A Summer Wedding at The Priest’s House, Barden Tower: Badminton, Ruins and the River Wharfe
There was no formal wedding breakfast at Laura and Lawrence’s wedding. Instead the afternoon was filled with laughter, outdoor games and even a keg, with badminton rackets swinging on the lawn and the ruins of Barden Tower standing over it all.
The Priest’s House: a historic wedding venue on the Bolton Abbey estate
The Priest’s House sits beside the ruins of Barden Tower, on a bluff in the narrow valley of the River Wharfe, on the Bolton Abbey estate. Sir Henry Clifford, the ‘Shepherd Lord’, rebuilt Barden Tower in the late 15th century after regaining his family’s estates, and in 1515 he built the Priest’s House beside the chapel. Lady Anne Clifford restored the tower in 1659, but it declined in the late 18th century and is now a ruin you can explore.
Today the chapel and the Priest’s House are both Grade I listed. The Priest’s House is now a restaurant and a popular wedding venue, with the tower a superb backdrop for photographs. It’s also just up the road from where we got married ourselves, six months before Laura and Lawrence’s wedding. We love this area, and any excuse to come back.
A relaxed, personal summer day
We’ve always loved weddings that feel a bit different, and our style suits them far more than the formal kind. Laura and Lawrence wanted their day to be modern, relaxed and personal. They asked guests to dress a little more casually than usual and did away with the formal wedding breakfast altogether.
The morning had a homemade feel. Flowers were being arranged by hand, a little white terrier was jumping up for attention, and a pheasant stood on the wall outside the window. Lawrence laughed as he did up his tie, and Laura arrived by car for a ceremony full of smiling faces.
Then came the confetti, a few hours of games on the lawn and plenty of attempts to get a phone signal to check the Tour de France stage result. None of them succeeded. One guest even stood on a picnic bench, phone in hand.
Ruins, the river and a few midges
Fortunately the weather was perfect. For portraits we trekked out to the ruined walls, where Laura and Lawrence sat among yellow wildflowers against a big blue sky, and then down to the River Wharfe. Laura stepped barefoot across the mossy stones, with Lawrence close beside her.
Back inside there were speeches full of laughter, then the first dance. Weddings are long days for us, often 12 to 16 hours on our feet, and we usually get home shattered. Somehow, despite the heat, the trekking and a good few midge bites, we left feeling we’d happily have stayed a few more hours. That was down to some of the friendliest guests we’ve ever met.
Why we love a wedding at The Priest’s House
If you’re considering The Priest’s House, here’s our honest take:
- History is all around you. A Grade I listed house and chapel beside a ruined tower give you a different backdrop at every turn.
- There’s room to play. The lawns are perfect for badminton and outdoor games if you’d rather skip a formal meal.
- The river is close by. It makes a beautiful portrait spot, but bring shoes you can kick off, and some insect repellent for summer evenings.
- Plan for patchy phone signal. Nobody could get a signal when we were there, so share timings with your guests in advance.
Planning your own wedding in Wharfedale?
We’d love to hear from you. Browse more summer weddings and Yorkshire wedding photography, or get in touch to check your date.
