Hampden House hosts leadership retreats, client dinners, awards evenings, team celebrations and weddings, with licensed ceremony rooms for up to 100 guests and outdoor ceremony spaces in the gardens. The Grade I listed country house stands on a private estate at Great Hampden, near Great Missenden in Buckinghamshire, in the Chiltern Hills about 40 minutes from London. The venue is booked on an exclusive-use basis, so the house and grounds serve one event at a time.
Seminars and company events
The corporate offer covers strategy offsites, team retreats, client dinners, networking events and award ceremonies. Business groups can use the Great Hall for larger gatherings and formal dinners, and Hill House Barn, a restored barn a short walk from the main house, for a more relaxed retreat. Wi-Fi is provided, and audiovisual equipment comes through the venue's recommended suppliers. There is ample parking on site for guests and crews. The house also works as a film location, with selected bedrooms used as green rooms and styling areas during shoots, and it takes fundraising dinners, auctions and open-air charity events.
Weddings and receptions
Couples can marry in a civil ceremony in the house, in Hill House Barn or outdoors, or in a church service at St Mary Magdalene, a 14th-century church on the estate a short walk from the house. Drinks are served on the terrace or the lawns, and the wedding breakfast takes place in the chinoiserie-style dining room. Rooms are set aside for the wedding party to get ready. Weekday weddings and small ceremonies with a drinks reception are also offered. Evening bar service runs until 11:30 p.m.
Rooms and capacities
The Great Hall and the Dining Room are each licensed for civil ceremonies of up to 100 guests. Hill House Barn is licensed for up to 60 and can be booked for a ceremony alone. The outdoor ceremony area has no stated guest limit. The site does not publish seated dinner or standing reception figures, so confirm numbers for your layout with the events team.
Accommodation
There is no overnight accommodation for guests. The team recommends nearby hotels and bed and breakfasts. A one-bedroom apartment in Hill House Barn, a Grade II listed building, is available to newlyweds for the wedding night.
Catering
Packages with food use the venue's catering partner, Goose and Berry, for a three-course meal. A more flexible package lets you bring your own caterer, with corkage on drinks: the house sets out its tables and chairs for your catering team, and its own bar team runs the evening bar. Under that option, the hire runs from midday to midnight, with supplier access from 9 a.m.
History and setting
The Hampden family founded the house in the 14th century, and the first stone manor probably dates from around 1350. Later generations added Tudor brickwork and a Georgian Gothic front, and in the 18th century Robert Trevor, Viscount Hampden, shaped the main interiors and the landscaped gardens. John Hampden, known as the Patriot, opposed Charles I over taxation before the Civil War. In the 20th century the house served as a school and a film set before falling into disrepair. Tim and Susie Oliver restored it, and the Oliver family still runs it.
Getting there
The address is Great Hampden, near Great Missenden, Buckinghamshire HP16 9RD. A tree-lined drive leads to the house. The nearest rail station is Great Missenden, on the line from London Marylebone.
