Loseley Park

About the venue

Elizabethan manor house on the More-Molyneux family's 1,400-acre estate, three miles south of Guildford. Civil ceremonies take place in the Great Hall for 102 or the 17th-century Tithe Barn for 140. Outdoor vows use the 2.5-acre Walled Garden, marquee receptions take 280 and Chestnut Lodge is the couple's for the night.

The cushions on the maid of honour chairs in Loseley's Drawing Room are reputed to have been worked by Queen Elizabeth I. The ceiling above them was commissioned for a visit by James I. Sir Christopher More bought the Manor of Loseley in the reign of Henry VII, and his son Sir William More began building in earnest. Their descendants, the More-Molyneux family, still live in the house.

Loseley has been a private family home for over 400 years, and nothing in its rooms is staged. The Great Hall holds George IV's coronation chair, panels painted for Henry VIII's banqueting tents and carving by Grinling Gibbons. The estate covers 1,400 acres of countryside three miles south of Guildford. In the open season the house is seen on 45-minute guided tours.

Couples can take exclusive use of the house and gardens. Two rooms are licensed for civil ceremonies: the Great Hall for 102 guests and the 17th-century Tithe Barn for 140. The Walled Garden is used for outdoor vows. Receptions seat 140 or take 180 standing, a marquee raises numbers to 280, and a late licence can be requested.

The Walled Garden covers 2.5 acres and is divided into 'rooms', each with its own planting. Its Rose Garden has more than a thousand Old English rose bushes framed by clipped box hedges. The White Garden, all white, cream and silver around a water feature, is used for drinks receptions and has its own café. Chestnut Lodge, near the Tithe Barn, is the bridal dressing room in the morning and the couple's lodge at night. The free car park holds 200 cars.

Elizabethan house, still a family home

1,400-acre estate, 3 miles from Guildford

Great Hall ceremonies for 102

17th-century Tithe Barn for 140

Marquee receptions for 280

2.5-acre Walled Garden for outdoor vows

Late licence on request

Chestnut Lodge for the couple