Venue Review: Kingston Estate

Why book?

Hidden away in South Devon, Kingston Estate is a rare bird of the wedding world; combining listed Georgian handsomeness and a bucolic 30 acres with the freewheeling spirit of a private festival. Bespoke is the key word here; candlelit street food feasts, yurt breakaway parties, wild swimming, and dancing into the early hours are not only possible but actively encouraged by the skies-the-limit behind the scenes team.

Venue style

A wedding at Kingston Estate is intimate, immersive, and tailor-made. Kingston, more a village than a venue, is entirely yours: without concurrent weddings or booked-off wings, guests can suspend any illusion of the everyday and sprawl out. The estate is privately owned and family-run, offering singular warmth – from a tight-knit can-do team – and the kind of limitless flexibility that you just don’t get with larger, off-the-rack operators. Kingston’s creative forces are led by imagination, a collaboration to celebrate your individual coupling and create technicolour celebrations, be it the traditional, tailed, bells and whistles sort, or an experience-led, fully kitted-out five-day festival or a vibrant South Asian celebration. The team know how to host, making customisable accommodation feel easy and well thought through from bijou, design-led living spaces to facilitating useful practicalities like assigning cottages with private (and fenced) gardens to dog owners.

Set the scene

Kingston Estate rests in a secluded pocket of pastoral calm, approached on a half a mile-long tree-lined drive that opens on to sets of neat parterres and an 18th-century honeyed facade. The house carries the estate’s Georgian roots with character; think storied nooks and wood-burning stoves and lived-in, loved-in nods to a layered history. There is quiet theatre to Kingston: you never know when another festoon-lit path might give way to a wildflower meadow or a cobbled courtyard bar. Time slows and days blend, what with the yoga at sunrise, rounders on the lawn, and debriefing hangover brunches in the field kitchen.

Event spaces

Few venues offer the breadth and charm of Kingston Estate, where ceremonies and celebrations are offered an impressive range of spaces, each with a distinct atmosphere. Couples can curate every moment of their wedding weekend with remarkable ease, gliding from formalities to feasting and after-dark dancing, all inside the walls of the estate.

The rose-wrapped Walled Garden, licensed for unlimited seated guests, is a favourite for golden-hour vows, while the all-American Hayloft barn lends warm, rustic elegance (and rolling country views) for receptions of up to 180. For smaller parties the main house’s candlelit drawing rooms feel intimate and grand, while secret gardens and a wisteria-clad entrance offer an ample backdrop to everything from alfresco ceremonies to confetti-on-the-steps photo moments.

The wedding lunch could be a garden feast for 250 under a clear marquee, a long, languid supper in the amber light of the Long Barn, a sit down meal in the aforementioned Hayloft Barn or a laid-back feast in the estate’s paddock. Celebrations flow through the six bars scattered across the estate – each activated at different moments of the day – leaving guests never far from a glass of champagne.

Food and drink

Perhaps unsurprisingly, Kingston’s approach to food is as bespoke as everything else. Couples start with a collaborative tasting and planning session to dream up their ideal menu, from Michelin-style fine dining to street food, barbecues or piled-high grazing stations. The estate’s layout supports dining in multiple formats and locations – formal in the Hayloft, alfresco in the Walled Garden, all in addition to late-night food trucks that can be dotted around the estate or hold down the fort on one (of many) lawns. The drinks offering is equally standout: six bars, artisanal coffees (tried-and-tested by Kingston’s proud team of coffee drinkers), and creative mixology to match the beats of the celebration – from bubbly welcome drinks to late-night martinis.

Accommodation

There’s space for up to 120 guests to stay on site – from elegant four-poster suites in the Georgian manor to converted original-stone and slate barns with after-party-ready hot tubs and pool tables and cosy cottages with fine interiors and private gardens – all nestled within a convivial walking distance of each other. Additional rooms can be arranged off-site to accommodate a further 80 guests – for the most sociable bridal parties who can’t help sprawling guest lists – while maintaining the exclusive use feel. And with the opportunity to extend celebrations for up to five days, guests can unpack – a rare luxury on the wedding beat – and fully immerse themselves in a long weekend.

The story

Kingston Estate traces its roots to the 1640s, when it was the residence of local bigwig the Sheriff of Devon. Over the centuries, it’s welcomed royals, Americans during the D-Day landings, and now, after a sensitive reimagination by its current owners, an award-winning wedding venue.

Eco-Friendly

The estate’s commitment to sustainability is embedded in the light tread of its day-to-day operations. Deliberate environmental decision-making is evident from the use of biomass boilers – powered by organic wood pellets – that heat the estate reliably and renewably to thoughtful partnerships with local collaborators such as Eco Laundry, who look after the estate’s linen services while avoiding harsh chemicals and excessive water consumption and locally sourced vegan menus.