Stately home marks 21 years as event venue

East Devon stately home, Escot House is celebrating a special birthday this year as a venue for weddings, conferences and special events.

21 years ago, Escot held its first wedding for a couple whose parents had worked on the estate.

“We still know the bride and groom well,” explained Lucy Kennaway, who manages events and catering at the venue.

“Traditionally, many of our weddings were booked by people who had a connection with Escot when they were younger, but these days we are also getting lots of interest from couples from all over the world.”

Escot was built in 1837 by Sir John Kennaway, and has been the home of Lucy and John-Michael Kennaway for 30 years. The couple started running events such as weddings and conferences to help fund the running of the estate.

As a wedding venue, Escot House goes for quality over quantity. “We decided long ago that we never wanted Escot to be a wedding factory, so we deliberately book less weddings than most venues,” Lucy said.

“We’ve had many memorable weddings including one where a couple rode on horseback from the lake to the house in all their wedding finery. Another bride used to ride regularly through the park as a teenager - on her wedding day she brought the horse along for the photos.”

One feted wedding saw the couple that run the Beautiful Days festival tie the knot at Escot. The popular family-friendly music festival has been held in the estate grounds every August since 2003, growing from 5,000 to its current capacity of 16,500 revellers over the weekend.

The house has hosted many corporate events over the years for businesses such as Michelmores, Arla, the Met Office and Thomas Westcott, and charities like Hospiscare, Mencap and the Red Cross.

“We’re fortunate to have characterful conference rooms including that retain many original features as well as views over the unspoilt parkland, offering something a little different for delegates,” added Lucy. The estate is popular as a venue for private and fundraising events as well as family and teambuilding days with many onsite activities like Segway and 4X4 courses, laser tag, paintball, archery and clay pigeon shoots.

As an established East Devon family, the Kennaways use local produce and suppliers for event catering such as Crusty Cob bread and Christopher Piper Wines in Ottery St Mary. As well as being the event organiser, Lucy, who has a background in catering, is head cook and makes everything from scratch in the Escot kitchens.

“Catering in house gives me the ultimate quality control as I have extremely high standards. It also enables great flexibility as we are able to accommodate any dietary requirements.”

With the first wedding taking place this month, Escot House is looking forward to a busy year ahead.

To mark its 21st year, Escot House is offering a 5% discount on conferences, seminars and away days booked during February.