Chenies Manor House is a genuine Tudor survivor, and one of the loveliest brick buildings in the country. It sits in the village of Chenies on the Buckinghamshire side of the Chilterns border, a few minutes from Rickmansworth and the Chess valley, behind a striking gateway and a sweeping drive. Building began around 1460 for Sir John Cheyne, but the house took its present shape after 1526, when Anne Sapcote married John Russell, later the 1st Earl of Bedford, and he rebuilt on a scale that impressed the antiquary John Leland enough for him to note that little of the old house remained. Excavation has since suggested the original complex was several times the size of what stands today.
It is properly historic in the way that makes guests linger. Henry VIII came more than once with his court — in 1534 with Anne Boleyn, and again in 1541 with Katherine Howard — and Elizabeth I stayed for four weeks in the summer of 1570. The Russells held it until 1954, and it has been a private family home ever since, which is why it feels lived in rather than roped off. The 23 individually cut brick chimneys alone are worth the trip, and the gardens have won armfuls of awards: a physic garden of medicinal herbs, spectacular spring tulips, a sunken garden, and a yew maze that keeps children occupied for the entire drinks reception.
For weddings the house works as an exclusive, largely dry-hire venue, which suits couples who would rather build their own day than choose from a package. You bring your own caterer, and you can supply your own drink without corkage, which is rarer than it sounds. The Garden Room takes around 90 inside, and a marquee on the main lawn opens the numbers up considerably, with the house and gardens as a panorama behind it; sources differ a little on the top figure, so it is worth pinning down with the venue for your own guest list. Civil ceremonies are licensed indoors and out, and there is parking on site.
Where the band plays
Nearly every evening here ends in the marquee on the main lawn, and that is good news for live music: you decide where the stage goes, the dancefloor is sized to your list rather than the room, and the lit facade of a Tudor manor makes an unusually good backdrop for a first dance. Because it is a hire-it-yourself venue, the power supply is your responsibility rather than something waiting in the wall — have the band tell your marquee company exactly what they need, and get solid flooring under the stage.
How the evening runs
Ceremony in the house or the garden, drinks among the topiary and the maze, dinner under canvas, and dancing on from there to around midnight, which leaves a band room for two full sets without anyone watching the clock. The village lane is narrow, so plan load-in for a quiet moment and let crews know where to park. As with any marquee in a village setting, confirm the agreed music finish and any sound conditions when you book, rather than assuming the marquee hours match the bar.
Bands available in Hertfordshire and perfectly at home in a venue like this.
More live music in Hertfordshire.
- Hertfordshire Wedding Bands
- Hertfordshire Events Bands
- Tribute Acts in Hertfordshire
- Wedding DJs in Hertfordshire
- Corporate Entertainment in Hertfordshire
Worth reading before you book: Sound Limiters Explained. More questions answered on our England & Wales FAQs.