Hautbois Hall is a small Elizabethan treasure tucked into the Bure valley at Little Hautbois, a few miles from Coltishall and 5 from Wroxham. A datestone of 1555 sits in the porch gable, and the house wears its age beautifully: red brick with a flint plinth, brick mullioned windows, gabled dormers with stone finials, tall chimneys of triple octagonal shafts and a courtyard that feels instantly private. It is listed, and it looks it — the kind of house that photographs well in any weather and needs almost nothing done to it.
The estate runs to 36 acres of formal lawns, meadows and a grass tennis court, with grazing land beyond, and it is hemmed on one side by the River Bure and on the other by the Bure Valley Railway, so a steam train occasionally puffs past your drinks reception, which guests love far more than they expect to. There is only ever one wedding a day here, and hire is exclusive, so the whole place — house, courtyard, grounds, riverside — is yours from the day before.
Ceremonies are flexible: a small ceremony barn for intimate gatherings, the main barn for larger numbers, or outdoors by the river or on the tennis court lawn, with the option of saying your vows outside and signing the legal paperwork indoors. The main barn was rescued from a derelict outbuilding and now seats 130 for the wedding breakfast and holds 160 in the evening, with a bar, heating, dancefloor, tables, chairs, linen, crockery and glassware all included. You bring your own caterer with no minimum numbers, which means anything from a wood-fired pizza van to a full sit-down dinner is on the table. A few cottages on site sleep the immediate party, there is a hot tub, and a coordinator who has been running weddings here since the venue opened in 2013.
Where the band plays
The main barn is the evening room, and it comes with its own dancefloor, so the band takes one end and the floor sits between them and the tables. At 160 in the evening it is a comfortable size for a four- or five-piece — big enough to need proper amplification, small enough that a full brass section would be generous rather than necessary. As the venue works on a blank-canvas basis, it is worth confirming power points and the stage footprint with the coordinator, and agreeing who is providing the PA for speeches earlier in the day.
How the evening runs
Two-day hire means the band can load in without competing with florists and caterers, and parking is on site rather than down a lane. The evening generally runs to around midnight, which is a generous stretch given how much of the day happens outdoors — drinks by the river, dinner in the barn, then dancing. Live music is welcome across the grounds as well as indoors, so an acoustic set outside during the reception works nicely here; confirm the exact finish time for amplified music when you book, as it can sit a little before the bar closes.
Bands available in Norfolk and perfectly at home in a venue like this.
More live music in Norfolk.
- Norfolk Wedding Bands
- Norfolk Events Bands
- Tribute Acts in Norfolk
- Wedding DJs in Norfolk
- Corporate Entertainment in Norfolk
Worth reading before you book: Sound Limiters Explained. More questions answered on our England & Wales FAQs.