Fawsley Hall Daventry
I recently carried out dog chaperone duties at a popular Northamptonshire wedding venue, namely Fawsley Hall Hotel & Spa. Based just to the south of Daventry, Fawsley Hall has a lot to recommend it to prospective couples looking for a wedding venue in Northamptonshire, particularly if you wish your dog to be a part of your big day.
Fawsley Hall History
Fawsley Hall is mostly associated with the Knightley family but Fawsley itself was a Royal Manor from about the 7th century. The association with the Knightley family began in 1416 when Richard Knightley became Lord of the Manor of Fawsley. It was his son, also called Richard who began the building of Fawsley Hall, the South wing which still stands today. Subsequent members of the Knightley family added The West Wing, Brew House, Georgian North Wing and the South East Wing.
Fawsley Hall passed from the Knightley family to the Gage family around 1938 due to the fact that there was no Knightley heir to pass it to. The Gage family had married into the Knightley family sometime previously. The Gage family still owns the Fawlsey lands but they had little interest in the house since their family home was based in Sussex. As such the house deteriorated until it was purchased by Mr & Mrs Saunders who began the long task of restoring the house to its former glory. Today Hand Picked Hotels are the custodians of Fawsley Hall.
Fawsley Hall Spa
As well as being a popular wedding venue, Fawsley Hall is also a hotel and spa. It’s not uncommon to see spa customers wandering around the grounds in their white towel robes. The luxury spa is located within the original lodge and offers a wide range of treatments as well as an indoor pool, Himalayan Salt Sauna and open air Hydro pool.
Fawsley Hall Weddings
For those looking for a wedding venue in Northamptonshire there is a lot to like about Fawsley Hall. Beatiful architecture and stunning grounds will provide lots of great backdrops to your wedding photos. The wedding vows can take place indoors or ourdoors. Indoor options include Georgian Knightley Court but also various rooms within the main house. For the wedding I attended Knightley Court was used for the sit down meal and no doubt some speeches (I did not witness these elements as I was looking after Haku the Japanese Spitz). On the subject of food I’m not sure if couples can use outside catering companies. Many wedding venues don’t have their own team of chefs but Fawsley Hall does so I suspect you would need to agree on the menu with their own catering people.
The couple for this wedding had decided to exchange vows in an outdoor setting with the option of going inside if the weather wasn’t suitable. Thankfully it was a lovely summer day as you can see by the image below that I took a couple of hours before the ceremony.
At the end of the wedding most couples will spend the night in one of the hotel rooms. With 60 rooms available there are options for other family members and guests to stay the night without having to drive home or look for another hotels close by.
There are a number of rooms within Knightley Court but the couple would normally have one of the spectacular feature bedrooms in the main building. It should be noted that whilst a number of bedrooms at Fawsley Hall are dog friendly only one of the feature bedrooms is, namely the William Cecil bedroom. For this particular wedding however I was booked to take Haku to the family home for the evening.
Should you want to know more about Fawsley Hall you can find all the information and contact details on their website below.
