The Blue Bell Hotel in Belford, Northumberland, can be hired privately for weddings, parties, christenings and conferences. Its wedding packages are built for 30 guests, or for 50 day guests and 80 evening guests. The hotel is an 18th century coaching inn on the market place, with bedrooms, a restaurant and a garden outlook, a short drive from the A1.
Seminars and company events
The hotel's private hire page lists conferences among the events it hosts, next to parties and christenings. The official site does not describe meeting rooms, equipment or day delegate packages, and it gives no conference capacity. An organiser planning a seminar or a company gathering should ask the team which room would be used, how many people it takes and what is included. The hotel presents itself as flexible and open to any requirement, so a request with clear numbers and dates is the best starting point.
Weddings and receptions
Weddings are the best documented use. The hotel offers three packages, named Budle Bay, Lindisfarne and Bamburgh after places on the nearby coast. Budle Bay is a midweek package for 30 guests, with room hire, a welcome drink, afternoon tea or a two course wedding breakfast, a toast and a night for the couple. Lindisfarne is the peak and summer package, and Bamburgh the off peak and winter one. Both are written for 50 day guests and 80 evening guests, and both include room hire, table linen, a three course wedding breakfast, a disco, an evening buffet and a night for the couple with a complimentary first anniversary stay. The hotel describes the packages as a starting point that can be adjusted. It has a named wedding coordinator who handles enquiries.
Rooms and capacities
The site does not name its function rooms. The figures to plan with are those of the wedding packages: 30 guests for the midweek option, and 50 for the day with 80 in the evening for the larger ones. For any other event, the capacity of the room has to be confirmed with the hotel.
Accommodation
The hotel sells family rooms with a double bed and a single bed, twin rooms with two single beds, and double rooms. The official site does not state how many bedrooms there are in total, so a group booking should be checked against availability. The wedding packages include a night for the couple.
Catering
Catering is in house. The restaurant looks onto the gardens and serves seasonal menus using local Northumberland ingredients. The hotel also offers wine, private dining and catering for large groups. Wedding packages include the meal, the toast drink and an evening buffet.
History and setting
The Blue Bell Hotel dates from the 1700s and was a coaching inn on the market place of Belford, a village in Northumberland. The setting is countryside, close to the coast and to the castles of Bamburgh and Lindisfarne, which give the wedding packages their names.
Getting there
The hotel is at Market Place, Belford, NE70 7NE, just off the A1. The coast and castles are a short drive away. The official site gives no train or parking details, so confirm these with the hotel when planning guest travel.
