Wedding ceremonies for up to 140 guests, drinks receptions for up to 100 and evening receptions for up to 200 in a marquee can be held at Bamburgh Castle, above the beach in the village of Bamburgh on the Northumberland coast. The castle sells weddings, from a ceremony for the couple alone to a full day with ceremony, drinks and evening party on site. It does not publish a corporate events offer.
Weddings and receptions
The day usually starts in the Philippa Tower, a getting-ready space with two private rooms and direct access to the King's Hall. The tower is named after Queen Philippa of Hainault, who stayed at the castle in 1333. Ceremonies take place in the King's Hall, the Keep Hall or outdoors on the Battery Terrace. After the vows, guests move to the Battery Terrace or the Keep Hall for drinks, then to the Victorian stables or a marquee on Castle Green for the evening. The beach below the castle is used for photographs, and a private picnic in the dunes can follow the ceremony. Dogs are welcome to take part in the day. Viewings are booked through the castle, and a brochure, a pricing sheet and a list of recommended suppliers can be downloaded from its website.
The Marry and Stay package is designed for a couple on their own, with a ceremony in the King's Hall or the Keep Hall, a private tower to get ready in and a night in a castle apartment or a cottage in Bamburgh. It can also be added to a larger wedding booking.
Rooms and capacities
The King's Hall, with its teak ceiling, paintings and minstrels' gallery, takes up to 140 guests for a ceremony. The Keep Hall, a twelfth-century room with vaulted ceilings, stone arches and flagged floors reached by a staircase, takes 10 guests for a ceremony and up to 100 standing for drinks. The Battery Terrace looks along the coast and takes 20 for a ceremony and up to 100 for a drinks reception. In the evening, the Victorian stables, with tiled walls, brass fittings and fairy lights, take up to 60 guests, and the marquee on Castle Green takes up to 200. The stables are reserved for couples who include them in their package.
Accommodation
The Marry and Stay package includes a night for the couple in a castle apartment or a cottage in the village. The castle does not publish bedroom numbers for wedding guests, who stay in Bamburgh and the surrounding coast.
Catering
The castle publishes a list of recommended suppliers. In the Victorian stables, couples arrange their own catering through a self-contained food van. The marquee comes with a catering tent, a bar, furniture, chandelier lighting with dimmers, redwood flooring, a generator and access to the Pavilion washrooms.
History and setting
The castle stands on a rock outcrop above the beach, a site fortified since the time when Bamburgh was a royal seat of the kings of Northumbria. It was bought and restored by the industrialist William Armstrong at the end of the nineteenth century and is still owned by the Armstrong family. Weddings take place in the restored state rooms and the medieval keep, with views over the North Sea toward the Farne Islands and Holy Island.
Getting there
Bamburgh is a few miles east of the A1. The nearest mainline station is Berwick-upon-Tweed, on the East Coast line between London and Edinburgh, about 20 miles north; Chathill station is closer but has few trains. Newcastle International Airport is about 50 miles south.
