The current owners of Clearwell Castle are Country House Weddings Ltd – a family-owned wedding venue group. Harry Bramer, The chairman and founder, has been running the company for more than three decades now.
Harry and his family haven’t exactly been sitting twiddling their thumbs within that time. Instead, the Group has organised more than 10,000 dream weddings for couples (3,000 at Clearwell Castle). Country House Weddings offer couples the exclusive use of one of six beautiful venues for their big day – one of which is Clearwell Castle.
Brides can enjoy a fairy tale wedding, thanks to the Castle’s beautiful woodland setting, a 75-foot-aisle and several grand reception rooms. The fact guests can come and go as they please in the wedding venue – and stay overnight in one of the beautiful bedrooms – allows for a very relaxed day and night. Everything is taken care of for the couple themselves to ensure their day is as perfect as possible. This includes the appointment of a dedicated wedding manager and an expert in-house catering team.
An award-winning wedding venue
Clearwell Castle, set in the Forest of Dean, is a firm favourite in the Group’s beautiful and stately wedding venue arsenal. It won the award for ‘Best UK Wedding Venue’ in 2018 – for the third year running – by the readers of Wedding Ideas. In 2017 the Castle was shortlisted for ‘Best Castle Wedding Venue’ at the UK Wedding Awards. In 2016 it picked up regional winners at the English Wedding Awards. In both 2012 and 2010, it was the overall winner of the Wedding Ideas Awards.
Clearwell Castle over the centuries
But, of course, it hasn’t always been thus. The Castle’s origins actually date as far back as the mid-15th century. That was when Robert Greyndour ordered the building of a house with a hall, chapel and 12 chambers on the site.
In the early 17th century, politician Sir Nicholas Throckmorton moved his family in. That resulted in a scandal, much discussed amongst the chattering classes when Sir Walter Raleigh courted Sir Nicholas’s daughter Beth Throckmorton and the pair married in secret. In doing so, they ignited the fury of Elizabeth I when she eventually discovered the union.
In the third decade of the 18th century, the Wyndham family purchased the building and duly began creating a mansion by adding on more wings and rooms.
In 1929 a huge fire broke out at the Castle, destroying furniture, antiques and numerous valuables. Owner Colonel Vereker restored the castle but died in 1947 when it went into ruin. In 1953 local boy Frank Yeates bought the then dilapidated building and set about restoring it. He then opened it to the public. It was during this time that super bands Led Zeppelin, Queen, Deep Purple and Whitesnake recorded albums there.
The Castle in contemporary times
In 1998 Harry Bramer finally bought the castle, creating a sought-after wedding venue in the South West of England. Here at The Wyndham, we offer a ‘Night-before package’ for wedding guests. That’s because, since 2017, we, too, have become part of the Country House Weddings stable.
