Why book?
When people say “an English country wedding”, what they’re really describing is Cornwell Manor. Amid the Cotswolds stalwarts of Daylesford Organic, Soho Farmhouse and The Bull in Charlbury lies the ancient hamlet of Cornwell: the manor is the classical country house at the heart of the estate. Long admired for its handsome setting, Cornwell Manor is the Cotswolds at its most cinematic: a Georgian façade clad with wisteria and rosa banksiae, laurel gardens saturated in summer light, and weddings that can stretch across four leisurely days – from rehearsal dinners beneath fairy-lit trees to languid poolside Sundays – all with a welcoming, home-from-home appeal.
Venue style
Cornwell Manor sits at the heart of a 2,000-acre private estate that feels like a storybook interpretation of the English countryside. Woodlands, spring-fed streams, lakes and formal gardens designed by Clough Williams-Ellis unfold around rolling pastures, a working farm and grazing sheep. This is a true country escape that feels gloriously remote, yet sits just 90 minutes from London by train (with easy access from Heathrow Airport). Far from a conventional wedding venue, Cornwell is a lived-in estate that hosts just a select number of celebrations each year – generally through the summer months – offering couples exceptional privacy, comforting amenities, abundant space and the freedom to shape multi-day celebrations in one of the most picturesque corners of the Cotswolds.
Set the scene
Weddings at Cornwell Manor are three-night, four-day affairs, giving guests time to arrive, exhale and fully inhabit the estate. Celebrations move seamlessly from champagne toasts on the terrace and wildfield suppers under the stars to marquee wedding breakfasts, cocktail hours and relaxed recovery brunches, all hosted on site. Days are deliberately unstructured: guests might picnic beside the lakes, try their hand at archery and laser clay or wander the gardens before drifting back to a vast heated outdoor pool. A generous 5pm check-out allows a slow Sunday, with breakfast taken at leisure in the 18th century panelled dining room, a long farewell lunch and perhaps a spot of croquet on the lawn for the final afternoon. All the while there’s daily housekeeping and live-in staff on hand to serve and clear breakfast, – the manor retains the ease of a private home, just on a grander scale.
Event spaces
Cornwell features a variety of flexible spaces suiting every need, each anchored by the quintessentially English setting of the estate. A wedding planner is required, with marquee hire and production arranged through the estate’s black book of trusted suppliers.
For religious ceremonies, the rural Church of St Peter, with its honey-tone interior, lies at the end of an avenue of lime trees, just a short stroll from the manor and seats up to 80 guests. For larger weddings, there are several equally picturesque options to hand – the nearby villages of Kingham, Churchill or Chipping Norton (each with idyllic Cotswold pubs to boot) are within a 10-minute drive.
Couples can now choose to marry outdoors anywhere within the gardens, though most opt for the dramatic central fountain (where Jude Law and Cameron Diaz once frolicked in The Holiday) framed by pretty topiary and long views back towards the wisteria-clad house. Inside, the elegant duck-egg blue 1930s-era Ballroom can accommodate up to 100 seated guests in a naturally lit setting, featuring a stunning minstrels’ gallery, period cornicing, a carved oak fireplace, soaring tapestries and a bespoke verre eglomisé mirror as a central focal point.
Post-ceremony celebrations tend to gravitate towards the sprawl of the terrace, which overlooks a far-reaching horizon of rolling Cotswold countryside and a series of spring-fed lakes, a refined setting for a toast and canapés. Or, as you have exclusive use, you might choose to opt for a Riviera-style cocktail hour by the pool and kitchen garden, clad with ancient apple trees and espaliered pear trees (this is naturally also an ideal backdrop to lounge for a lazy Sunday: recovery brunch and pool party included).
For dinner, a marquee can be pitched in four different locations across the estate to host up to 300 for dinner and late-night dancing until 1am . One particularly atmospheric option sits beyond the Italianate water garden on the croquet lawn reached by descending stone steps through clipped topiary, while larger celebrations are well suited to the open parkland overlooking the house and glassy lakes.
Food and drink
Cornwell Manor collaborates with a carefully curated roster of exceptional caterers, including the experience-led event specialists Caper & Berry; Lettice, the UK’s leading sustainable luxury caterer; Quince & Clover of nearby Great Tew; award-winning local provider Ross & Ross; and the hyper-seasonal Salsa Rose, celebrated for their design-led menus. Newly appointed Ottolenghi – famed for bringing Middle Eastern cuisine to the masses – completes the line-up with vibrant, vegetable-forward sharing platters. Drinks are handled by expert mobile bars, including The Drunken Jockeys, known for bespoke cocktail design and local mixologists Just Luxury Cocktails and Shaky Cocktails. The morning after the night before, guests can enjoy coffee, pastries or sweet treats from tuk-tuk coffee vans, or grab street-food-style lunches of gourmet burgers and wood-fired pizza.
And for lucky resident guests staying over the weekend, there will be a cooked and continental breakfast offered each morning, (you can add on a live-in chef, should you wish, who can supplement with additional meals).
Accommodation
Cornwell Manor has a suite of 12 charming country rooms, sleeping 24, with all the period appointments you would expect in a house of this stature – the airy bay windows, classical furnishings, ample four-posters, deep baths with 100 Acre products – but none of the fuss. The bridal party can pile into their chosen principessa suite, generous, light-flooded spaces with views across the sylvan grounds. The estate can also pitch extra glamping tents on-site for up to 26 guests for an additional fee, or neighbouring market towns can play host, with an abundance of cosy pub rooms to put up the rest of the party.
The story
Cornwell Manor has a layered history, and walking through the house, you might notice the rare Jacobean panelling, 17th-century courtyard and hints of the original medieval manor that sits alongside its classical mid-18th-century façades. Over the centuries, the estate has passed through the hands of the Annesleys, the Penystones and other notable families, but it was American heiress Priscilla Gillson who transformed the house and village in the 1930s. A visionary force, she introduced terraces, water gardens, a swimming pool and the elegant Ballroom – not forgetting her work during World War II, where she hosted the Auxiliary Territorial Service for respite. The Ward family, owners since 1959, have continued to care for the house and grounds, preserving Williams-Ellis’s terraces, expanding tree-planting schemes, and opening views across the lakes to the surrounding hills, ensuring Cornwell is kept both historic and alive.
Sustainability
Cornwell Manor runs a high-level stewardship scheme, taking a dynamic approach to continuity on the estate. The family has introduced 50-hectare woodland planting projects, developed three new wetland areas, restored sections of the Chipping Norton Brook (letting the river follow a more natural course) and established “Beetle Banks”, which enhance the natural habitat. The result is a thriving, biodiverse landscape populated by roe deer, otters, badgers and a family of swans.
The Need-to-Know
Budget: Weddings are generally in excess of £120,000 for a 3-4 day weekend (from Thursday at noon to Sunday at 5pm) and require a wedding planner to oversee.
Capacity: Marquees (not included in the price) for up to 300 people. Church on site for up to 80 seated, up to 100 for ceremonies in the Ballroom and up to 300 in the gardens. Please note the additional charge of £3,250 + VAT for events with over 200 guests (capped at 300 guests).
Location: Chipping Norton, Oxfordshire
Website: cornwellmanor.com
Instagram: @cornwell_manor
Contact: Email [email protected] or telephone 01608 698673.
