When we closed the doors on a record-breaking wedding season on December 18th 2023, you’d be forgiven for thinking we’d have put our feet up for some well-earned rest, before the 2024 season kicked off in March. Not a chance. This is Gorcott Hall, we’re Warwickshire’s favourite wedding venue, and we want to remain that way.
So, early the following day, the skip arrived, the boots and gloves went on, and our much-loved wedding barn was completely gutted. And when we say completely , we mean completely. Out went the old carpet and tiles, the dance floor, the timber sub flooring, the lighting, the bathrooms, the bar, the kitchen, the doors….nothing was safe!
Luckily, we’d spent months beforehand crafting a cunning plan that would allow us to achieve what a few people thought would be impossible – a top to toe renovation of the entire 1000sq/ft + wedding barn.
No corners were cut – we’d already handpicked some of the local areas finest tradesmen to help us out – tilers, electricians, plumbers, builders – with Team Gorcott mucking in around the clock. Even Ted was on the tools at one point.
So, what’s new?
Pretty much everything! A super sturdy concrete block and beam subfloor was installed (by hand, there are some sore backs around here now), which gave the floor the strength to support the stunning new off-white porcelain flooring. The breathtaking new “Golden Globe” lights (we lost count of how many) were expertly (and patiently) installed by Ant from AD Brookes Electrical. We wanted a dancefloor (who doesn’t?), but we didn’t want a dancefloor when our guests weren’t dancing. So, our clever friends at Century, a local lighting manufacturer, helped us devise a ‘now you see it, now you don’t’ LED dancefloor. All very discretely set within the tiling pattern. New bifold doors were designed and fitted (again, locally sourced, from a 2023 Gorcott Groom who happens to own Foxglaze, a doors and windows company!). The patio area has had exactly the same flooring treatment as inside, so we’ve got a wonderfully seamless inside-outside area for the warmer months.
Suddenly, everything felt so much more SPACIOUS. But, having lost the carpet, we’d gained a fair amount of echo! No problem, we’d seen this coming, so we treated ourselves to around 80sq/m of custom-made acoustic panelling. A carefully selected colour for the acoustic backing (Bungaroosh, since you’re asking), and extra wide oak veneered timber strips. All expertly mounted by the simply brilliant joiners from Stag Carpentry. Where you once saw doors into the kitchens and our storage areas, you now see a seamless (and beautiful) wall – obviously those doors are still there, but only if you look closely enough!.
The bar has been completely replaced, from scratch. More space, new beer delivery system….that’s just the tip of the iceberg. A custom designed display unit was fabricated by CV37 Welding in Stratford, with the final finishing being done around the corner at Washford Finishings. Alcester Glass custom cut the safety glass for it. Stunning new Dekton counter tops were templated and supplied by Stone & Earth in Aston Fields. Swallow Drinks helped us source our new beer system. Team Gorcott had a difficult day sampling dozens of draught beers and ciders until we settled on the winning combination of Inch’s, Neckoil, Birra Moretti and Cruzcampo.
The bathrooms have all received the full treatment – flooring, lighting, doors, hardware, funky gold panelling….and the absolute coolest toilet signs you ever did see. The little things definitely never, ever, got overlooked.
So, did we pull it off in time? Of course we did – with literally minutes to spare! Seriously, it was never in any doubt. Everyone played their part here. Blood, sweat, tears….we had it all. Was it worth it? We think so, we’re immensely proud of what’s been achieved here. As we begin our 2024 season, we’ll update the website with pictures of our amazing couples enjoying this fantastic new space. In the meantime, here’s some photos of the finished article. We’re not sure they truly do it justice, so why not get in touch and we’ll show you around the whole of our stunning venue, where we truly believe we’ve pulled off a remarkable blend of the old and the new.
None of this would have been possible without the priceless help of these amazing people:
DESIGN –Anna Harvey
DESIGN – Carol Fry
TILING – Paul at JPW Tiling
PATIO – Steve Yoxall
WINDOWS – Ross at Foxglaze
KITCHEN FLOORING – John at Croft Carpets
JOINERY – Mark and Gary at Stag Carpentry
ELECTRICS – Anthony at AD Brooks Electrical
BAR PRODUCTS – Craig at Swallow Drinks
BUILDING – Paul Smith at PDS Building
LIGHTING – Dave and Alison at Century Lighting
FABRICATION – Matthew at CV37 Welding
COUNTER TOPS – Stone and Earth
METAL FINISHING – Andy at Washford Finishing
TRANSPORT – Mark at MD Transport