Oakwell Hall Wedding Photographer
An Elizabethan manor and a restored barn in Birstall, one of my favourite venues near Leeds.
Photographing weddings at Oakwell Hall
Oakwell Hall is a Grade I listed Elizabethan manor house in Birstall, West Yorkshire, probably built in 1583 for John Batt. Charlotte Brontë visited and made it Fieldhead in her novel Shirley. Kirklees Council looks after it today, along with its period gardens, Oakwell Barn and a 110-acre country park.
It’s one of my favourite venues for a wedding near Leeds, and there must be something in the water, because the couples who marry here are always special. At Bex and Dom’s Oakwell Hall wedding, Bex arrived on the back of a motorbike and the party ran until midnight. Charlotte and George’s Oakwell Hall wedding was an autumn day of allotment pumpkins, handmade leaf confetti and a visit to some cows.
Travel is included in every collection, so I’m there from the start of the morning. Looking at other venues on this side of Yorkshire? See Crow Hill, or my Leeds and Halifax pages.
About Oakwell Hall
The hall is licensed for civil ceremonies and civil partnerships. Its galleried great hall, with oak panelling and 17th-century plasterwork, holds up to 60 guests for a ceremony. From April to September you can also marry outside, in the walled garden (up to 65 guests), the meadow (up to 70) or the arboretum (up to 30).
Receptions take place in Oakwell Barn, a restored 19th-century barn in the visitor centre beside the hall, with a maximum capacity of 110, and you can marry in the barn too. The hall’s rooms and gardens have been restored to how they looked in the 1690s, when the Batt family lived here, so the setting stays historic from the ceremony to the party.
A wedding day at Oakwell Hall
Charlotte and George married inside the hall, beneath an ornate plaster ceiling, and stepped out through an arched stone doorway into a shower of confetti. Their barn was full of bunting, pumpkins and autumn flowers, and in the evening a big circle of guests danced hand in hand.
Bex and Dom’s day was all energy, from a motorbike arrival along the park’s tree-lined paths to speeches beneath ribbons and giant balloons. Later I photographed them under a sky full of storm clouds. In the evening the barn glowed under chandeliers and coloured lights until midnight.
The country park gives you plenty of room for portraits, from old trees to open grass, and it’s only ever a short walk back to the hall and the barn.
Why couples choose Oakwell Hall
- Real history. A Grade I listed Elizabethan hall with a Brontë connection, rather than a modern function room.
- Three settings in one. Hall, barn and country park, all a short walk apart.
- A barn made for parties. Stone walls that take bunting, lights and handmade details beautifully. See more barn weddings.
- Indoors or out. Outdoor ceremony spots from April to September, and the great hall or the barn all year round.
Questions couples ask
Is Oakwell Hall licensed for weddings?
Yes. It’s licensed for civil ceremonies and civil partnerships, in the great hall or the barn all year round and outdoors in the walled garden, meadow or arboretum from April to September.
How many guests can Oakwell Hall take?
Up to 60 in the great hall for the ceremony, up to 70 for an outdoor ceremony in the meadow, and a maximum of 110 in Oakwell Barn.
How much does an Oakwell Hall wedding photographer cost?
My full-day photography collection is £1,750 and full-day film is £1,500, with travel and accommodation included. See prices for what’s included.
Do you film weddings at Oakwell Hall?
Yes, on their own or alongside photography. See my Yorkshire wedding videography.
Weddings at Oakwell Hall
Nearby venues and areas
Planning a wedding elsewhere? See all my Yorkshire wedding photography or browse every venue I’ve photographed.
