Hedingham Castle hosts conferences, AGMs, team-building retreats, product launches, exclusive hire and weddings, for groups from 15 to 150 delegates and up to 220 guests at a standing reception. The estate stands on a hill above the village of Castle Hedingham, in north Essex near the Suffolk border, with easy links to London, Cambridge and Ipswich.
Seminars and company events
Two buildings can be hired alone or together. The Norman Castle spreads over four floors and takes up to 150 people across several rooms, which suits conferences, presentations and launches. The Georgian House offers more formal rooms, including a Dining Room for boardroom meetings of 16. Day delegate, 24-hour delegate and summer barbecue packages are available, and a day of hire runs from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Use of the grounds is included with either building. The 160-acre estate, with woodland, lakes and formal gardens, lends itself to team activities such as archery by the lake, falconry, axe throwing, paddleboarding, cookery workshops, bushcraft and murder mystery dinners.
Weddings and receptions
Ceremonies take place in the Banqueting Hall of the castle, under the double-height Norman arch and by candlelight, or outdoors on the lawns above the lake or on the Tilting Lawn. Receptions for up to 150 guests are held in the Georgian House and the Ballroom Marquee. For 70 guests or fewer, the whole day can stay inside the castle, with dinner in the Tapestry Room and dancing on the Garrison Floor. One-day weddings include the whole estate for a day and a night, and multi-day weddings run over three days and two nights.
Rooms and capacities
In the castle, the Tapestry Room seats 150 theater style or 70 for a banquet and holds 200 standing. The Banqueting Hall seats 100 theater style or 30 boardroom style. The Garrison Floor takes 55 cabaret style or 150 standing, with its own bar and toilets. The Royal Chamber serves as a breakout lounge with a table for six.
At the Georgian House, the Ballroom Marquee seats 200 theater style or 150 for a banquet and holds 220 standing. The Ashurst Room seats 75 theater style or 50 for a banquet. The Hall, with a fireplace and grand piano, opens onto the terrace and lawn and works as a breakout space.
Accommodation
Bedrooms are spread across the Georgian House, the Medieval Lodge, the Garden Cottage and the castle, each with its own bathroom. Corporate groups can sleep up to 14 on site, with dinner in the Georgian House and breakfast, and weddings up to 35. The 14th-century Medieval Lodge has eight bedrooms for 17 people. The Royal Chamber is a modern bedroom inside the Norman keep. For larger groups, the team can set up a private glamping village.
Catering
Day delegate packages include coffee and pastries on arrival, a buffet lunch and drinks through the day. Overnight guests dine in the Dining Room of the Georgian House. Themed dinners, a banquet in the castle and wine and cheese pairings can be added.
History and setting
Aubrey de Vere, first Earl of Oxford, built the keep around 1140, and it remains one of the best preserved in England. Sir William Ashurst, Lord Mayor of London, added the Georgian House in 1719. Henry VII and Elizabeth I were both received here. The estate returned to de Vere descendants, the Lindsay family, in the early 1980s and is still their home.
Getting there
The address is Bayley Street, Castle Hedingham, Essex CO9 3DJ. London is just over an hour away.
