Yes, you can hire a castle in the UK, and you can have all of it to yourself. Castle hire means booking a castle on an exclusive use basis, so the rooms, bedrooms and grounds are reserved for you and your guests alone. At Peckforton Castle in Cheshire, we call it Keys to the Castle.
If you want to rent a castle in the UK for a wedding, a milestone birthday, a family gathering or a company event, Peckforton gives you 48 bedrooms, 600 acres of woodland and a full team to run the day.
Detail
Peckforton Castle
Exclusive use package
Keys to the Castle: hire of the entire castle
The castle
Grade I listed, built between 1844 and 1850 in the medieval style
Location
Peckforton, near Tarporley, Cheshire, CW6 9TN
Bedrooms
48 en-suite bedrooms
Estate
600 acres of woodland
Wedding ceremonies
2 to 165 guests
Wedding breakfast
Up to 165 guests
Evening reception
Up to 350 guests
Meetings and conferences
Up to 180 delegates across six rooms
Dining
1851 Restaurant and 2010 Brasserie
Travel
Chester 11 miles. Manchester and Liverpool about 1 hour by car
Keys to the Castle is our exclusive use package. You hire the entire castle, and for the length of your stay it belongs to you and your guests.
Every wedding at Peckforton already has the day to itself, because we only host one wedding a day. Keys to the Castle goes a step further and closes the castle to everyone else.
Keys to the Castle includes:
Private access to all 48 en-suite bedrooms
Sole use of the castle grounds and gardens
Exclusive dining in our restaurants
Privacy across the 600-acre estate
The candlelit Wine Cellar bar, kept for your party
Your guests pass the gatehouse, climb the drive through the woods and watch the castle appear between the trees. From that moment, every face they see is one they know.
Why choose Peckforton when you rent a castle?
It’s a complete castle. Peckforton was built between 1844 and 1850 in the medieval style and is Grade I listed. The towers, battlements, gatehouse and Great Hall are all intact and all in use.
Everyone can stay. With 48 en-suite bedrooms, from classic doubles to four-poster rooms and suites, nobody needs a taxi at midnight. The estate also has The Retreat and The Lodge, each sleeping up to 10 with a private jacuzzi.
The food is a reason to come on its own. Our 1851 Restaurant. The 2010 Brasserie serves relaxed dining in the castle’s original Victorian scullery.
There’s plenty to do. Guests can take the wheel on the Land Rover Experience, watch a falconry display or walk the woodland with Beeston Castle in view.
We’re family run. Every booking is planned around you, with a dedicated coordinator from first visit to final farewell.
Want the castle to yourselves? Enquire about Keys to the Castle below or call us on 01829 260 930.
Castle hire, also called exclusive use or private castle hire, means one group takes the whole venue. There are no other events, no guests you haven’t invited and no members of the public in the restaurant.
What you get varies from castle to castle, so check four things before you book:
Bedrooms: how many are included, and whether all your guests can stay on site
Spaces: which rooms and grounds are yours, and for how long
Food and drink: whether the castle is staffed and catered, or self-catered
Team: whether a coordinator plans and runs the event with you
Castles to rent in the UK fall into two groups. Self-catered castles suit smaller groups who want a holiday home with history. Staffed castle hotels, like Peckforton, suit weddings and larger events, with chefs, a bar team and coordinators already in place.
Hire a castle for your wedding
Peckforton is an exclusive use castle wedding venue for ceremonies of 2 to 165 guests. You can marry in the Great Hall or by candlelight in the Wine Cellar, sit down to a wedding breakfast for up to 165, then welcome up to 350 for the evening.
With Keys to the Castle, the celebration doesn’t end at midnight. Your guests sleep in the castle, come down to breakfast together and relive the day before anyone heads home.
Some occasions deserve more than a function room. Private castle hire works for milestone birthdays, anniversaries, family reunions and any celebration where you want everyone under one roof.
Dine in the Drawing Room, gather by an open fire, then finish the night in the Wine Cellar. With the whole castle booked, the party moves from room to room at your pace. Read more about special occasions at Peckforton.
Castle hire, also called exclusive use or private castle hire, means one group takes the whole venue. There are no other events, no guests you haven’t invited and no members of the public in the restaurant.
What you get varies from castle to castle, so check four things before you book:
Bedrooms: how many are included, and whether all your guests can stay on site
Spaces: which rooms and grounds are yours, and for how long
Food and drink: whether the castle is staffed and catered, or self-catered
Team: whether a coordinator plans and runs the event with you
Castles to rent in the UK fall into two groups. Self-catered castles suit smaller groups who want a holiday home with history. Staffed castle hotels, like Peckforton, suit weddings and larger events, with chefs, a bar team and coordinators already in place.
How much does it cost to hire a castle in the UK?
The cost of castle hire in the UK depends on the castle, the date and the size of your party. Five things move the price most:
Date: peak season and Saturdays cost more than midweek and winter dates
Guest numbers: for the day, the evening and overnight
Number of nights: one night or a full weekend
Food and drink: menus, drinks packages and private dining
Extras: activities, entertainment and added accommodation
At Peckforton, every Keys to the Castle for wedding bookings are quoted individually around your date and guest numbers. If you have flexibility, ask about midweek and off-peak dates, or look at our late availability dates.
How to choose a castle to rent
Ask these five questions of any castle rental in the UK:
Is it truly exclusive? Some venues mean one event at a time. Others mean the entire castle. Ask which.
Can everyone stay? Check the number of bedrooms against your guest list.
Is it staffed and catered? A full team on site means you can be a guest at your own event.
Is it licensed for ceremonies? Essential if you want to marry at the castle.
How easy is it to reach? Look at drive times from major cities and airports.
Where is Peckforton Castle?
Peckforton Castle stands on the Peckforton Hills near Tarporley in Cheshire, in North West England. The address is Stone House Lane, Peckforton, Tarporley, Cheshire, CW6 9TN.
It’s one of the easiest castles to hire for guests travelling from across the UK:
Chester: 11 miles, around 20 to 30 minutes by car
Manchester: about 1 hour by car
Liverpool: about 1 hour by car
Manchester Airport: 27 miles, around 40 minutes by car
The ruins of Beeston Castle sit less than a mile away across the valley, so your photographs come with a second castle in the background.
How to hire Peckforton Castle
Tell us your plans. Share your preferred date, guest numbers and the kind of event you have in mind.
Come and see it. Book a showround and walk the Great Hall, the bedrooms and the grounds.
Receive your proposal. We put together a Keys to the Castle package built around your event.
Secure your date. Once you’re happy, we reserve the entire castle in your name.
Speak to our team today by filling out the enquiry form below.
Can you rent a whole castle for a wedding?
Yes. At Peckforton Castle you can rent the whole castle for your wedding with Keys to the Castle. The castle holds ceremonies for 2 to 165 guests and evening receptions for up to 350. All 48 en-suite bedrooms are reserved for your wedding party.
What is the difference between exclusive use and Keys to the Castle?
Peckforton Castle hosts one wedding a day, so your ceremony and reception rooms are always exclusively yours. Keys to the Castle extends that to the whole castle. The bedrooms, restaurants, bars and grounds are all closed to other guests for full privacy.
Keys to the Castle
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