Walcot Hall in Lydbury North is an impressive country house in rural Shropshire set amid 30 acres of gardens and boasting an impressive arboretum and lake. The venue is a great one-stop option for your entire wedding: providing ceremonies as well as receptions, on-site accommodation, bridal suite and catering facilities.
Having photographed at the venue it has certainly become one of my favourites, providing bags of character with plenty of opportunities for great photos. If you’re thinking of getting married at Walcot Hall here are some of my favourite features of the venue, from a photographer’s point of view...
Main House Facade
Whenever you imagine an imposing country house - it looks something like this! There are some beautiful steps across from the front elevation - a great spot for posed bride and groom formal shots.
Bridal Suite
There is a huge bridal suite available for all the pre-ceremony preparations including a bathroom and an enormous bed. The room also contains a lovely dressing table with two large windows letting in plenty of natural light for photography documenting the wedding prep. The room has wooden floors and some impressive oversized furniture, perfect for set-up shots of the wedding shoes and dress.
Staircase
What better way to make an entrance than via this huge staircase which presents some fabulous photo opportunities?
Main Hall for ceremonies
The wedding ceremony is often performed in the beautiful Main Hall at the front of the house, offering protection from the weather and so giving security that the ceremony won’t be rained off. The bride enters the hall by descending a grand staircase to the hall below. You’ll also keep your photographer happy as the ceremony faces the huge double doors that open to the outside; these are usually kept open, particularly in warm weather - providing heaps of natural light for your photographer allowing them to capture the “I Dos” without blurring or the need for a tripod.
Courtyard
The flagstoned courtyard at the rear of the hall (and leading to the ballroom) lends itself as a natural corridor between the two buildings and is perfect as a receiving line to welcome the married couple. It’s also a great place to enjoy post-ceremony drinks and canapés.
Grounds
The grounds are so expansive and varied that you could spend an entire day just doing formal portraits of the bride and groom! There is a huge woodland and arboretum (apparently housing an impressive collection of rare trees) which has a beautiful, charismatic chapel at the centre with paths leading to some imaginative accommodation options, (including an old American firetruck, caravans and more!) woodland paths and a lake.
The grassy formal gardens are flat and easily accessible for high-heel wearers via paths. There is a large open space (ideal for afternoon croquet) which sometime hosts outdoor ceremonies with lots of opportunities for formal group shots. A grotto presents further options for bridge and groom pictures, as does a pretty wooden swing hanging from a nearby fir tree. The outdoor photo options are vast!
Ballroom
For me, this is the jewel in the crown of the entire venue - the freestanding ballroom was built in around 1800, seats up to 120 people. This beautiful turquoise room has a huge, lofty ceiling, enormous windows and is accessed via an Anteroom which houses the bar area. The room is bathed in light in the afternoon making photos of speeches easy.
This is a fantastic venue choice for lending a backdrop of grandeur to your wedding with lots of character to lend soul to your wedding photographs.
Visit the Walcot Hall official website here: http://walcothall.com/
Find out more about my wedding photography and prices here: https://www.photodesign.co.uk/wedding-photography