Clearwell Castle

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Coleford, Gloucestershire View map Visit website

Rating 5.0 out of 5

67 reviews

Menus from £100

40 to 250 Guests

1 / 50

About

Menus from £100

40 to 250 Guests

Clearwell Castle is one of Gloucestershire’s finest wedding venues. Set within the enchanting and tranquil Forest of Dean, the venue offers an idyllic, fairy-tale setting for a truly memorable wedding day.

The spectacular Ballroom is licensed to hold civil ceremonies and offers a grand setting. The impressive 75ft aisle and the leaded glass windows create a unique and peaceful setting, usually found in elegant churches. Alternatively, opt for an al-fresco affair at the Bandstand - our newly licenced outdoor ceremony location offers a picture-perfect castle backdrop. We can seat up to 150 guests for your ceremony and your wedding breakfast. For the evening reception, the newly transformed Vaulted Cellar Bar can accommodate up to 250 guests.

The Castle provides many wonderful features for your guests to explore and for you to capture the most magical photographs. The Bandstand, situated above our Croquet Lawn, is the perfect place for an intimate shot with you and your loved one. Take a stroll to our Portcullis at night, beautifully lit by the lantern above for a minute alone.

You and your wedding party can enjoy exclusive use of the Castle for a wonderful and private wedding celebration.

The Castle also has 15 stunning bedrooms which can be reserved for the night of your wedding. The superb rooms offer a delightful night’s stay after the excitement and emotion of your big day. In addition, there are 3 beautiful cottages within the glorious grounds providing the bridal party and groomsmen with a wonderful place to stay ahead of the wedding - taking away the pressure of having to travel on your big day. Finally, just a short stroll away from the castle. The Wyndham now provides an additional 24 bedrooms (and bar facilities!) making it the ideal night-before solution. If one night is not enough, why not upgrade and stay for two?

Clearwell Castle is just 20 minutes from the Severn Crossing and 45 minutes from Bristol, Cheltenham and Gloucester.

Over the years, Clearwell Castle has been the proud winner of numerous awards. Most recently, this fantastic venue earned the title of the British Wedding Awards’ “Best Wedding Venue” in 2018 for the THIRD year running! They are committed to maintaining high standards so you can relax knowing that you’ve chosen the perfect venue.

Exclusive use available of the Castle & Grounds for your wedding
Beautiful marriage room with a 75ft aisle and leaded bay windows
Licenced Outdoor Ceremony on the Band Stand with idyllic Castle backdrop
The stunning lawns and reception rooms are perfect for drinks and photos
Can seat up to 150 guests to dine & host 250 guests for the evening reception
39 bedrooms for your overnight guests + 3 estate cottages
Night-before event facilities at The Wyndham for upto 50 guests

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Frequently Asked Questions

Venue Type:

Exclusive Use

In the Country

Castle

Stately Home

Historic

Civil Ceremony Licence

Outdoor License

Unique Weddings

Dining Options:

Seated Meal Facilities

Alcohol Licence

Buffet Meal Facilities

In House Catering

Evening Entertainment:

Dance Floor

Entertainment Licence

Live Band Facilities

Evening Reception Facilities

DJ Facilities

Outdoor Fireworks Permitted

Overnight Accommodation:

Overnight Accommodation for Wedding Couple

Overnight Accommodation for Guests

Venue Staff Assistance:

Master of Ceremonies/ Toastmaster

Wedding Coordinator

Venue Leisure Facilities:

Hairdresser

Beautician

Other Features:

Disabled Facilities

Car Parking

Helipad

Confetti Permitted

Pets Welcome

Rating

5.0

out of 5.0

Recommended by 98% of couples

Quality of the Service

Rating 4.9 out of 5
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Rating 5 out of 5
Professionalism

Rating 4.9 out of 5
Value for Money

Rating 5 out of 5
Flexibility

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Natasha M. Married on 15/09/2021

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Fantastic day

E we had abs amazing day at clearwell castle, it’s such a beautiful venue. The staff were amazing and nothing was too much trouble, the food was amazing too, would have no hesitations in recommending this venue to anyone.

