Weston Manor Hotel

About the venue

Grade II* listed manor at Weston-on-the-Green near Bicester, once an Osney Abbey estate and a hotel since 1946. The 15th-century Baron's Hall takes 60, wedding packages are priced for 60 guests, and the Conference Room seats 20 around one table. There are 34 bedrooms and 12 acres of gardens.

During the Second World War, BBC staff were housed at Weston Manor, and in 1946 the house opened as a hotel. Its records go back much further. The estate began as the Saxon settlement of West Tun, and from the early 13th century it was one of Osney Abbey's most valuable estates. The abbey's officials held manorial courts in the Baron's Hall, one of the oldest surviving parts of the house.

After the Dissolution in 1539, Henry VIII granted Weston to Sir John Williams, who served four Tudor monarchs and rebuilt it as a Tudor residence. The Norreys and Bertie families then owned it for more than 350 years. The manor was built inside a 13th-century moat, long since filled in, and is listed Grade II*. Local folklore has a ghost called Mad Maud in one of the oak-panelled bedrooms, though the hotel admits there is no evidence for her.

Weddings centre on the Baron's Hall, with its timber roof, oak linenfold panelling and a Minstrels' Gallery above. The tree-lined drive and a secret walled garden are used for photographs. Three packages are priced for 60 guests, starting at £14,925 in 2027, and extra guests are charged per head. Each one includes the Blenheim Suite, a 120 square metre room with a four-poster, a Jacuzzi and a dressing room lit by Hollywood-style mirrors.

For meetings, the Conference Room overlooks the gardens and seats 20 around a single boardroom table, or 26 with extra chairs. The Baron's Hall takes 60, and exclusive hire adds the Lavender Restaurant, Piano Lounge, Osborn Suite and bar as breakout rooms. The hotel names Ralph Lauren, Gucci and Marks & Spencer among its corporate clients. Its 34 bedrooms are split between the Main House and the Coach House, and the Bell Tower Suite has a copper bath under exposed beams. Islip station is about ten minutes away by car.

Grade II* listed manor near Bicester

Osney Abbey estate from the 13th century

Hotel since 1946

15th-century Baron's Hall for 60

Wedding packages for 60, from £14,925 (2027)

Conference Room: 20 boardroom, 26 with extra seats

34 bedrooms incl. the Blenheim Suite

12 acres of gardens and a secret walled garden