Hampden House

About the venue

Grade I listed Chiltern house shaped over 650 years by the Hampden family, 40 minutes from London. Weddings take exclusive use of the house, with four licensed ceremony spaces and a 14th-century church on the estate. Packages start at £22,500, and the house also hosts corporate, charity and private events.

Hampden House has been a family seat, a school and a film set, and in 650 years nobody has knocked it down and started again. John Hampden I probably built the first stone manor around 1350. Later generations added Tudor brickwork and a Georgian Gothic front, and in the 18th century Robert Trevor, Viscount Hampden, reworked the interiors and gardens.

The best-known resident was John Hampden, known as The Patriot, who opposed Charles I over taxation and became a national figure in the English Civil War. After years of disrepair the house was restored by Tim and Susie Oliver, and the Oliver family still looks after it. It is Grade I listed and stands in the Chiltern Hills, about 40 minutes from London.

Every booking is exclusive use. The Great Hall and the chinoiserie-style Dining Room are each licensed for ceremonies of up to 100, and Hill House, a restored Grade II listed barn, takes 60. Outdoor ceremonies in the gardens have no set limit. Church weddings take place at St Mary Magdalene, a 14th-century church on the estate, a short walk from the house.

Beyond weddings, the house hosts leadership retreats, client dinners, awards evenings and charity galas. Period dramas, thrillers and horror films have used its Georgian-Gothic exterior, panelled rooms and more than 350 acres of grounds. There are no guest bedrooms, but couples can spend their wedding night in a one-bedroom apartment in Hill House.

Grade I listed, shaped over 650 years

Home of John Hampden, The Patriot

Exclusive use for every event

Ceremonies for 100 in the Great Hall

14th-century church on the estate

Packages from £22,500 inc VAT

Wedding-night apartment in Hill House

40 minutes from London