Sent on 12/10/2021
Fran Married on 05/04/2019

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Amazing venue

Wonderful castle, we really loved each moment. Thank you for all the team of Clerwell Castle.
Sent on 13/05/2019
Lauren B. Married on 26/08/2021

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Rude and unprofessional

I've held off writing a review of my wedding day to see if I was able to get any sort of resolution to the issues that have been raised but unfortunately this hasn't really workout out for me so I'm just going to put this up.

Had my wedding on 26th August at Clearwell Castle and they day was to say the least a bit of a let down.

The wedding manager that we had, her name was Sian, was horrible to all my guests. Was rude to my husbands 80 year old Nan, rude to my Mum his mum and just genuinely all of my guests.

It all started when Sian didn't bother to come and get myself and my bridesmaids from the bridal cottage the day before. My hair lady had to run over and see if it was okay for us to go across. Then I specifically said my son needed feeding at 12 o'clock (he's only 1) and I gave her food to give to him and she wouldn't warm it up for my husband without making a deal about it. She then told my husband that he (MY 1 YEAR OLD) WAS GOING TO HAVE TO WAIT TO EAT...HE'S 1. She didn't go down to North Lodge to get my husband so the guests started arriving before he even did. Never told either of is how our day was meant to be going ahead. This issues carried on throughout the day. Then in the evening party 1 of my guests lost their shoes and she was rude to them.

The worst part was in the morning following the wedding, she decided to start slagging off myself and my guests in the kitchen so loud that everyone could hear her. At this point I was absolutely fuming at the situation and asked her if she though it was appropriate to do this. She then started SHOUTING IN THE FACES OF MY GUESTS.

We put money behind the bar but rather than telling all my guests there was money, they just allowed people to buy 20 pound drinks so they money didn't get shared around.

I was running around like an headless chicken on my wedding day and they genuinely think that it's acceptable for that to happen.

Just wanted to give people a heads up so someone else's day doesn't get overshadowed.
Sent on 29/09/2021
Emma Married on 26/10/2019

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Perfect - Thank you so much!

We fell in love with Clearwell from the moment we first saw it. The castle, with its sweeping drive and beautiful beech trees, took our breath away, and we loved that charming St. Peter’s Church was nearby, as well as lots of excellent accommodation options for our guests.

It meant a huge amount to us to celebrate in the beautiful Forest of Dean, and our day surpassed our wildest hopes and dreams. It truly was more special than we could ever have imagined, and the castle and its fabulous staff had a huge part to play in that.

We loved how friendly and welcoming everyone was, right from the beginning, and how relaxed and understanding they were about little touches we hoped to incorporate.

Emily was wonderful at helping us plan; very efficient and her diligence made bringing our plans together as seamless and stress-free as possible.

Our wedding manager, Ann, was exceptional, and it felt like having a family member with us on the day. Ann is incredible; very friendly, professional, calm, organised, kind and the safest pair of hands. Ann blended perfectly into our day, making sure we were in the right places at all times, acting as a toast master, and taking care of all of the tiny details that made our day so special.

We really relaxed and fully enjoyed ourselves, as did our families, knowing everything was completely taken care of. We will never be able to thank her enough.

We really felt that the castle was our home for the day and cannot recommend it highly enough. It is such a beautiful venue on the inside and out, and the castle team are absolutely exceptional.

Do not hesitate to visit or book the castle for your own wedding. It truly is very special.
Sent on 19/11/2019
Parents Married on 26/10/2019

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Fun, Love and Laughter

We just wanted to contact you and express our warmest thanks to your wonderful team at Clearwell Castle where our daughter Emma and son-in-law Josh had their wedding on Saturday. Despite the most horrendous continuous heavy rain that threatened to dampen the day, we had just the best time. The Castle was cosy, welcoming and friendly with a perfect space and layout to relax, chat to old friends and meet new. The whole day was filled with fun, love and laughter, and was organised brilliantly with seamless transitions that perfectly executed the wedding that Emma and Josh had envisaged.

