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On Hitched.co.uk since 2022

Last update: August 2023

A hidden gem, The Cowdray Walled Garden is a country garden wedding venue nestled in the grounds of one of England's finest former country houses. Set against the stunning backdrop of Cowdray Ruins in Midhurst, West Sussex, the Walled Garden sits at the heart of the 16,000-acre Cowdray Estate.

Open the door to The Cowdray Walled Garden and step into a beautiful, historic, hidden gem that dates back to 1550. A truly magical location to create long-lasting memories of a very special day. Once known as The Walled Privy, located alongside the magnificent Cowdray Ruins, a landmark visited by royalty, including Henry VIII, Edward VI and Elizabeth I. In 1770 it is believed that British Landscape Architect Capability Brown was employed on the Estate and was involved in the design and planning of the Walled Garden.

Today the country garden celebrates its history with a traditional planting scheme of cultivated areas which include a scented herb garden, a variety of rose and lavender borders, an orchard, herbaceous borders and a central rectangular formal lawn surrounding an ornamental pond. A pagoda is situated within the garden and is suited for outdoor wedding ceremonies during the warmer months of the year (April to October), providing the perfect setting to start your married journey.

Inside, accommodating up to 100 guests seated (130 for a standing reception), both The Castle Room and Courtyard Room, with their exposed stone walls, character, and charm, provide a wonderful place to host your big day. Both the Castle Room and the Courtyard allow an opportunity to bring the outside in, combing fresh floral arches with timeless interiors. Upstairs, couples can also make use of the Dressing Room, offering the perfect location to get ready together in privacy and comfort whilst being able to catch a glimpse of your guests through the window overlooking the garden as they arrive.

Considering catering to be one of the most important aspects of any wedding, we are proud to work with a selection of carefully chosen caterers. Where possible, all ingredients are sourced locally with a strong emphasis on sustainability. Not only will your wedding breakfast taste delicious, but it will be visually stunning too. The bespoke Events team at Cowdray, alongside our carefully chosen partners and suppliers, are here to bring your ideas and wedding dreams to life in this unique and wonderful setting.

With the glorious gardens and two reception rooms inside this Grade II listed building, we can guarantee that you and your guests will have the most magical day, making memories to last a lifetime. Whether your party is an intimate gathering of close friends or a larger, more elaborate celebration, and with endless photo opportunities and romantic backdrops, the stage is set for a captivating wedding.

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Frequently asked questions

Venue type:

In the country
Unusual weddings
Historic
Marquees and tents
Outdoor license
Unique weddings

Ceremony options:

Civil ceremony licence

Dining options:

Seated meal facilities
Corkage option
Alcohol licence
Buffet meal facilities
In-house catering

Evening entertainment:

Dance floor
Entertainment licence
Live band facilities
Evening reception facilities
DJ facilities

Overnight accommodation:

Overnight accommodation for wedding couple
Overnight accommodation for guests

Venue staff assistance:

Wedding coordinator

Other features:

Exclusive use
Accessible facilities
Car parking
Confetti permitted
Pet-friendly
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Do you have any questions?

Request pricing
5.0 out of 5 rating
23 reviews
  • Quality of the service
    5 out of 5 rating
  • Response time
    5 out of 5 rating
  • Professionalism
    5 out of 5 rating
  • Value for money
    5 out of 5 rating
  • Flexibility
    5 out of 5 rating
100% Recommended by couples
A
Andrea Sent on 17/08/2018
5 out of 5 rating

Look no further you will fall in love with this ge

We had the best day at The Walled Garden yesterday despite some fairly rubbish weather . Jan and the team have been amazing from start to finish and every thing was perfect . We had an afternoon tea wedding and our guests said it was so refreshing to have such a laid back casual wedding. I would recommend this venue to any couple looking for a stunning venue at a reasonable price .
E
Emily Sent on 08/09/2018
5 out of 5 rating

Best day and venue ever

We got married here at the end of July. It is such a beautiful venue. The gardens were in full bloom and looked lovely.
We were so lucky with the weather the sun was out but had cooled out so we didn't melt in the gardens.
From the time of booking to the day we got married Jan was improving the venue. Jan and Mike were helpful and welcoming whenever we visited or contacted them. The men often talked sport as there was some football or cricket game on when we visited.
The venue allowed for a relax reception and all the guests have commented saying it was the best location. There is a good balance of space inside and out. The fact the the tables are in a separate room to the band/music means people can still stay sitting and talking and don't have to shout over the music.
Jan has a good list of suppliers to help you choose or you can bring your own in as long as they have all the relevant insurances etc.
I wouldn't have changed a thing, and will make sure I carry on visiting these gardens for all the great memories.

Thank you Jan and Mike xx
C
Casey Sent on 14/02/2018
5 out of 5 rating

Intimate and informal

Dear Jan and Mike
We just wanted to say a huge thank you to you both for making our wedding day so very special. Your unique Walled Garden was every bit as gorgeous as we had hoped, and the time and effort you took to make it ‘our’ event was much appreciated.
Having everyone gathered around the rose arbour and fountain made it seem much more intimate and informal, and matched the tone of our wedding perfectly so we can highly recommend it. We have had lots of lovely comments from our guests about the venue as a whole, both outside and inside spaces; the gardens were truly magical and we are purposely took time during the day to have a bit of ‘us’ time in which to enjoy such gorgeous surroundings.
Your supplier list was also really useful – we cannot recommend Zoe Collyer, Buns to Banquets or Angel like Flowers highly enough without going into rambling lists of adjectives – suffice to say they understood our brief exactly and got the level of detail we were looking for, but made the whole admin side of the wedding enjoyable with perfection on the day…
We’re still on cloud nine, and will definitely be back down to see you soon – starting and then ending our wedding ‘week’ in the Walled Garden seemed very apt.
Many thanks to you both and indeed all of your team once again.
K
Katrina Sent on 14/02/2018
5 out of 5 rating

