Larmer Tree is one of the odder and lovelier things in Wiltshire. General Pitt Rivers laid out these pleasure grounds on the Rushmore Estate in 1880 and then did something nobody else had done: he opened his private gardens to the public, and by the end of the century tens of thousands of people a year were coming for concerts, plays and picnics. The name comes from a wych elm that once stood here and marked the meeting of parishes and counties, which tells you something about how long this patch of ground has mattered to people.
What Pitt Rivers left behind is 11 acres of Victorian garden and woodland scattered with buildings that shouldn’t work together and entirely do. There is a Roman temple, an open-air Singing Theatre with a hand-painted backdrop, the Nepalese rooms with their glass doors and long views, and Jubilee Hall, put up in 1896 and still the warmest room on the site once the lights are on. A folly of 65 feet was added in 2009, and peacocks wander the lawns as though the whole arrangement had been made for their benefit. It is a garden that rewards walking around rather than sitting still.
Weddings take the lot — every building and all 11 acres are yours for the day, with 150 for the ceremony and wedding breakfast and up to 250 in the evening. Food comes from the caterers who have worked here for years, so the kitchen knows the site inside out. King John’s House sleeps 19 across 10 bedrooms, there is a little 1890s studio cottage for the couple, and bell tents appear in the warmer months for anyone who fancies waking up in the gardens. The 13th-century village church at Tollard Royal is 5 minutes away if you want vows said in a nave.
Where the band plays
Jubilee Hall is where the evening generally lands, and it is a good room for a band: Victorian proportions, a floor that fills quickly, and doors out into the dark garden when people need air. For something looser earlier in the day, the Singing Theatre was quite literally built for performance, and a duo or an acoustic set on that stage while drinks go round is hard to beat. Do talk to the team about power and about playing outdoors, since a garden this old has its own quirks and they will know exactly where a band should stand.
How the evening runs
Part of the charm here is that you keep moving — ceremony in one corner of the gardens, dinner in another, then the walk through to wherever the party is, with the buildings lit up as you go. Evenings run to around midnight, which gives a band room for 2 full sets with a break in the middle and still leaves time for the sort of last song people talk about. Confirm the finish when you book, as outdoor music and indoor music are rarely governed by quite the same hour.
Bands available in Wiltshire and perfectly at home in a venue like this.
More live music in Wiltshire.
- Wedding Bands in Wiltshire
- Events Bands in Wiltshire
- Wiltshire Tribute Acts
- Wiltshire Wedding DJs
- Wiltshire Corporate Entertainment
Worth reading before you book: Sound Limiters Explained. More questions answered on our England & Wales FAQs.