King’s charity HQ to offer up ‘luxury’ wedding venue
Couples-to-be will have the chance to book their own royal wedding at a new venue planned at the headquarters of The King’s Foundation.
The charity, which was founded by King Charles in 1990 when he was prince, is planning to build the events space at its 300-year-old Dumfries House home.
Named The King’s Hall in honour of the monarch, the single-storey extension to the east wing of the house includes a 282sq m public hall, with space for up to 200 guests.
The foundation said it wants the Scottish venue to become the “go-to venue for high-end, luxury weddings and private events” upon its planned opening in 2027.
Its design is intended to match the architecture of the existing house, being built with the same techniques using locally-sourced materials.
In keeping with the charity’s principles of “harmony and sustainability”, it will feature newly-installed heat pumps and biomass boilers, with menus showcasing organic food and locally-sourced produce.
The charity predicts that the new space will enable Dumfries House to host five or six large-scale events each week, compared to the current average of one or two.
King Charles, then prince, during a surprise 2018 visit to Dumfries House. Pic: PA
Proceeds from the venue will support the conservation and development of the house and estate, as well as the foundation’s education programmes and community initiatives.
‘A unique offering’
Evan Samson, general manager of Dumfries House, said: “One of the challenges for us in recent years, within this beautiful house, has been the lack of a large-scale events and entertainment space that is in keeping with the aesthetic and atmosphere of such an historic building.
“This new venue will give us a unique offering that will become part of the house, appointed and furnished to luxury standard, and sufficiently versatile to host a broad range of events.
“It opens doors for us to entertain so many more types of events and cater for so many people.”
A CGI image showing the new space, seen on the left, from the outside. Pic: PA
A CGI image of the planned interior of the space. Pic: PA
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Gordon Neil, executive director of The King’s Foundation, said the new space will be a “true testament” to the monarch, incorporating “traditional crafts and locally-sourced building materials”.
“We’ve used a local quarry to mine the stone and utilised the same building techniques as those used to build Dumfries House 300 years ago, while also incorporating newer techniques and elements that we need to include to meet today’s building standards,” he revealed.
Dumfries House in Cumnock, East Ayrshire, was built between 1754 and 1759 for William Dalrymple, 5th Earl of Dumfries.
The house along with all of its contents was bought for the foundation with the King’s help in 2007.
