Eastnor Castle

I'll always have special memories associated with Eastnor Castle as my wife and I were married there. Located about two hours west of London and about an hour west of Oxford, Eastnor is a picturesque, Gothic Revival castle built in 1810. The Hervey-Bathurst family owns the castle today, and lives there, but it is open to the public during certain times and one can book the castle for weddings and receptions. For selecting this site for the once in a lifetime event, there were a number of factors which guided us: pictures of the castle found first in a Castles of England book and then online which were breathtaking, good Web site and email communications (a must if you are to plan a wedding from overseas!), the proximity to London and ease with which to get there by train, cost (the exchange rate was a little better than it is today!), and the ability for the wedding party to stay overnight in the castle. For all of the effort it took to plan a wedding overseas, it was well worth it. The staff at Eastnor was the epitome of excellent service, looking out for our every need. They connected us with many superb service providers such as musicians, hair stylists, bakers, florists, and so on. Staff kept us on track with our planned activities (dinner, carriage rides through the grounds, dancing, karaoke, cake cutting, and casino). Everything went smoothly. We thought we would be safe by booking a date in May, but the lovely English weather was terrible the day before and the day after the wedding - fortunately, the skies parted just for us on the wedding day itself and indoor contingency plans did not have to be used. The interior of the castle is gorgeous, and we had so much fun going fro room to room, marveling at the grandeur. The drawing room was designed by Pugin who also worked on the Houses of Parliament. In true castle fashion, there are some secret passageways connecting some of the rooms. Staying in these rooms overnight was undoubtedly one of the highlights of the whole experience. If anyone has any questions about having a wedding at Eastnor, feel free to contact me. The countryside of Malvern Hills around Eastnor Castle is lovely, and I hope we can get back there soon for a visit.

is eastnor castle worth the visit? heck yes! there is a lot of rich history tied to this castle. many people book it for corporate events or weddings. if you book it for a wedding you're able actually stay in the castle. the castle is so big that there's areas where you can hire performers/entertainers to have stations where you can keep your guests entertained. you can put up a tent and eat outdoors. staff here are really nice. they provide castle tours and the part i love the most is they let you touch or sit on some of their old furniture. you don't see that in the states. i couldn't help but sit on as many chairs/furniture as i possibly could. one of the eastnor tour guides said "if you treat people like adults they will behave like adults". therefore you don't ruin things!!! ahh.. if only every historic landmark thought that way. eastnor castle is definitely 2 thumbs up! if you're visiting the UK and eastnor castle is open for a visit. i say make the drive out and see it for yourself. if you're looking into eastnor castle as a place to get married. then i say you got yourself a very magical venue! it looks amazing and i can only imagine how the pictures would turn out. fun fact: madonna actually paid to get the chandelier cleaned. tips: *free wifi doesn't really work. *not open everyday throughout the year. *they allow you to take pictures. *there's plenty of restrooms in the castle. *love the gong that they allow you to hit at the bottom of the stairs.

Eastnor castle is set in the countryside not too far from Ledbury. They have lots of things to see inside the castle such as paintings and tapestrys it is a very beautifull place the rooms are highly decorated with high ceilings it is also a place where people have there wedding really lovely place to visit.

I visited the castle and grounds during Spring 2011. The deer park and the views from across the lake towards the castle were memorable. What a beautiful part of the country.