Stunning Westcountry wedding venues Rockbeare Manor and Coombe Lodge have opened their doors to offer quality dining and overnight stays to the public for the first time.
Owners PM Hospitality have adapted the offering of both country houses – which are successful exclusive-use wedding venues – in response to the impact of the lockdown.
It is the first time in the 260-year history of Exeter-based Rockbeare Manor and its sister venue, Blagdon-based Coombe Lodge have opened to the general public.
Following the lockdown, the initial ban on weddings and then the following restrictions on numbers attending events, owners Andy and Aimée Carveth of PM Hospitality, decided to adapt their offering at both venues.
Now people can book for dinner, or take in the delights of the properties and their extensive gardens, with ‘dine, stay and unwind’ breaks.
Aimée said: ‘This has been, and continues to be, a very challenging time for the wedding industry. We have seen how it has affected our brides and grooms who have been placed under so much strain by the continuously changing regulations and we are doing everything we can to support them, but we are all looking at a very challenging six months.‘Whilst we have been able to host small weddings, we wanted to offer something which would ensure we could keep our wonderful venue busy by entertaining guests – which is what beautiful properties like ours were originally built for. It also gives us the best chance to retain our fantastic team, which is very important to us. It’s been so well received and wonderful to see couples who were married at Rockbeare Manor or Coombe Lodge return and stay with us.’
Both venues are open on select dates over the next few months, people can book to dine or dine and stay by visiting www.rockbearemanor.co.uk or www.coombelodge.co.uk.
