Smedmore House, near Kimmeridge on the Dorset coast, is let as a whole house for weddings, civil ceremonies, house parties, corporate events, dinners, meetings and presentations. The dining room seats 20 and the main house sleeps 16 in eight double bedrooms. With the Garden Wing and the Penthouse Suite, up to 24 people can stay. It is a privately owned Georgian house with two acres of walled gardens and views toward Kimmeridge Bay.
Seminars and company events
The owners describe the house as an exclusive-use venue for corporate events, dinners, meetings and presentations. Because the house is let as a whole, a company has the building and gardens to itself and can combine a working day with an overnight stay for up to 24 people. The official pages do not give a conference capacity, so ask about the layout of the drawing room and the dining room for a meeting.
Weddings and receptions
Smedmore House is promoted as a seaside wedding venue. The ceremony itself is arranged through the Dorset Registration Service, and the house lists recommended suppliers for catering, marquees, flowers, photography, music and transport. A supplier that is not on the list can be used for an extra charge. The Principal Bedroom is used as the Bridal Suite, and a loft-style Penthouse Suite was planned as a Bridal Suite too. The walled gardens and lawns are used for marquee receptions.
Rooms and capacities
The dining room seats 20, with eighteenth-century plasterwork and more than 100 blue Furstenberg plates on the walls. The Drawing Room has an open wood fire, and the Cedar Room is a sitting room with satellite television. The refurbished kitchen seats 10 for informal meals. No standing or marquee capacity is published.
Accommodation
The main house has eight double bedrooms and sleeps 16. The Garden Wing adds six places and the optional Penthouse Suite brings the total to 24. Several rooms can interconnect, and many have views. Most clients self-cater, but chefs, caterers and extra domestic help can be arranged.
Catering
The house recommends several caterers and bar companies, and clients can choose another supplier for an extra charge. Self-catering is common for house parties.
History and setting
The house is Georgian, with furniture handed down through the generations, Dutch seventeenth-century pictures and family portraits. Two acres of walled flower gardens, orchards and a Mediterranean garden surround it, and avenues lead through woods to Kimmeridge Bay.
Getting there
Smedmore House is near Kimmeridge, Wareham, in Dorset. Use the availability and contact pages on the official site to enquire.
