Longstowe Hall is the sort of place that makes guests slow down as they come up the drive. The house was built in 1580 for Anthony Cage, later High Sheriff, in the E-shaped plan favoured in Elizabeth I’s reign, and that original core is still readable in the central bays looking west over the garden. Its story has plenty of turns: an earlier medieval house stood on the moated island beyond the rose garden, the Cages backed Charles I and lost the property in the aftermath of the Civil War, and in the 1850s the architect William Fawcett was brought in to enlarge what was there. The Briscoe family, ancestors of the present owners, arrived later and gave the place the gardens it is known for today.
Those gardens are the reason to come in summer. There is a rose garden with a stone balustrade and clipped box beds, a double herbaceous border flanked by dark yew, an orangery and courtyard with a fountain at its centre, and lawns and parkland dropping away to the lake. The wider estate runs to around 1,000 hectares of farmland, old pasture and ancient woodland, carefully managed for wildlife, and the parish church of St Mary’s stands on the estate for couples who want a church service before the celebration.
Weddings here are exclusive hire and built around 150 guests. Civil ceremonies take place in the Rose Ball Room, with its spectacular oak fireplace and plasterwork, or outdoors on the Pavilion Island in its lakeside setting. Drinks follow in the restored courtyard and orangery, all fountain and flowers and something close to a proper English garden party, before everyone moves through to dine in the marquee.
Where the band plays
The Longstowe marquee is a traditional canvas-roofed structure with a soaring roof height, and it comes with a dance floor and a small stage already built in — a detail that saves a surprising amount of planning. The height is a gift acoustically, giving the sound somewhere to go rather than bouncing straight back at the dancers, and the lined interior takes the hardness off it. Because the stage is on the modest side, a larger line-up or a band travelling with big backline should check the dimensions early so the layout can be adjusted before the day.
How the evening runs
The evening tends to run through to around midnight, which gives a band a full run at it: two sets after dinner, an encore if the floor demands one, and a DJ or playlist to carry the last of the night. Load-in is easy enough, with the marquee at ground level and vehicles able to get reasonably close, though soft ground after heavy rain is always worth a thought in a country estate setting. As with most rural venues, confirm at the booking stage whether amplified music is expected to stop slightly before the bar, and arrange taxis or a coach in advance — Longstowe is gloriously quiet at midnight, in every sense.
Bands available in Cambridgeshire and perfectly at home in a venue like this.
More live music in Cambridgeshire.
- Cambridgeshire Wedding Bands
- Cambridgeshire Events Bands
- Tribute Acts in Cambridgeshire
- Wedding DJs in Cambridgeshire
- Corporate Entertainment in Cambridgeshire
Worth reading before you book: Sound Limiters Explained. More questions answered on our England & Wales FAQs.