Open Air Business June/July 2017

FUNCTION VENUES
CASE STUDY
Sandon
Hall
A neo-Jacobean stately home that allows couples
to be Lord and Lady of the Manor for their big day
Sandon Hall has been the ancestral home of the Harrowby
family since 1776 and has been open for weddings for the last 15 years. With 50 acres
of formal gardens and 400 acres of parkland, the estate is considered the jewel in
Staffordshire’s crown. We talk to team member Emma Clarke.
What is your venue’s history?
Sandon Hall is a neo-Jacobean hall
built in 1854 after a fire burnt down
the original house built in 1776.
So, you could say we have been in
the business of hosting parties and
events since the 18th century.
Sandon Hall has been the
ancestral home of the Harrowby
family since 1776, when Nathaniel,
first Baron Harrowby, bought
a shooting lodge and had it
transformed by the architect
Samuel Wyatt into a Georgian
house.
The present Lord and Lady
Harrowby chose to open their
house up to the public 15 years ago.
They haven’t changed much of the
interior; in the drawing room, you
will see hand painted wallpaper,
preferring to make anyone using
the hall feel like Lord and Lady of
the Manor for their special day.
“OUR NEXT
FIVE-YEAR
PLAN IS
TO DRIVE
WEDDINGS
TO OVER 50
A YEAR AND
ATTRACT
MORE
MID-WEEK
CORPORATE
BOOKINGS”
Set in 400 acres of parkland with
50 acres of ornamental gardens,
many brides choose to erect tipis
and marquees in the grounds.
We have been very successful
with weddings, averaging 35
weddings a year. Our next five-year
plan is to drive weddings to over 50
a year and attract more mid-week
corporate bookings.
Tell us about your location and site
Set in the very heart of the country,
Sandon Hall is just 10 mins from
J14 of the M6 motorway, but you
wouldn’t have thought it. Guests
turn off the A51 and on to the onemile
private drive which takes them
through part of the parkland, much
of which is used for sheep and
pheasants.
Once guests arrive at the hall they
get to appreciate the tranquillity
Sandon has to offer, the peace and
open space.
One of our challenges is the
livestock on the parkland. The
estate rents large areas out to local
farmers and we are aware of the
need to remove livestock from the
fields we use for a period of time
before events are held. However,
we are lucky to have the 50 acres
of formal gardens, designed by
William Eames, immediately
encircling the Hall which tends to
cover all our guests’ needs.
We even have a church on the
estate, which many wedding guests
choose to walk back from, through
the parkland to the Hall, for the
wedding breakfast.
Every booking has exclusive use
of the Hall, even when we allocate
a specific room for their event.
Guests are free to wander the six
ground floor rooms and out into the
gardens during they stay.
What facilities for outdoor
functions do you offer?
We pride ourselves in flexibility;
we are not one of these venues
governed by budgets and
shareholders, we want our guests
to have the experience they aspire
to (within reason). We therefore
welcome any form of marquee, tipi
or circus tent - yes, we have one
lined up for a wedding next year on
the gardens right outside the hall.
For civil marriages, we can offer the
use of the temple garden, which
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