A family-owned and run business with over 30 years' experience of making wedding day dreams come true.

Clearwell Castle is part of Country House Weddings Ltd, a family-owned and run wedding venue group that has collectively held over 10,000 weddings in its four exclusive-use venues since its conception. The chairman and founder, Harry Bramer, still presides over the business today, with the help and support of his family and an accomplished team, all of whom are dedicated to one thing: your perfect wedding.

Clearwell Castle's numerous award wins since its beginnings in 1998 are testament to all the hard work that our team put in to each and every wedding we host. Most recently, Clearwell Castle was voted ‘Best UK Wedding Venue’ in the British Wedding Awards 2018 by the readers of Wedding Ideas for the third year running. Clearwell Castle was also a finalist for the same awards in 2015. In addition, Clearwell was shortlisted for ‘Best Castle Wedding Venue’ at the UK Wedding Awards 2017, was regional winner at the English Wedding awards 2016, and was overall winner of the Wedding Ideas Awards in 2012 and 2010.

The history of Clearwell Castle

The first settlement – Mid-15th century

In the mid-15th century, Robert Greyndour started building the first house on the site, comprising a hall, a chapel and 12 chambers.

The Baynhams – 1484

After the death of Robert’s widow, the estate passes to the Baynham family, who owned the land and manor house until the early 17th century.

The Throckmortons – Early 17th century

The estate is bought by Sir Nicholas Throckmorton (pictured), an English diplomat and politician, who was an ambassador to France at the time of Elizabeth I. It was while the Throckmortons were resident at the castle that Sir Walter Raleigh courted Beth Throckmorton – a great romantic scandal of its time.

The Wyndham family arrives – 1727

Thomas Wyndham and his family buy the site and its buildings for £3,277. The family quickly sets about building the mansion that we see today – one of the earliest examples of its style in the country. Whilst most of the building is new, some parts, including the ballroom, incorporated the original building.

 

Thomas of Dunraven – Late 18th Century

The estate passes down from Thomas Wyndham to his son, Thomas of Dunraven, and then on to Dunraven’s daughter, Caroline (pictured). It is during this period that the grand ballroom, with its 75-foot aisle, is used as a chapel for the village folk.

 

Disaster Strikes – 1929

Clearwell Court, as it was then known, passes hands numerous times before being purchased by Colonel Charles Vereker, who was a cousin of Lord Gort – the legendary hero of the Great War. It was during this time that the castle was gutted by a fire, and a priceless collection of period furniture, antiques and valuables was lost forever.

Yeates to the rescue – 1953

Although Colonel Vereker (pictured) restores the castle after the fire, his death in 1947 meant that it fell into ruin. A businessman buys the castle in 1953 with the intent of demolishing the building and starting again. However, a local son of a former gardener had other plans. Frank Yeates, who ran a bakery in Blackpool, heard the news of the planned demolition of the castle and, as he had been born in North Lodge himself, was so devastated by the news he bought the Castle for £3,000.

 

Yeates & Son – Late 20th Century

Frank, his wife, Alice (pictured), and his son, Bernard, set about restoring the castle piece by piece, teaching themselves the skills they needed. After years of hard work, they had done enough to open it to the public, and held medieval banquets to pay for their continuing work.

 

Rock & Roll – 1970s

In a bizarre twist, what is now known as the Quiet Room at Clearwell Castle becomes a recording studio! Bands such as Led Zeppelin, Badfinger, Deep Purple (pictured), Queen and Whitesnake recorded albums there. Wedding guests who have been lucky enough to stay in the Mermaid Suite can boast that they have shared the same room as Freddie Mercury.

 

A new owner – 1998

Clearwell Castle is purchased by Harry Bramer, owner of Country House Weddings, and is transformed into one of the most popular exclusive-use wedding venues in the South West of England.

 

Coastal bliss – 2002

The stunning mansion and estate of St Audries Park in Somerset is the next addition to the CHW group.

A royal palace joins – 2004

A stunning former royal palace, Gosfield Hall in Essex, becomes the most recent addition to the CHW portfolio.

 

The North Lodge & Portcullis View Studio – 2012

The wonderful lodge and studio rejoin the estate, and are now offered as accommodation to wedding guests. The lodge makes the perfect place to stay for the groomsmen on the night before the big day.

 

Awards back-to-back – 2016 & 2017

Clearwell Castle is awarded Best UK Wedding Venue for two years in a row by readers of Wedding Ideas magazine, confirming its position as one of most sought-after wedding venues in the country.

 

The Wyndham Expansion – 2017

The expansion of Clearwell Castle’s offerings takes a great leap with the purchase of a run-down pub and hotel, The Wyndham, in Clearwell village. The building is lovingly restored is now offered to wedding guests as part of the ‘Night-before package’.

 

A real wedding – 2017
Real Weddings
Joe & Ami – Sunday 5th May 2019
October 21st 2019

Since opening its portcullis as an exclusive use wedding venue, over 3,000 weddings have been held at Clearwell Castle. Here’s a taster of what a real wedding is like at our dream venue.