Wollaton Hall | Wedding venue guide

Wollaton Hall is just 3 miles East of Nottingham City Centre so is easily accessible from the city but also the proximity of the M1 allows guests can get there from across the East Midlands and beyond.

Address: Wollaton Hall & Deer Park, Nottingham, Nottinghamshire, NG8 2AE

Built back in the 1580s, Wollaton Hall has a long history, it’s been home to industrialists, barons and, of course, Batman! It was originally built for Sir Francis Willoughby and remained in the Willoughby family up until 1881. At which point they decided it was too close to the big smoke and busy activity of a large manufacturing town and let it out to tenants. 

In 1925, it was sold to Nottingham City Council and was opened as a museum the following year when it became home to George the Gorilla (who even has a Twitter account!), Hilary the Hippopotamus and Geoffrey the Giraffe (and a selection of other stuffed animals, butterflies and insects. 

In more recent history, Wollaton Hall hosted it’s first Splendour Festival in 2008, which has gone on to become an annual festival in the city, bringing top named acts into Nottingham. Whilst in 2011, Hollywood big name stars are on set as Wollaton Hall becomes “Wayne Manor” in Christopher Nolan’s film The Dark Knight Rises.

As Wollaton Hall is located so close to Nottingham you’re actually left with a large range of options to suit all tastes and budgets. From hotels such as De Vere Orchard Hotel, the Hilton, The Linden Leaf Hotel to cheaper options such as Travelodge and Premier Inn, and of course there are also a whole bunch of options on AirBnB as always.

Yes, Wollaton Hall and Deer Park has fantastic accessibility, with lifts to the gallery floors, fantastic paths around the grounds and manual wheelchairs available on request as well.

Yes – there is lots of parking on site as the museum and deer parks attract a lot of guests throughout the year.Yes, ample on-site parking is available for wedding guests.

Wollaton Hall has a range of options for wedding hire from a wedding ceremony and pre-reception hire starting at around £1500 to pre-reception and evening drinks starting at around £3000 and up to £4500+ for the wedding ceremony and reception. And outdoor marquees/ tipis can also be hired as well. These prices do not include catering costs although they have some great pre-approved suppliers which they can recommend. More information can be found on their website in their wedding brochure.

My top tip for a Wollaton Hall wedding would be for you (and your photographer) to go and check it out – you won’t be disappointed. You’ll see just how amazing this place is. How many options there are. How many places to see and spots for photographs. And all that’s before you even get taken on the roof for your wedding – yes, that’s right you can have photographs on the roof of Wollaton Hall on your wedding day!

With stunning views across the park and Nottingham, rooftop photographs are something really quite unique to add on to your wedding day. What a great place for some beautiful couple shots!

For group shots, I would suggest the formal gardens, the front or back of the house would all make stunning locations with a multitude of options for different backdrops all within a short walk of each other it really is a photographers dream!

One thing to note, however, is the house may still be open to the public. Considering this will be important for choosing when to have your group or couples photographs to limit the number of people around.

The Camellia House is a stunning spot for intimate group shots or couple’s portraits. The rows of roses make for a lovely backdrop to photographs with natural light streaming through the glass walls it’s a really beautiful spot.

If you’re planning a wedding here, I’d love to hear about it. I know the venue well and would love to help capture your day there too.