Pembroke Lodge

About the venue

Grade II listed Georgian mansion at the highest point of Richmond Park, and the only licensed wedding venue in a London Royal Park. The Belvedere takes 140 for the ceremony and meal and 200 in the evening, and the Russell Suite takes 70 and 100. Family-run, with in-house catering, 11 acres of gardens and free parking.

Before Pembroke Lodge existed, Richmond Park's molecatcher lived in a small cottage on the site. Molehills were a real hazard when the park was a royal hunting ground. By 1780 the cottage had grown into Hill Lodge. That year Elizabeth, Countess of Pembroke, rented it, and George III let her make it her home. John Soane and Henry Holland enlarged it into a Georgian villa between 1788 and 1796.

Lord John Russell, twice Prime Minister, later lived here and used it almost as a second seat of government. Charles Dickens, Tennyson, Gladstone and Garibaldi all visited, and his grandson Bertrand Russell grew up in the house. In the Second World War it was the headquarters of the GHQ Liaison Regiment, known as Phantom. By the 1990s the building was in poor repair. Daniel Hearsum took the lease in 1997 and paid for a ten-year restoration, and the lodge is still family-owned and independently run.

It stands at the highest point of Richmond Park, with views over the Thames Valley and 11 acres of gardens. These include a rose garden, the John Beer Laburnum Walk and King Henry VIII's Mound. The lodge has held weddings for more than 50 years and is the only licensed wedding venue in a London Royal Park. It has won a Hitched award five years running.

There are two private suites. The Belvedere, under a starlit ceiling, seats 140 and takes 200 in the evening. The Russell Suite in the Georgian Wing seats 70 and takes 100. Both are licensed for civil ceremonies, and the chefs cook everything on site. The Butler's Pantry tea room is open daily, and just under 10p in every pound spent goes towards the upkeep of the park.

Grade II listed Georgian mansion in Richmond Park

Only licensed wedding venue in a London Royal Park

The Belvedere: 140 seated, 200 evening

Russell Suite: 70 seated, 100 evening

Outdoor ceremonies at the Oak Gazebo and terraces

11 acres of gardens with Thames Valley views

All catering cooked in-house

Free on-site parking