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Leez Priory

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The Tudor front of the house in daytime, wisteria in flower against the warm brick and formal gardens, Leez Priory

Leez Priory

Essex, United Kingdom

Tudor mansion with a four-turreted Great Tower in forty acres of Essex parkland, near Chelmsford

No. 346 · Autumn 2026

An outdoor ceremony on the lawn beneath the Great Tower, the couple sharing their first kiss before seated guests, Leez Priory
Welcome

A Tudor mansion on a priory site

Leez 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.

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.

A ceremony set in the Great Hall before the carved stone fireplace, with blossom trees and teal chair sashes, Leez Priory
The setting

Eight places to marry

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.

Where
Great Leighs, near Chelmsford, Essex, England
Capacity
Up to 110 seated, 250 for the evening
Stay
25 bedrooms, sleeping up to 54
Ceremony
Eight licensed settings, indoors and out
A first dance in the Coach House at night, guests gathered beneath fairy lights and a great timber arch, Leez Priory
The celebration

How the day is held

4 spaces for the day. Up to 110 guests.

The four-turreted Tudor Great Tower framed by spring blossom in the grounds of Leez Priory, Leez Priory
The House

A Tudor Mansion

A red-brick house built by Lord Rich from the 1530s, watched over by a four-turreted Great Tower.

The Great Hall dressed for the wedding breakfast beneath its high timbered roof and stone fireplace, Leez Priory
The Estate

40 Acres, Exclusively Yours

Parkland, lawns and lakes given over to one wedding at a time, your own country house for the day.

The timber-framed Coach House barn dressed for a ceremony, with a blossom tree and a brick floor, Leez Priory
The Ceremony

Eight Ways to Marry

The first country house in the UK licensed for civil ceremonies, with eight settings indoors and out.

The newly married couple walking back down the aisle outdoors as guests cheer, the Tower behind, Leez Priory
Where to stay

Rest, close at hand

25 rooms and suites. Sleeps 54.

The Main House and its castellated towers floodlit at dusk, the England flag flying and the carriageway lit within, Leez Priory
Rooms

Courtyard Bedrooms

Set away from the Main House

On-Site Stay · Estate Grounds

A first dance beneath the brick carriageway arch at night, the wedding cake and blossom on either side, Leez Priory
Rooms

Lodges in the Grounds

Nestled in the parkland

Family Space · Parkland

A summer portrait of the couple in the gardens with the Great Tower rising behind, Leez Priory
Rooms

Main House & Bridal Cottage

Under the Great Tower

Bridal Suite · Great Tower

The couple kissing under a fall of confetti as they leave their outdoor ceremony beneath the Tower, Leez Priory
Location

Getting there

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.

Airport
Stansted
Airport
London City
Station
Braintree (Greater Anglia) is the nearest station, about 4.6 miles from the venue in a straight...
Nearby
The Great Tower, On the estate
Nearby
Chelmsford, About 20 minutes
Nearby
Central London, Just over an hour
The Coach House barn set for the wedding breakfast under its oak frame, round tables with blush sashes, Leez Priory
The couple at the signing table framed by a pink blossom arch within the Tower carriageway, Leez Priory
A slice of baked vanilla cheesecake plated with rhubarb, blackberries and edible flowers, Leez Priory
An aerial view of the Great Tower and its four turrets, an outdoor ceremony laid out on the lawn below, Leez Priory
A covered brick ceremony space, its pointed arch opening onto the garden and a blossom tree, Leez Priory
A ceremony detail, chiavari chairs dressed with lace sashes and blossom, Leez Priory
Rows of ceremony chairs set on the lawn before the Great Tower, ready for an outdoor wedding, Leez Priory
The couple walking a grass path through the walled garden, beneath a magnolia in bloom, Leez Priory
The carriageway arch at dusk, lit Christmas trees framing the way through to the garden beyond, Leez Priory
The whole wedding party seated in the garden, reading newspapers together in a playful group portrait, Leez Priory
A luxury wedding venue

Leez Priory

The couple lit across the lake at night, reflections and a floodlit fountain in the water, Leez Priory
The bride with her bridesmaids in wine-red gowns, gathered in the brick archway of the Tower, Leez Priory
A winter portrait of the couple on the gravel drive before the Tudor mansion and its gardens, Leez Priory

Prices on enquiry.

EnquireCheck your date5starweddingdirectory.com/wedding-venues/united-kingdom/leez-priory/

Enquiries handled by 5 Star Weddings

leez-priory.co.uk·Essex, United Kingdom·@leezprioryweddingvenue

5starweddingdirectory.com

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