Browsholme Hall
Cow Ark, near Clitheroe, Lancashire
A 1507 hall and restored Tithe Barn in the Forest of Bowland, near Clitheroe.
Browsholme Hall has stood in the Forest of Bowland since 1507, which makes it the oldest surviving family home in Lancashire and one of the most quietly spectacular places to marry in the North West. Still the ancestral seat of the Parker family, it sits within around 600 acres of rolling countryside in an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, just a few miles from Clitheroe.
A Tudor hall with genuine history
Built in 1507, Browsholme has been home to the Parker family since Tudor times, when they served as Bowbearers of the Forest of Bowland. Often called the jewel in the crown of the Forest of Bowland, the house carries its centuries lightly. Inside, the Regency Drawing Room is a particularly romantic setting, with family portraits, a gilded chandelier, a marble fireplace and furniture by Gillow of Lancaster.
The Tithe Barn
At the heart of weddings here is the 17th-century stone Tithe Barn, sympathetically restored to keep its exposed stone, oak beams and flagstone floors. It comfortably hosts ceremonies and receptions for roughly 120 to 200 guests, pairing real period character with the space for a relaxed, generous celebration.
Grounds made for ceremonies and photographs
The estate hides a series of romantic corners: the Italian Steps and Promenade, the Lily Pond, and the Lonesome Pine set in ancient woodland. Couples can marry in front of the Italian Steps or in a clearing among the trees, and the surrounding parkland gives an extraordinary backdrop in every season and every kind of weather.
The setting
Browsholme lies about five miles north-west of Clitheroe in the Ribble Valley, deep in the Forest of Bowland. It is rural and unhurried, the kind of place where the landscape does a great deal of the work and the day can breathe.