WHITWORTH HALL DURHAM WEDDING VENUE
Whitworth Hall Hotel and Deerpark is situated in Bracepeth countryside 6 miles outside of Durham. It is nestled in its own picturesque deer park resplendent with fairy-tale gardens and an ornamental lake. The hotel also boasts a fishing lake, two restaurants, Afternoon Tea Lounge and a laid-back bar.
I was introduced to Whitworth Hall by Zoe & Liam when they invited me to photograph their wedding there in 2018.
WEDDINGS AT WHITWORTH HALL
Whitworth Hall hotel itself is a lovely old manor house set in a beautiful landscape (it was recently renovated at a cost of over £1m). Whitworth Hall is licensed for marriage ceremonies meaning that you can spend the entire day there, from bride and groom prep, the marriage ceremony, and reception right through to the evening party and staying the night.
They now hold a licence for outdoor ceremonies with seating on the lawn surrounded by the beautiful gardens if the weather plays along.
There is more than one function suite from which to choose, depending on your numbers, or you can take over the whole hall for your exclusive use.
Whitworth Hall wedding packages include a dedicated master of ceremonies to guide you and your guests through the day, a red carpet welcome for the wedding party and guests (weather permitting), an outside drinks reception, a complimentary overnight stay for the bridal couple in one of their spectacular suites, plus five additional bedrooms for friends and family.
There are 29 bedrooms in total, so that even more friends and family can stay over if they wish to book.
WEDDING PHOTOGRAPHY AT WHITWORTH HALL
The big draw of Whitworth Hall for me as a wedding photographer was the beautiful gardens, the romantic rose arboretum in particular, and the magnificent deer park, replete with deer that will feed right out of your hand. Sadly, it rained quite heavily for big parts of Zoe and Liam’s wedding day but they were quite brave in getting outside so it didn’t impact the day too much.
The interior of Whitworth Hall is good but not great. This isn’t a grand stately home with marble staircases and large rooms with high ceilings and tall windows. It’s fairly dark inside (other than the conservatory), with lots of interlinking rooms. The main bar area is larger, with a big staircase, but again it’s fairly dark, with no ‘wow’ features for a wedding photographer.
There has been a trend recently of alternative wedding venues that favour bold, quirky interior design, such as Woodhill Hall and Newton Hall. Whitworth Hall is far more traditional in it’s style and decor.
Whitworth Hall suits couples and wedding photographers who like to get outside and aren’t afraid of muddy shoes!
PROS
The deer park is a unique feature of this wedding venue
The grounds are vast and beautiful, so if the weather is good you can get great wedding portraits and your guests can spill outside
The venue is licensed so you can spend the entire wedding day here and you and your guests can even spend the night
CONS
the interiors don’t have the same ‘wow’ factor as the exteriors, so you’ll be more limited for photography if the weather is poor
Whitworth Hall is a working hotel, so you won’t have complete exclusivity on your wedding day unless you pay for it
CONTACT
Address: Whitworth Hall Country Park, Spennymoor, Durham, County Durham, DL16 7QX
Email: enquiries@whitworthhall.co.uk
Telephone: 01388-811772
YOU CAN SEE MORE DURHAM WEDDING VENUES, AND REAL WEDDINGS, ON MY DURHAM WEDDINGS PAGE.
