An Edwardian civic landmark in the centre of Lancaster
Lancaster Town Hall is an Edwardian civic building completed in 1909, right in the centre of Lancaster and licensed to hold civil wedding ceremonies and receptions. It's a working alternative to the nearby Castle, which stopped taking new wedding-ceremony bookings in 2023 — the Town Hall remains an active, licensed venue with several rooms to choose from depending on the size of the day and the style of the wedding.
Rooms for every size of wedding
The Council Chamber, with its original 1909 oak panelling and furnishings, holds up to 45 guests for an intimate ceremony, and the oak-panelled Reception Room seats a similar number. For larger weddings, the Banqueting Suite combines two rooms behind a movable oak screen for up to 100 guests dining or 180 theatre-style, while Ashton Hall — the Town Hall's former concert hall, with its ornate heraldic ceiling and a pipe organ housed in the original oak case — takes up to 250 guests for a seated wedding breakfast and well over 800 standing.
Built for live music
Both the Banqueting Suite and Ashton Hall have a sprung dance floor and their own bar, and Ashton Hall keeps the raised stage from its concert-hall days, so a live band has a proper platform to play from rather than a corner of the room cleared for dancing. Fully-equipped kitchens are available to hire alongside a chosen caterer, and it's a genuine step up for anyone planning to book a band for the evening reception — one of the reasons the Town Hall suits a live wedding band better than a heritage building with no stage or dance floor built in.
Location
The Town Hall sits right in the centre of Lancaster, a short walk from the train station and easy for bands and suppliers travelling in from across Lancashire and Cumbria, whether the reception runs through the Banqueting Suite or the full scale of Ashton Hall.