Regal venue for the big day

It was good enough for royalty – and now Himley Hall has been all dressed up to tempt other brides inside.

Following a major facelift, the Grade II* listed building is being promoted as the perfect place for a wedding.

The Duke and Duchess of Kent spent the first two weeks of their honeymoon at Himley Hall in 1934.

And King Edward VIII spent the last weekend there before his abdication over his love affair with Wallace Simpson.

Dozens of couples were given guided tours around the recently refurbished North Wing of the 18th Century hall, near Dudley, during a wedding open day. As the luxurious stately home of the Earls of Dudley, Himley Hall was so fashionable that in the 1930s it was a regular weekend retreat for royal visitors.

Now all of the rooms have been decorated and prepared to showcase settings for marriage ceremonies and receptions to revive its romantic reputation.

Staff from the hall were on hand to guide couples through tailor-made options for their special day.

Chartered accountant Mark Foster, aged 32, and his 30-year-old partner Joan Wright of Solihull have chosen the venue for their wedding in April next year. They got engaged last September in New York after 10 years together.

Miss Wright, a tax adviser, said they had looked at a number of places before falling in love with Himley Hall and its parkland designed by Capability Brown. "I just loved the Art Deco style of the rooms, and we thought it would be perfect," she said.

Admiring the table settings in the Oak Room were Stephanie Hodgkiss and her electrician boyfriend Gareth Bailey, both 30, from Wordsley.

The couple had taken their mothers Pam Hodgkiss and Pauline Bailey to the wedding open day as they finalised plans for their big day in April next year. "It is such a grand place, and it is beautifully decorated," Stephanie, a nurse, said. "We have looked at a few places now, and we are just trying to make a decision."

Himley estate manager Sally Newell: "We started these wedding open days to give couples the chance to see the rooms as they would be for their big day."