Your Gloucestershire and Wiltshire Wedding - December 2022/January 2023 (Issue 36)

FONTHILL ESTATE, FONTHILL BISHOP, WILTSHIRE Bake Barn is a converted hay store housed in its own walled courtyard with ancient walls from which views of the surrounding hillside and farmland can be enjoyed. To one side of the courtyard, the Loggia provides shelter from the elements and has overhead heaters for colder days and this courtyard can easily fit a marquee to one side with enough room left to enjoy the great outdoors. The interior boasts an impressive vaulted ceiling and large glass doors filling the space with natural daylight. The archery windows look romantic lit with candles at dusk and the large open fireplace with its tall mantlepiece makes this barn the perfect pick for a winter wedding. Since the relaxation of the law, couples can now host the ceremony outside in any area of the grounds. The courtyard can seat up to 300 guests while the Loggia can seat an intimate 30 loved ones. Inside, the Main Hall can hold up to 100 people for the ceremony and upstairs above the main hall, the Beater’s Loft is a light and airy industrial-style space seating up to 80 guests. This space is ideal for those seeking something a little more contemporary for the evening reception - it makes a great gin or cocktail bar! The wedding breakfast and reception can take place anywhere within the venue. Live music can be enjoyed in the courtyard with a bar set up in the Loggia. Dinner under the stars is an option, or a marquee can provide space for up to 160 guests. For a more formal dining experience, the barn seats up to 120 loved ones. This is also the ideal spot for late-night dancing with a band or DJ set up at one end of the room. Ceremony licence? Yes Contact: 01747 820 246, www.fonthill.co.uk We love... that with no neighbours nearby, there are no curfews and noise restrictions THE BRADLEY HARE, MAIDEN BRADLEY, WILTSHIRE Enjoy a winter minimoon cosy country inn that recently opened in June 2021. It’s located on the Duke of Somerset’s Estate in the beautiful village of Maiden Bradley and is home to twelve sumptuous bedrooms. Guests will experience a stylish yet cosy stay in the cool yet authentic interiors, overseen by James Thurstan Waterworth, ex-European Design Director for Soho House. Each bedroom is unique with 18th and 19th-century antique furniture and distinctive fabrics repurposed and used for the headboards. All of the rooms offer home-from-home comforts, some with vast elegant freestanding baths and all with sumptuous beds and linens. Candlelit dinners can be enjoyed at the inn which offers delicious dishes on the menu using the best local and seasonal produce. Couples can enjoy romantic winter walks around the estate or even the splendid and romantic 18th-century world-famous Stourhead gardens. There’s also The Potting Shed, an aecluded boutique beauty studio hidden within the grounds of Bradley Park. Once an humble gardener’s workshop, The Potting Shed has been transformed into a space to rejuvenate the body and mind. It’s a sanctuary of calm and tranquillity and is the perfect place for guests to retreat, unwind and enjoy a full range of luxury beauty and holistic treatments. The Bradley Hare is also offering a fantastic Christmas menu. Guests can expect delicious turkey crown, stuffing, goose fat potatoes, carrots, parsnips, sprouts, bacon and chestnuts and Christmas pudding or apple crumble for dessert. Midweek rates start from £135 per room per night including breakfast. For more information and to book, visit www.thebradleyhare.co.uk Photography of The Bradley Hare courtesy of www.martinmorrell.com THEMED VENUES 19

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