests, or the Hearth Room in the main house which makes a lovely location for more intimate ceremonies of up to 85 seated.
The wedding breakfast usually takes place in Kilvert Hall which then turns into the evening party space. There is enough accommodation for 24 guests staying over in the grand-designed bedrooms, with numerous bars and cool spaces throughout the house to entertain everyone, including a very cool Fitz bar for the after-party. There are also luxurious dressing rooms for both the bridal party and groom's party - great for those pre-wedding photos. If you're looking for a weekend wedding hire, the venue can arrange classes and activities for your guests such as yoga, restorative massages, or croquet on the lawn too.
Kin House is 35 minutes from the city of Bath and just under 2 hours from London and would suit stylish couples looking for a little luxury in a home away from home.
Photo credit: Kin House website
4. Barnsley House
Barnsley House is a luxury boutique hotel and spa wedding venue - a picturesque and charming location in the Cotswolds. The gardens offer a magical, almost fairy-tale feel, with enchanted gardens to explore and the most amazing flowers at every turn.
For your wedding weekend, you can request exclusive use of the hotel; hosting between 40 – 140 guests on the day. Your ceremony could take place in the main house, or there's a lovely church just a stone’s throw away. This countryside wedding venue also hosts stunning garden spaces which you could use, or the Temple is a picture-perfect ceremony spot.
Your wedding breakfast can take place inside the house for smaller numbers or in a wonderful marquee for larger numbers. The iconic Laburnam Arch looks stunning, especially in May, with the whole garden having endless flowers statues and surprises - you won’t be short of places for couples portraits. There are also 18 bedrooms for guests to stay over, along with a spa and cinema room for you all to enjoy the night before the wedding.
Again, this UK wedding venue is approx. 2 hours drive from London, 35 minutes away from Gloucester and an hour away from historic Oxford. With such beautiful gardens to explore, as well as a stunning house and spa, this venue is an idyllic, retreat in the countryside for a wedding.
Photo credit: M & J Photography
5. Foxhill Manor
Foxhill Manor is an elegant privately owned home for exclusive wedding hire. The boutique-style wedding venue is a little more intimate than the others as it boasts lots of cosy corners, grand fireplaces and unique areas (inside and out) to discover.
This Cotswold venue caters for 60 wedding guests, with your wedding day taking place inside the house. However, you and your party can leisurely enjoy the gorgeous lawns for a drinks reception and couples portraits. With everything you need all in one place, the decorative interior and exterior of this venue make it a stunning setting for summer, winter and springtime weddings.
Foxhill Manor can accommodate for 16 guests to stay over. For your remaining guests, the hotel has two sister hotels nearby, one of which has a spa that can be used by your Foxhill Manor residents. The venue is nestled within a larger estate, so lots of pre and post-weddings activities can be arranged too, including archery, falconry or tennis.
This wedding venue is located in North Cotswolds, which is a 2 and half-hour drive from London, but also near Worcester, Stratford upon Avon and Cheltenham. If you're looking for a romantic, intimate quintessentially English home for your wedding, this could be the one for you.
Photo credit: Foxhill manor website
If you'd like to know more about Cotswold manor houses or help finding the right wedding venue for your special day, I'd love to hear from you.
