Chenies Manor House hosts board meetings, away days, training sessions, evening receptions and weddings for groups of 4 to 220 guests. The largest set-up, a marquee on the lawns, takes 200 in theatre rows or 160 for a banquet. The house is a Grade I listed Tudor manor in the village of Chenies, near Rickmansworth, on the edge of the Chiltern Hills and about 30 minutes from central London.
Seminars and company events
For daytime events the house offers a day delegate package from 30 people, from 9 am to 5 pm. It covers tables and chairs, presentation equipment, Wi-Fi, refreshments through the day and a working lunch, with afternoon tea as an option. During the hire the gardens are reserved for the group, including the maze, which gives breakout sessions somewhere to walk and talk. A guided tour of the house and gardens can be added, subject to availability. Venue-only hire is also possible for organizers who prefer to build their own format, and delegates park free of charge. The smaller rooms in the manor suit a board meeting or a client lunch, while the Garden Room and the marquee take conferences, evening events and dinners.
Weddings and receptions
The manor is licensed for civil ceremonies indoors and outdoors, with the Pergola in the garden and the Garden Room as the two settings. Receptions take up to 90 guests in the Garden Room alone, or up to 160 when the marquee is added. Weddings are exclusive use. The venue works on a dry hire basis: couples choose their own suppliers and may bring their own drinks without corkage, provided a licensed bar company or caterer serves in the evening. The reception space is available from 2 pm on the day before the wedding until 11 am the day after, which leaves time for setup and clearing.
Rooms and capacities
Five spaces can be booked. The White Drawing Room seats 4 around a table and takes 8 informally. The Dining Room seats 22 boardroom style and 30 for a reception. The Long Room, with its fireplace, holds 12 at a boardroom table, 30 in theatre rows or 60 standing. The Garden Room looks onto the lawns and takes 100 in theatre rows, 90 in a U-shape, 80 for a banquet, 40 in cabaret style or 120 standing. The Marquee is the largest: 200 in theatre rows, 160 for a banquet, 80 in cabaret style and 220 for a standing reception.
Catering
For meetings, food and drink can come from the house's in-house team, or organizers can bring a caterer of their choice. Weddings are dry hire with a list of recommended suppliers; others are accepted, sometimes after a site visit. Tables, chairs and garden furniture are provided.
History and setting
The Cheyne family held the manor from 1185, and royal accounts record a visit by Edward I at Easter 1290. Sir John Cheyne built a fortified brick house by 1296, and part of its crenelated buildings still stands. The estate passed by marriage to the Russell family in 1526; John Russell, who served Henry VII, Henry VIII and Edward VI, became the first Earl of Bedford. Henry VIII came several times, with Anne Boleyn in 1534 and Katherine Howard in 1541, and Elizabeth I stayed for a month in 1570. The Russells moved their seat to Woburn around 1627. Colonel and Mrs Macleod Matthews bought and restored the house in 1956, and the family still owns it. The five acres of gardens host tulip and dahlia festivals, and the house is a regular filming location.
Getting there
Chorleywood station, on the Metropolitan line, is a five-minute taxi ride or about 40 minutes on foot. The postcode is WD3 6ER, and the drive leads to a private car park.
