Armathwaite Hall occupies one of the most enviable positions in the Lake District: a 17th-century stately home set above the shores of Bassenthwaite Lake, with 400 acres of private woodland and deer park around it and Skiddaw and the northern fells filling the view. Deer wander the grounds. The lake glitters below. It is the sort of place where guests arrive, get out of the car, and simply stand there for a moment before remembering they are supposed to be going inside.
The house itself has the panelling, the fireplaces and the deep-windowed rooms you would hope for, and it has been run as a hotel since 1976, which means the grandeur comes with a level of practical polish that a newly converted house cannot match. There are 46 individually styled bedrooms and suites, a good many with park or garden views and some with spa baths or a private rooftop terrace, so a large proportion of your guest list can stay on site and walk to breakfast. The spa is a genuine draw in its own right — a 16-metre infinity pool, a hot tub and treatment rooms — and makes the day before the wedding rather more civilised than it might otherwise be.
Four rooms are licensed for civil ceremonies, with different capacities so you can match the room to the guest list, and there is also a woodland gazebo outside for couples who want to marry among the trees. Overall the venue takes up to 150 for a ceremony and 200 for the reception. The kitchen will go from an elegant multi-course dinner to a hog roast depending on the kind of day you are after, with vegan and halal menus available, and the Lake View Lounge is where a good deal of the evening tends to happen.
Where the band plays
Country house rooms like these are flattering to live music — there is enough height to give a band air, and enough soft furnishing and panelling to stop things turning harsh. There is a dancefloor, and with up to 200 guests in the evening you have a crowd that rewards a full line-up rather than a trio; a five or six-piece with a horn or two will lift a room of this size handsomely. Because it is a historic building, it is worth confirming the stage footprint, power supply and any sound conditions for your chosen room at the point of booking.
Ceremony, the gazebo and the drinks hour
Indoors, the licensed rooms carry an unamplified harpist, string quartet or classical guitarist without any assistance at all. The woodland gazebo is the opposite case: trees and open air soak up sound remarkably efficiently, so anything played out there wants a small PA behind it. Afterwards, with guests spread across the terrace, the lawns and the views down to the lake, a roaming acoustic act keeps a scattered reception feeling like one occasion.
How the evening runs
With bedrooms upstairs and the spa in the morning, this is a venue built for an evening that unwinds rather than one that ends abruptly at the car park. Confirm your finish time when you book — it can vary by room and by season — and plan the first dance shortly after dinner so the band gets two full sets while everybody is still in the room.
Bands available in Cumbria and perfectly at home in a venue like this.
More live music in Cumbria.
- Wedding Bands in Cumbria
- Events Bands in Cumbria
- Cumbria Tribute Acts
- Cumbria Wedding DJs
- Cumbria Corporate Entertainment
Worth reading before you book: Sound Limiters Explained. More questions answered on our England & Wales FAQs.