Old Swan & Minster Mill

About the venue

A 15th-century pub and a riverside hotel and spa on the River Windrush at Minster Lovell, with 65 acres of meadow, garden and woodland. Weddings start at £10,650 for 50 guests, with vows in the Lovell Room or the Meadowland Pavilion. The Malthouse takes 190 for events, and day delegate rates start at £70.

Francis Lovell, a close ally of Richard III, vanished after the Battle of Bosworth in 1485. The ruins of his family's 15th-century hall stand beside the River Windrush, a short walk from Old Swan & Minster Mill. William, Lord Lovell built the hall in the 1430s. English Heritage now looks after the great hall, tower and dovecote, and they are free to visit.

The Old Swan is a 15th-century inn with roaring fires and a riverside terrace where guests play Aunt Sally and giant chess. Its rooms above the bar have oak beams, and some have four-poster beds. Across the way, Minster Mill has Scandinavian-style rooms and Wildling restaurant. Its Garden Spa has an indoor pool, rock sauna and aroma steam room. Feature Rooms have private terraces with a log burner or a fire pit, and marshmallows for toasting.

Dogs are allowed in 32 rooms for £25 a night. Each arrives to a personalised welcome card, a doggy beer or prosecco and a pot of ice cream, and gets a sausage at breakfast. Swan Cottage has three double bedrooms, flagstone floors and its own garden. The grounds cover 65 acres of meadow, garden and woodland, with tennis, croquet and bicycle hire.

Couples marry in the Lovell Room at The Old Swan, in the grounds of Minster Mill or in the Meadowland Pavilion beside the river. Wedding packages start at £10,650 for 50 guests. For events, the Malthouse takes 190, Windrush and Myrtle 80 each, and the Barn 60 with a private reception area. Day delegate rates start at £70, and The Old Swan can be hired outright from £13,750. The hotel is 15 miles from Oxford and about seven miles from Charlbury station.

15th-century pub and riverside hotel

65 acres beside the River Windrush

Garden Spa with indoor pool

Weddings from £10,650 for 50 guests

Meadowland Pavilion ceremonies

Malthouse for up to 190

Day delegate rates from £70

Exclusive pub hire from £13,750