Tudor mansion with a four-turreted Great Tower in forty acres of Essex parkland, near Chelmsford
4.01 reviewLeez Priory is a Tudor red-brick mansion near Chelmsford in Essex, given over to one wedding at a time, with eight licensed ceremony settings and 25 bedrooms on the estate.
Leez Priory is a Tudor red-brick mansion in the Essex countryside near Chelmsford, built by Richard Rich, 1st Baron Rich, from the 1530s on the site of an Augustinian priory founded in 1220. Its four-turreted Great Tower looks over 40 acres of lawns, lakes and a walled garden. The whole estate is reserved for a single wedding at a time, and the house was the first country house in the UK licensed for civil ceremonies.
Eight licensed settings are available, including the panelled Great Hall, the timber-framed Coach House barn and the lawn beneath the Great Tower. Wedding breakfasts for up to around 110 are served in the Great Hall or the Coach House, and up to 250 can attend the evening. Catering is in-house and all-inclusive, built on seasonal modern British menus. Twenty-five bedrooms on the estate sleep up to 54, among them courtyard rooms, lodges in the grounds and a private cottage for the bridal suite. Stansted Airport is about 30 minutes away, and central London just over an hour.
Leez Priory
Images courtesy of Leez Priory
Richard Rich, 1st Baron Rich, built Leez Priory from the 1530s on the site of a house of Augustinian canons founded in 1220. The four-turreted Great Tower still rises over lawns, lakes and a walled garden across 40 acres of Essex parkland.
Leez Priory was the first country house in the UK to hold a licence for civil ceremonies, and today it offers eight licensed settings. Couples can marry in the panelled Great Hall beneath a carved stone fireplace, in the timber-framed Coach House, or outdoors beneath the Great Tower.
With 25 bedrooms sleeping up to 54, the party stays together. Seasonal British menus are cooked in-house for the wedding breakfast, and the evening carries on in the Coach House under brick arches strung with light.
A red-brick house built by Lord Rich from the 1530s, watched over by a four-turreted Great Tower.
The HouseParkland, lawns and lakes given over to one wedding at a time, your own country house for the day.
The Estate
The first country house in the UK licensed for civil ceremonies, with eight settings indoors and out.
The Ceremony25 bedrooms on site sleeping up to 54, so the whole party stays and celebrates together.
The Stay
Bedrooms arranged in a courtyard set apart from the Main House, exclusively for the wedding party, so guests stay the night on the estate and the celebration becomes a whole weekend in the Essex countryside.
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Lodges set within the 40 acres of grounds, a short walk from the Main House, giving families room to gather away from the party and wake up among the lawns and lakes of the estate.
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Rooms in the Main House with views of the Great Tower, and a private cottage that serves as the bridal suite for the night before, so the couple wakes within the walls of the Tudor mansion itself.
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The Tudor mansion, the Coach House and the 40 acres of grounds, given over to a single wedding at a time.
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Leez Priory stands in the Essex countryside near Chelmsford, in 40 acres of parkland with lawns and lakes, yet it is just over an hour from central London and close to Stansted Airport. Guests reach a quiet, rural setting with room to stay the weekend, within easy reach of Chelmsford, the wider Essex countryside and the capital.
Leez Priory, Hartford End, Great Leighs, Chelmsford, Essex, CM3 1JP, England
Braintree (Greater Anglia) is the nearest station, about 4.6 miles from the venue in a straight line.
Exclusive use of the mansion, the Coach House barn and 40 acres of grounds
A choice of eight licensed ceremony settings, indoors and out
A wedding breakfast in the Great Hall or the Coach House
25 bedrooms on site, sleeping up to 54
We recently got married at Leez Priory, and from start to finish, it was such a beautiful day. Our Personal Wedding Manager and all of the staff went above and beyond for us and all of our guests.
The food was delicious, the venue itself was decorated beautifully, and all of the rooms were incredibly clean, fit for purpose and comfortable.
I knew from the minute I visited Leez Priory that’s where I wanted to say I do, and I’m so glad I did. It was an unforgettable day, and we received so many compliments from our guests throughout the day. The 3 course wedding breakfast was great.
At Hartford End near Great Leighs, in the Essex countryside close to Chelmsford. It stands in 40 acres of parkland with lawns and lakes, a little over an hour from central London.
Yes. The Tudor mansion, the Coach House and the grounds are given to a single wedding, so the couple has the estate to themselves for the weekend.
Around 110 can sit for the ceremony and wedding breakfast, in either the Great Hall or the Coach House, and the evening party welcomes up to 250.
There are eight licensed settings, among them the panelled Great Hall, the timber-framed Coach House and the lawn beneath the Great Tower. It was the first country house in the UK to receive a licence for civil ceremonies.
Yes. Twenty-five bedrooms sleep up to 54 guests, in courtyard rooms, lodges in the grounds, Main House rooms and a private cottage for the bridal suite.
Yes. Seasonal modern British menus are cooked in-house and served in the Great Hall or the Coach House, with dietary needs covered. Catering is part of the all-inclusive package.
A four-turreted tower of Tudor red brick that has stood since the sixteenth century. Vows can be made on the lawn at its foot, and the couple can leave through the arch of its carriageway.
All-inclusive packages start from around £7,000, depending on season, day of the week and guest numbers.
About 20 minutes from Chelmsford, 30 minutes from Stansted Airport and just over an hour from central London.
Ask for a place, a name, a trade or the whole wedding. Every answer comes from checked records.
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