Shrewsbury mansion owners want to 'make it official' as plans for wedding venue submitted

A planning application has been put in by owners of the Grade II-listed Berwick House in Shrewsbury to change its use from a family home.

They want to "breathe new life" into the Berwick Road property, hosting big events as well as becoming a location for filming and photo shoots. The stately home has been used for marriage ceremonies since 2021, but this application seeks to officially make it a wedding venue, generating cash for "much needed ongoing maintenance and restoration" of the property.

A design and access statement says: "Berwick House, within the Berwick Estate, has been owned by the family of the client for the past 150 years. It is a predominantly Victorian house, designed with large function rooms and extensive bedroom suites for hosting large parties and events. It has been exclusively used as a private family home with no public visitors since the early 20th Century.

"The new younger generation of the family are now living in the house, and are proposing to open it up for commercial functions and events, welcoming in outside visitors. Their aim is to breathe new life into the building, making a business case for allowing the house to function as a commercially viable venue that will enable them to fund much needed ongoing maintenance and restoration and retain family ownership of the property.

"The clients intend that the usage will remain flexible, and will be offering it on a ‘dry-hire’ basis for events such as film shoots, corporate weekends and retreats, boutique weddings and conferences. The outside grounds will be used for photo shoots and potentially outside drinks parties, weather permitting. There will also be a new parking area to the rear of the property."

The statement adds: "Being a ‘boutique’ venue, the client will be limiting the number of events per month and offering a bespoke curated service; it is envisaged that around two weddings per month may be held, typically in the region of 120 guests, with rarer peak events of up to 200 guests.

"It is important to note that the client is not intending to convert the house to full hotel use with independently booked rooms. The house and grounds will be let out as a whole unit to a single party of guests, with overnight accommodation in 18 bedrooms for up to 36 guests. It will operate in a similar way to a large holiday-let property, with the option of on-site meals being provided."

External changes will include signage, passing places for cars on the drive leading up to the property and an overflow car park, while inside the owners want to convert seven rooms into en-suite bathrooms, add safety measures such as handrails and remove damaged wallpaper.

Berwick House was originally built by Thomas Powys in 1731. A medieval manor and deer park stood on the estate previously, and Berwick House was built on top of its remnants.

The house was later purchased in 1871 by James Watson, a cheese-monger from Birmingham who went on to become Shrewsbury MP, and predecessor to Berwick’s current owners.