Work commences on £400,000 wedding and events venue

Work has now commenced on the construction of a new £400,000 licensed wedding and events venue on a private country estate near South Cave in East Yorkshire.

The Manor Rooms is being developed, and will be operated by, the team behind Drewton’s, which operates a farm shop and two holiday cottages on The Drewton Estate.

Local businesswoman Katie Taylor has secured a £115,000 grant from the European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development (EAFRD) towards the cost of the project.

One full-time role within the team has already been created, with a number of part-time posts expected to be generated when the venue opens for business in May 2019.

The purpose-built venue will comprise a large function room, known as The Manor Room; a smaller space set on a mezzanine level, called The Library; a Garden Room with a fully-equipped bar; an outdoor terrace; and an African Boma (an enclosed seating area surrounding a fire pit).

Up to 80 guests can be seated on the mezzanine level for civil wedding ceremonies and The Manor Room will be able to seat 150 guests for weddings and parties, or up to 225 people standing for food festivals and other events.

Taylor said: “For the last eight years, we’ve been providing a bespoke catering service for private functions, but we decided to develop a completely new venue in response to demand from customers keen to stage larger weddings and events with us.

“It means that we can offer a comprehensive service to our customers, with full catering and bar facilities in a modern, exclusive, barn-style wedding venue.  We’ve also been busy forging links with reputable wedding suppliers so that we can offer couples planning their special day help with every aspect of their requirements. We can even offer fun add-on options, from barrows full of beer to Prosecco, gin or seafood bars.”

She added: “The interior will have a contemporary yet luxurious, country vibe, with rustic wood panelling and exposed beams, and the menus will reflect our commitment to championing local, seasonal produce.

“In keeping with the trend for more casual dining, we’ll be offering a range of menu options. For example, our lamb can be served as a traditional roast with all the trimmings, carved at the table, or Lebanese-style with tabbouleh and flat breads for a more modern and relaxed approach.”

Sir Gary Verity DL, chief executive of Welcome To Yorkshire, said: “It’s great to see this investment in East Yorkshire allowing a successful, rural business to develop and expand even further. The creation of The Manor Rooms is a real boost for the local economy, creating new jobs and bringing even more visitors to this picturesque part of the county, which will undoubtedly benefit other local businesses too.”