Warwick Castle takes board meetings, away days, team-building days and evening dinners for 12 to 180 guests in its historic rooms, and courtyard events for up to 3,000 people standing. The castle stands on the River Avon in Warwick, in the English Midlands, and also hosts weddings and Christmas parties, with a 60-bedroom hotel, woodland lodges and glamping tents inside the grounds.
Seminars and company events
Daytime business use centers on the Italian Library, a meeting room for 12 that overlooks the river and is available from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. for board meetings and away days. For larger groups, the castle runs team-building days for up to 180 guests between 10 a.m. and 5 p.m.: Knight School, led by the castle's knights, and Castle Crusade, a problem-solving treasure hunt inside and outside the walls. A Gold package combines both activities with lunch. Evening events start at 7 p.m. in the Great Hall, the State Dining Room or the Undercroft, and the team can project a company logo onto the castle walls. Product launches, festivals and staff days can use the Central Courtyard or the Pageant Field.
Weddings and receptions
The castle sells weddings in four rooms. Ceremonies take up to 120 guests in the Great Hall, 95 in the State Dining Room, 80 in the Green Drawing Room and 30 in the Library. The wedding breakfast seats 120 in the Great Hall or 40 in the State Dining Room, and the evening reception in the Great Hall takes 180 guests. Drinks receptions with canapés are held in the grounds or in the State Rooms. Micro weddings for up to 20 guests use the State Rooms. The weddings team organizes viewings and open evenings.
Rooms and capacities
The Great Hall, used for banquets since the 15th century, seats 120 for dinner and holds 180 standing. The State Dining Room seats 40 for dinner or 95 theatre style. The Undercroft, a 14th-century space, seats 70 for a banquet. The Conservatory, facing the Peacock Gardens, takes up to 120 guests for barbecue evenings from 6 p.m. The Central Courtyard, enclosed by towers and ramparts, holds up to 3,000 standing or about 2,500 seated depending on layout, with space for food vendors, bars and stages. The Pageant Field, landscaped by Lancelot 'Capability' Brown, takes up to 15,000 people for daytime events between 8 a.m. and 8 p.m.
Accommodation
Guests can stay on site after an event. The Warwick Castle Hotel has 60 bedrooms with king-size beds. The Knight's Village adds woodland lodges and medieval glamping tents, and Caesar's Tower Suites are offered to wedding couples after the evening reception.
Catering
The castle provides food and drink for each format: lunch on team-building days, seated dinners and banquets in the historic rooms, barbecues in the Conservatory, and medieval banquets and tournament feasts in the Christmas season. For large courtyard events, the space can take food vendors and bars.
History and setting
The first fortification on the site dates from 1068, under William the Conqueror, and the castle grew through the Middle Ages into the stone fortress that stands above the Avon today. The State Dining Room has received royal guests since 1763. The castle is operated by Merlin Entertainments and is open to visitors, so evening events usually start after the day's public opening.
Getting there
Warwick lies close to the M40 motorway, between London and Birmingham. Warwick railway station is within walking distance of the castle, and Birmingham Airport is about 30 minutes away by road.
