West Tower is a 19th-century country house near Aughton, just outside Ormskirk, and it is instantly recognisable by the turret that gives it its name. It sits in 10 acres of private grounds, and the whole operation is built around a simple principle: one wedding a day, the house and gardens entirely yours, nobody else wandering through your photographs. That exclusivity is the reason it has such a loyal following among West Lancashire couples.
The house has been arranged with the shape of a wedding day firmly in mind. Ceremonies take place either in the light-filled ballroom or outside under a pagoda in the gardens, both of which are licensed, and celebrant and humanist ceremonies are welcome too. Drinks move out onto the terrace and the lawns, dinner follows in the ballroom for up to 145, and the evening builds from there with room for 250 and more. The private Cellar Bar and a set of comfortable lounges give guests somewhere to retreat to, which in practice means the party stays lively rather than sprawling.
There are 27 bedrooms across the estate sleeping up to 70, including a bridal suite available from midday, with cottages and rooms nearby for the overflow. Food is cooked on site with bespoke menus built around seasonal produce, and the kitchen will handle barbecues, hog roasts, halal and vegan menus without fuss. It is polished without being stuffy, which is a harder balance to strike than it sounds.
Where the band plays
The ballroom is a very good room for live music and, unusually, West Tower does not impose noise restrictions on it — live music and discos are both permitted and there is no limiter waiting to cut the power mid-chorus. For anyone booking a full band, that is a significant advantage, and it means a horn section or a big vocal-led act can actually be heard the way it was intended. The room takes 145 seated and then opens up for the evening, so there is space for a proper stage area and a dancefloor that does not feel squeezed between tables.
How the evening runs
Most evenings here wind up around midnight, though the house holds a licence to 1am when the evening numbers pass 100, which is worth knowing when you decide how many sets to book. The usual rhythm is dinner, speeches, the room turned over, then two full sets with the Cellar Bar absorbing anyone who needs a breather. Because the majority of guests are staying on site or nearby, the floor tends to stay busy right to the last song.
Load-in is straightforward for a country house — private grounds, plenty of parking, a driveway that can take a van — but it is still worth arranging access timings with the venue so the band can set up and sound check before guests arrive rather than around them.
Bands available in Lancashire and perfectly at home in a venue like this.
More live music in Lancashire.
- Wedding Bands in Lancashire
- Events Bands in Lancashire
- Lancashire Tribute Acts
- Lancashire Wedding DJs
- Lancashire Corporate Entertainment
Worth reading before you book: Sound Limiters Explained. More questions answered on our England & Wales FAQs.