Fonmon Castle hires rooms for meetings, conferences, team building days and private events. The largest space, the Grand Library, takes up to 80 guests, and smaller rooms serve as break-out spaces. The castle stands in the Vale of Glamorgan, near the town of Barry, about 30 minutes from Cardiff.
Seminars and company events
The castle sells day delegate packages with in-house catering. Its own description of the offer is a choice of rooms for meetings large or small, with the Grand Library as the main room for up to 80 guests and other rooms used as break-out spaces for smaller groups. Wi-fi and conferencing equipment are available for presentations.
Team building is a separate offer. The events team builds a day around the castle and its grounds with the organiser, so a seminar can combine a morning of plenary sessions with an afternoon outdoors. The grounds cover 80 acres and include a Medieval Walled Garden and a Victorian woodland garden set in a ravine.
Weddings and receptions
The venue hire page does not describe a wedding package, so this page does not list weddings as an offer. The castle says it welcomes enquiries to hire the whole castle for all kinds of private events, from small gatherings to larger celebrations. Ask the team before planning a wedding or a reception.
Rooms and capacities
Three rooms are named on the hire page: the Grand Library, the Great Hall and Tearoom, and the Old Kitchen. The Grand Library is the only room with a stated capacity, 80 guests. The visitor information also names Lady Anne's Room and Sir Hugo's Room, and says the Grand Hall and Lady Anne's Tearoom are fully accessible. Reaching the Grand Library, Lady Anne's Room or Sir Hugo's Room needs staff to open the doors and set up a ramp, which matters for guests with reduced mobility.
Catering
Catering is in house for day delegate packages. The site does not publish menus, so ask the team about dietary needs and evening meals when you send your request.
History and setting
The keep dates from 1180, built by the St John family, and a curtain wall with four square towers was added from 1290. In the 1650s the estate passed to Colonel Philip Jones, who began turning the castle from a farm into a house. His descendant Robert Jones III later added the Rococo decoration, the grand staircase and the open-plan Great Hall. Victorian owners added the porch and the front door. Nigel Ford bought the castle in 2019 and repaired the structure.
Getting there
Fonmon is in the Vale of Glamorgan, about 30 minutes from Cardiff and close to Cardiff Airport. The site has free car parking, with 12 designated disabled spaces near the entrance. The venue states no on-site bedrooms, so overnight guests need accommodation nearby; the castle publishes a list of accommodation links.