The team, brilliantly overseen by Ann, absolutely did make their Dream Wedding come true. Thank you so much to each and every one of them.
Sent on 04/11/2019
Parents Married on 04/10/2019

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Absolutely Fantastic

Myself and Elaine, my wife, would like to thank all the staff at Clearwell Castle who helped make the wedding of Carl and Alice Carter on Friday 4th of October such a great occasion.
The day went so well and everyone enjoyed themselves. The food was great ' the rooms were a real treat and the DJ was absolutely fantastic . Your hard work Aimee and professional attitude throughout the whole day was very much appreciated.
Sent on 17/10/2019
Chris Married on 21/09/2019

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Completely Stress-Free

We just wanted to say a massive thank you for everything you did for our wedding.

The day was perfect and even the weather held out for us! You made the day run so smoothly which made it for completely stress-free us.
Sent on 17/10/2019
Dan Married on 14/09/2019

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Outstanding

I just wanted to pass on our thanks to everyone who made our wedding so wonderful. Zoe was outstanding and made the day run so smoothly. The food was wonderful and the service was fantastic.
Sent on 18/09/2019
Paul Married on 26/08/2019

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Truly Memorable

Lottie, Paul and I would like to thank all of the staff at Clearwell for making our wedding day truly memorable. We had the most amazing day. We have had so many comments about yourself and how well organised and run the day was. You are a true asset to the Clearwell team.
Sent on 03/09/2019
Steve Married on 18/08/2019

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The Best Day of Our Lives.

Me and my partner got married here on the 18th August. It was everything we imagined and more! it was so magical and we still cant stop talking about it. The staff are amazing and know exactly what's going on. Special thanks to Lottie who made everything so smooth and she was so calm throughout the day. We had an absolute blast and cant wait to visit again for one of the evening meals. Thank you so so much for giving us the best day of our lives.
Sent on 03/09/2019
Daryl Married on 17/08/2019

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Massive Thank You to Zoe

We can’t thank you all enough for everything that was done to ensure that our day went smoothly!
It was without doubt the most perfect day not only for the two of us, but also a great experience for our guests, we have had many comments on how great the venue, food, and staff were.
We have to say a massive thank you to Zoe who has been absolutely amazing throughout, from questions, to general check up, and attentive nature on the wedding day she truly has been amazing - thank you Zoe for everything!! Even our photographer said and I quote “BIG special mention must go out the wedding co-ordinator on the day, Zoe. Seriously one of the best I have ever worked with in my 13 years as a full time wedding photographer. If you are getting married here, ask for her!”.
Perfect day thank you Zoe and the wider clearwell team!
Sent on 29/08/2019
Barry Married on 21/07/2019

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Could Not Fault a Thing!

Thank you from Barry and I for the most beautiful day on Sunday it was perfect, the whole wedding was amazing could not fault a thing! Anyone getting married at Clearwell will not be dissappointed and we want to do it all over again.
Sent on 23/07/2019
Mike Married on 31/05/2019

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The perfect venue

We had the most perfect wedding day and it was all thanks to Ann and her team and the beautiful castle.

Ann couldn’t have done any more to help make the day exactly what we wanted and we can’t thank her enough! The castle looked beautiful and the grounds are immaculate. Everything ran exactly to time and our guests never stopped telling us it was the best wedding they have ever been to!

Thank you Ann and the team!
Sent on 10/07/2019
Christopher Married on 26/05/2019

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Beautiful

A huge thank you to everyone at Clearwell for making our day beyond amazing.
Everyone said how great the staff were and how beautiful the venue was. You really went above and beyond for us, which everyone could see, and it made our special day even more special.
Sent on 27/06/2019
Kyria Married on 19/05/2019

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Wish we could do it all over again

Best Day Ever! Wish we could do it all over again. Thank you so much to Louise who coordinated the day perfectly. We couldnt have asked for more. Anyone with a wedding coming up, you will not be disappointed
Sent on 08/07/2019

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