Notley Abbey

The Venue

Notley Abbey is a unique combination of the new and the very old. Grade 1 listed and a Scheduled Ancient Monument dating back to the 12th century it is also a glorious 21st century home.

A medieval wall to the Abbott's private garden provides the site for external Civil Ceremonies whereas the Abbott's Hall (Drawing Room to Laurence Olivier and Vivien Leigh when Notley Abbey was their home) is the inside site for your Civil Ceremony.

With the river Thame running through the grounds there is a wonderful choice of reception locations and photo spots and the three spacious reception rooms (with wonderful beams) provide a superb alternative in the event of bad weather. The 13th century stone barn (originally the Monks' Refectory) is a glorious Banqueting Hall capable of seating 192. And for the evening party you choose between a relaxed and informal House Party or a Dinner Dance in the Refectory.

All of this is complemented by nine superb bedrooms with stunning bathrooms. Altogether perfect!

Bijou Weddings

We specialise in Weddings! Our venues have been chosen to provide the perfect environment in which to host a wedding but, more than that, our teams are hugely experienced and will ensure a perfect Day.

When you choose a Bijou Wedding Venue you will know that:

• We have a team of Wedding Administrators who will assist you in planning the detail of the day. They, with you, will develop a detailed timetable for the Day to ensure a perfect flow.
• We have a team of Banqueting Chefs who will produce perfect food, on site, for your guests to admire and enjoy.
• We have a team of Wedding Day Managers supported by highly trained teams of waiters and waitresses who will ensure that everything on the day goes to plan - with style and pleasure!
• Your Wedding Day will be exclusive and special to you and will be remembered by all as a terrific day.

Availability

A Bijou Wedding Venue is perfect on your Day.

We take great pride in our venues; these are not austere, damp or cold stately homes or barns in farmyards but are "millionaires" homes. It is difficult to describe the special nature of a Bijou Wedding Venue - some say you will feel like 'Lord and Lady of the Manor'.

We will not compromise the standard of our service or the quality of the venues or food. Each venue is limited to doing a maximum of 120 weddings a year to enable us to give the houses the care and attention that they need to remain at their best.

Le Bijou Cuisine

The food and wine served at a Bijou Wedding Venue is under the strict direction of Le Bijou Cuisine. We do not accept external caterers, except perhaps on very limited occasions and for very special reasons, as we will not allow any food to be served at a Bijou Wedding Venue which is anything other than exceptional.

Each venue has its own resident chef but he/she is a key member of the Bijou Cuisine team. Sharing their experience, our chefs design our menus to ensure that the look, taste and delivery of our canapés, banquets and evening buffets are uncompromisingly excellent for weddings from 30 to 200. Our equipment is some of the best banqueting equipment available.

Our food suppliers are carefully chosen not for the lowest price but for the best quality and reliability. Our wines are sourced likewise to provide good quality easy drinking wines which complement our menus.

This is entertaining as it should be.