Helpful and supportive from the time we booked

I would like to say what a lovely wedding we had at the Walled Garden on Friday 14th July 2017, Jan was helpful and supportive from the time we booked through to being there on the day to make sure everything was as we wished.
The beautiful gardens were admired by all our guests and the whole feel of the day was one of relaxed picturesque tranquillity. There was lots of room for the children to play and the whole venue inside and out gave a perfect feeling for our friends and family to enjoy our wedding.
We had Joe Keeley www.keeleyskitchen.co.uk catering on the day and all his food was of superb quality, many of our guests commented on the five star taste and presentation of all his menu. Joe and his staff were very professional throughout the day and I would recommend him to anyone having a function and wanting food to impress.
We also took advantage of photos in the ruins opposite and had them lit during the evening which gave a lovely backdrop to an amazing venue. This made for a perfect wedding.
A
Alex Sent on 14/02/2018
5 out of 5 rating

Offered excellent advice and guidance

My wife and I were absolutely delighted with The Walled Garden as our wedding venue on the 10th July this year. We couldn't have been more impressed with Jan and her team- it was a perfect day. From our first meeting with Jan she was incredibly welcoming and friendly, informative and professional and the venue and gardens themselves are stunning. The Walled Garden is perfect for weddings of all sizes and we fell in love as soon as we walked through the oak door.
Jan walked us through every stage of the wedding, offered excellent advice and guidance and was always on hand if we needed to discuss anything with her and on the day was there to ensure that everything ran smoothly, contributing to a wonderful day.
We can't recommend the Walled Garden highly enough and my wife and I will return again and again to remind ourselves of our special day. Thank you so much xx
R
Robert Sent on 14/02/2018
5 out of 5 rating

A magical place

Robert and I would like to thank you very much indeed for helping to make Amelia and Matthew's wedding day so special. The Walled Garden was looking spectacular - a magical place.
L
Larissa Sent on 09/07/2018
5 out of 5 rating

Stunning day! Stunning venue!

To Jan and the team - thank you so much for helping to make our day so incredibly special!

The Walled Garden at Cowdray is unique, it is an absolutely stunning venue, set within the grounds of Cowdray Park & ruins. The garden and venue itself are beautiful, the surrounding area really dramatic. It is only a short walk (probably not in heels) to Midhurst town - we hired The Angel for the weekend. We would really recommend a visit even if its just for a day out.

Jan and her team are super efficient, incredibly helpful and allowed us to plan and bespoke our perfect day. Everyone we used on the supplier list was fantastic. We can't recommend highly enough.

Stunning!
C
Chris Sent on 05/11/2015
5 out of 5 rating

Couldn't recommend this venue enough - it's perfec

We chose The Walled Garden as our wedding venue for our ceremonies in October of 2015.

My wife and I fell in love with the Garden as soon as we walked in as it's in such a fantastic location and is immaculately presented.
Jan walked us through everything and was always helpful and approachable and was available 24 hours a day.

We had a handfasting ceremony on the lawn and a civil ceremony in the Castle room, both of which were wonderful and the garden looked amazing. Even in October there were roses in bloom, the apple trees were covered in fruit and the garden was full of life.
G
Grace Sent on 02/09/2015
5 out of 5 rating

Absolutely amazing!

My husband and I got married at this beautiful venue on Sunday 30th August. It was an amazing day from start to finish. Our guests were constantly complimenting us on our choice of venue and we couldnt fault a thing! Jan and her team were so helpful and were always willing to answer any questions that we had. I would definitely recommend this venue, it was a truly magical setting for our wedding.
R
Rosalind Sent on 25/08/2015
5 out of 5 rating

Richard Hamilton's & Priya Jacob's Wedding.

The Walled Garden is an outstandingly beautiful setting for a summer wedding. Richard and Priya, whose wedding took place on 23rd July 15, loved its medieval connection and its proximity to Midhurst's facilities.
Jan and her assistants were extremely efficient, knowledgeable and helpful throughout. There were numerous children and we were concerned about how they would cope with the long day. In the event they "had a ball" entertaining themselves in the spacious garden.
We thoroughly recommend the Walled Garden as a perfect venue for a happy wedding.
E
Emma Sent on 18/09/2011
5 out of 5 rating
how much is it to hold a wedding here please september 2012.
60 wedding guests and 80 evening
L
Lizzie Sent on 08/06/2009
5 out of 5 rating

Dream Wedding Reception

A huge thankyou once again for all you did for us on our wedding day.....our impending anniversary make our wonderful memories all the more vivid!
Hardly a day goes by that we don''t look back with excitement and fondness and remember how magical everything was. Thank you for helping us create our dream wedding reception
S
Sandy Sent on 27/06/2008
5 out of 5 rating

Magical Setting

Thank you for providing a most magical setting for our party - it could not have been more perfect.
M
Miles Sent on 27/06/2008
5 out of 5 rating

First Class Service

We found your service first class and have booked July next year with you! We're very much looking forward to working with you to produce a fantastic day.
L
Liz Sent on 27/06/2008
5 out of 5 rating

Wonderful wedding reception

Thank you for the incredible wedding reception - we are so grateful for all the details such as the candle lights which made it all so special.
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Map

No 1 River Ground Stables GU29 9AL Midhurst (West Sussex)
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