Farnham Castle

About the venue

Medieval palace of the Bishops of Winchester above Farnham, on the Surrey and Hampshire border, with a keep over 900 years old. Four licensed rooms and two chapels hold ceremonies, the Great Hall seats 230 for dinner and 350 for dancing, and 33 bedrooms are on site.

When Bishop John de Pontoise came to stay at Farnham Castle, he liked to entertain on a grand scale. For one visit the larders held 311 pigs in brine tubs. Centuries later, Bishop Andrewes spent more than £2,000 over three days entertaining James I.

The powerful Bishops of Winchester built the castle on Castle Hill, and its keep is over 900 years old. The Great Hall and Norman Chapel date from its earliest phase. King John came often, and Elizabeth I visited at least six times, the last in 1602. Parliament garrisoned the castle in 1642, and it was restored in 1662.

It is now one of the few great medieval houses left in England, with over five acres of gardens and lawns. The Great Lawn looks across the town to the Surrey Hills. Volunteers from the Farnham Castle Charity run guided tours of the Bishop's Palace on selected Wednesday afternoons.

Head Chef Simon Lloyd has run the Castle Kitchen for over 20 years. The breakfast served in the Library includes the Bishops Banger, a sausage made with a local butcher. There are 33 en-suite bedrooms, and the executive room sits in the Fox's Tower above the Great Lawn. The castle is ten miles south of junction 4 of the M3, with secure parking on site.

Bishops of Winchester palace with a 900-year-old keep

Four licensed ceremony rooms

Norman Chapel and 17th-century Bishop's Chapel

Great Hall ceremonies for 265

Dinner for 230, dancing for 350

All-inclusive intimate package at £18,000

33 en-suite bedrooms

Ten miles south of the M3