The Citadel stands opposite the Grade 1 listed landscape of the Hawkstone Follies and the famous Hawkstone Park Golf Club, a quarter of a mile outside the lovely village of Weston Under Redcastle in Shropshire. The village lies 12 miles north of Shrewsbury, 9 miles south of Whitchurch, 18 miles from Telford, 25 miles from Oswestry, 29 miles from Chester, 47 miles from Liverpool, 55 miles from Birmingham and 62 miles from Manchester.

This unique country house was designed by celebrated civic architect Thomas Harrison, (famous for the Grosvenor Bridge at Chester) and built in 1824. The house was commissioned by Sir Rowland Hill, a member of the great landowning family of the area, and was designed to resemble the Hill family crest, a castle on a castle. The result was 3 interlinked towers, embellished with crenellated battlements. The Citadel was built of local red salmon sandstone and currently stands 200 acres of farmland. Our family has lived at The Citadel since 1957.

No. We only hold a small number of weddings a year and never have bed and breakfast guests, who are unconnected to the wedding, staying at that time. We have run The Citadel as a bed and breakfast for over 40 years and that is what we are for the vast majority of the year. We enjoy welcoming guests from all over the world who chose this very unusual place from which to explore beautiful Shropshire. 

Yes. All of our weddings are very individual and enjoy exclusive use of the wedding lawn, extensive grounds and accommodation. The only other people at The Citadel during your wedding will be our family. We’ll be in the wings ready to help if we’re needed.

Yes. We have 3 beautiful en suite bedrooms and are able to offer you 2 additional bedrooms if your bridal party extends to more than 6. We can provide you with a list of local accommodation in the event that your guests also need to stay overnight. 

We have become expert car park attendants over the years! We park cars in a dedicated space away from the marquee so they do not get in the way of your wedding photography. We are a very relaxed venue and do not set a time limit on when cars must be collected after the wedding and they can of course be left overnight. 

As a family-run venue, we are free to try to say yes to anything you want to bring with you and we have said yes to all of the above, and more! It’s your day and we want to help make it perfect.

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‘Along with invaluable advice on all things, you even looked after our dog!’

Rob 2019

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Of course. We’d be disappointed if you didn’t.

Definitely. Candles look beautiful on the tables as the sun goes down and the evening party gets going.

Yes. We love a confetti photo opportunity, but please make it biodegradable otherwise we spend the week after your wedding on our hands and knees picking it up! 

Yes. Other than the marquee itself, we pride ourselves on being totally flexible with your choice of suppliers. It’s your wedding and you should be able to choose the suppliers you want. We are always on hand to help you if you don’t know where to start, and throughout your planning process, if you need us. 

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‘No question was too silly and all the help and support was there.’

Liv 2018

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‘Alex from The Citadel was extremely helpful, making it such a fabulous day.’

Hannah 2018

‘Alex goes above and beyond with support during the planning process.’

Mel 2018

There are no rules. Our season generally runs from April to October but we are happy to discuss other dates.

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‘I can’t speak highly enough of the facilities, location and professionalism of Alex and her family. They provided us with invaluable advice. It was such a personal experience.’

Sam 2015

Yes. We can source very effective heaters for the marquee which allow marquee weddings to be able to take place pretty much all year round.

The Citadel boasts a generous wedding lawn and extensive grounds. Our largest wedding was for 250 guests but usually our guest numbers range from 80 to 150.

We are not licensed for wedding ceremonies and we find that most of our couples have already chosen a local church in which to marry. However, we have held many very personal non-legal ceremonies in our beautiful walled summer garden, which is perfect for the occasion. The couples who have held these ceremonies have been legally married in a registry office prior to their summer garden ceremony. 

We do NOT allow the use of fireworks or Chinese lanterns. We are located in a beautiful rural location but as a responsible member of the rural community, our priority has to be the well being of local livestock. However, we have had some wonderful sparkler send-offs and we actively encourage them! 

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‘Alex, your professional, detailed but relaxed, family orientated style instantly put us at ease. You gave us so much flexibility and freedom to create our perfect wedding day.’ Cat 2019