Some historic houses are admired from behind a velvet rope. Gorcott Hall was built to welcome people in.
For more than 500 years, this remarkable Tudor house has been a place of gathering, celebration and
hospitality. Today, that tradition continues as couples begin the next chapter of their own story within its
walls.
The front gardens and entrance, 1930's
Gorcott, complete with washing line (!), 1938
The History of Gorcott Hall, a Saved Tudor Manor House
Gorcott Hall was built in the 16th century by the Yardley family, and records tell us it was built to entertain. From 1854, it was part of Sir William Jaffray's estate, farmed for generations by the Yeomans family. By the early 2000s it was on the Buildings at Risk Register, and in 2004 it sold at auction with a rotten roof and broken windows.
Allie Foxon took it on, bringing in specialist craftspeople to restore the house and its 19th-century barns. When a friend asked to marry here in 2009, Gorcott Hall found its new purpose. Today it is Grade II*
listed and run by Allie's daughter, Sophie.
By the early 2000s, Gorcott Hall stood on the Buildings at Risk Register.
Years of neglect had left the house close to being lost forever.
Rather than allowing that story to end, the current owners undertook a meticulous restoration, preserving the craftsmanship, character and spirit of the hall while thoughtfully preparing it for a new generation of celebrations.
Today’s owner, Allie, is as humble as she is completely self made. She poured every penny she had (and more) into the restoration of Gorcott Hall. A single mum at the time, she assembled a team of highly
skilled craftspeople with one shared ambition: to save Gorcott Hall.
Together, they painstakingly restored its ancient timber frame, preserving centuries of craftsmanship while preparing the house for a new generation of celebrations.
Today, Gorcott Hall is run day to day by Allie's daughter, Sophie, whose passion for creating exceptional weddings is rooted in the hall's own story.
As a child, Sophie lived in a caravan in the courtyard while Gorcott Hall was painstakingly restored. She has witnessed its remarkable transformation firsthand and understands better than anyone what this
extraordinary house means to those who care for it.
Alongside Sophie is Mark, whose calm presence and genuine love of hospitality help ensure every celebration feels effortless from beginning to end.
Together with the wider team, they share a simple belief: that every couple should feel as though Gorcott Hall is theirs alone.
For more than five centuries, this has been a place of welcome. Today, that tradition continues with every wedding, every gathering and every new story that begins here.
Saved for the future
The Victorian Era
In 1854, the entire estate fell under the ownership of Sir William Jaffray, who tenanted Gorcott Hall out as a working farm. For the majority of his ownership, the tenants were the Yeomans family. We initially thought we'd thrown the first wedding here back in 2009, but it turns out that the Yeomans family hosted their own nuptials here back in 1939! Vivienne Yeomans married Bill Jeffrey, the lucky couple receiving Daisy Bell, a sturdy horse, as a wedding gift! Vivienne's granddaughter Maria has recently been back to Gorcott Hall to work as a makeup artist, and we are forever in her debt for donating some of the wonderful archive documents and photographs you see here.
Gorcott could've been an antiques gallery!
Gorcott Hall up for sale in 1898 - there were 70 Acres of land attached in those days. We bought it with less than 5, although Gorcott now has 15 Acres of gardens and woodland.
Redditch folk of a certain age will remember Spencer's as a record and toy shop. In 1920 Mr. Yeomans purchased silver cigarette holders as gifts for a charity event.
Gorcott could've been an antiques gallery!
We'll be forever grateful to Maria, the Yeomans family and their descendants, who called Gorcott their family home for much of the 20th Century.Their kindness and generosity in donating many of the documents you see here is immense. Here's a couple of Estate Agent's brochures from 1968 and 1998 (Click to open)
The Decline
The most recent owner before ourselves was Mr. Phil Kitchen, a popular character from nearby Redditch. By all accounts a delightful man, he won £1.8m on the National Lottery in the late 1990s. A master carpenter by trade, he purchased Gorcott Hall in August 2000 (see the John Shepherd brochure above), with every intention of restoring it to its former glory. In the meantime he moved into a fine cottage in nearby Barnt Green, Birmingham's stockbroker belt. Sadly, Mr. Kitchen passed away in 2001 without him having had the chance to make any headway into Gorcott's restoration.
Over the next three or four years, Gorcott's decline was almost unstoppable. Nature tried to reclaim it, vandals did their utmost to destroy it, and neglect had made it completely uninhabitable.
Placed on the Buildings at Risk register by English Heritage, this beautiful old pile was in grave danger of disappearing forever. When the home eventually came to auction in September 2004, the roof of the main house had completely rotted away. Every ancient window broken and boarded up. Panelling dating back to the reign of Henry VIII used as firewood by vandals. Graffiti adorned the walls where fine art once hung.
The poor old girl was rapidly turning into rubble.
This truly was a building at risk.
A bespoke wedding venue in Redditch
Enter our very own whirling dervish, someone with the vision, energy, determination and (most importantly of all) the desire to save this wonderful piece of history, Allie Foxon.
She won't like me saying this, but Allie is the most humble person, from even humbler beginnings. Completely self made, she poured every penny she had (and more) into the restoration of Gorcott Hall. A single mum at the time, she just wanted to save Gorcott. She needed help and she got heaps of it from the experienced timber framed building restorers Anna and Paul Harvey. Maybe they could do enough between them to make it habitable, spruce up a couple of rooms and then move it on. Trouble is, you get a bit attached to bricks and mortar (and 500 year old oak beams) when you've poured your heart and soul into something as major as this. So, the restoration went on. And on. And on. And Allie wanted to share this very special place.
Not to show off, you understand, but to share.
All sorts of ways to share this hidden gem were explored; you could now be browsing the website of an outward bound centre, or a conferencing facility, or maybe even a children's home! But, at a launch party in 2009, held to celebrate the completion of the restoration, Allie was asked by a friend if she could hold her wedding here. Why not? What could possibly go wrong? Well, that particular wedding was memorable for many reasons, some good, some not so good (we learned quickly!) But Gorcott had found its 'thing'.
We were once told that Gorcott was built by someone who loved to entertain (the aforementioned Mr. Yardley), and that he would be proud of what has been achieved here.
We'll take that.
Allie's daughter Sophie now runs things on a day to day basis, and she works tirelessly delivering fabulous weddings. As an 8 year old she lived in a caravan on the courtyard while Gorcott was made habitable. So she, more than anybody, appreciates what a transformation has taken place here. Mark is Allie's partner and he had the good sense to wait until all the really hard work was done before moving in. He loves nothing more than seeing Gorcott come to life when we host another fantastic wedding.
The family, the team and Gorcott Hall love to entertain. A wedding is a very special occasion, and this is a very special place to be when it's full of beautiful, happy people. We love doing it, and Gorcott Hall loves doing it as well. This 500 year old thing of beauty is the most important member of Team Gorcott, bar none.
We'd love you to come and be part of our history.
Enquire about your wedding at Gorcott Hall
If you'd like to receive our latest brochure and pricing guide, simply complete the form below. Your brochure and pricing will arrive by email straight away, and we'll personally review your enquiry and come back to you within 24 hours with availability for your preferred date and, where appropriate, a proposal tailored to your plans.
Tell us your dream date, guest numbers and anything else you already know about the day you're imagining, and we'll take it from there.
Prefer to talk? Call us on 01789 224450, email weddings@gorcotthall.co.uk or WhatsApp us and one of the team will be happy to help.
Please note that we haven't yet published our prices for 2029 onwards. If you need help finding us, click here for detailed directions.