Ardtara Country House in Upperlands, Mid Ulster, can be hired on an exclusive basis for weddings and private celebrations of up to 78 seated guests. The house has nine bedrooms, two dining rooms and about 10 acres of gardens and woodland. It lies at the foot of the Sperrin Mountains, 50 minutes from Belfast.
Weddings and receptions
Weddings are the main event offer on the official site. The house is available for exclusive use, so the wedding party and guests have the building to themselves and can stay overnight in the bedrooms. Ardtara is licensed for civil ceremonies.
The team advises on menus, wine pairings, canapes and drinks, and the owners, the Browns Bonds Hill Collection, run the kitchen. Menus use seasonal ingredients and produce from the house gardens. Other events listed on the site are tasting dinners, cookery demonstrations, heritage walks and dinner dancing nights. These are ticketed occasions for guests, not corporate hire, so the page does not present Ardtara as a meeting venue.
Rooms and capacities
The Clark Room Restaurant seats up to 54 guests for dinner. The Garden Room seats up to 24 and suits a smaller reception. Using both rooms together brings the total to 78 seated guests.
Larger parties are not described on the pages read. If your guest list is above 78, ask the team whether a marquee or a split arrangement is possible before you plan on it.
Accommodation
The house has nine individually designed bedrooms, furnished with antiques and heirloom pieces. Bathrooms are en suite, many with Italian marble or original wooden floors. With exclusive hire, all nine rooms go to your party.
Catering
Dining is in house. The head chef changes the dinner menu daily and uses fruit, vegetables and herbs from the grounds. For weddings the kitchen prepares bespoke menus, and the site mentions canapes and champagne receptions.
History and setting
Harry Clark built the house around 1896 as a family home. He came from a linen business, and the heritage walks explore how linen shaped the house. The site calls it a restored 19th century mansion in 10 acres of gardens and woodland. Ardtara is a member of Ireland's Blue Book.
Getting there
The house is in the village of Upperlands, in Mid Ulster. The official pages give 50 minutes from Belfast, 40 minutes from Derry and 30 minutes from Coleraine, and 45 minutes from Northern Ireland's airports and ferry terminals. Ardtara is reached by road.
