1066
A battle next door
William defeats Harold on the hill. An Abbey rises on the battlefield and a town grows at its gate.
The Pilgrims Rest
Battle · East Sussex
A six-hundred-year-old Wealden hall house beside Battle Abbey — yours alone for the day, fires lit, candles burning, every antique included.
- Grade II*listed Wealden hall house
- 1066Battle Abbey next door
- 2 – 90guests, the house yours alone
- 2026Hitched Wedding Awards winner
Small but perfectly formed
Everything you see is included.
A dry-hire venue with a difference. Instead of a blank room to fill, the house is furnished with antiques and restyled through the year, so it needs little decoration. Hiring furniture and props usually adds upwards of 25 % to an empty venue’s fee; here it never reaches your bill.
- I
Exclusively yours
The whole house is yours, and yours alone, for the day — who wants to share their wedding day?
- II
No fixed suppliers
Bring your own caterer or pick from a Tried, Tested and Trusted list. The team takes no commission from anyone on it.
- III
No corkage, ever
Stock your own bar, set up a Pimm’s or gin station, or hire a bar company. Vintage decanters and wine buckets are on the house.
- IV
No hidden extras
Everything you see, touch or sit on when you visit is in the hire price: furniture, rugs, candles, firewood, the seasonal look.
- 1420circa — a Grade II* listed Wealden hall house
- 50guests for the ceremony and at table
- 90in all for the evening party
- £0corkage, mark-ups or hidden extras
Inside the house
Six rooms, one grand old lady.
Pick a room — on the house or in the list — to see it, and exactly what comes with it.
1 / 4
Centre of the house, open to the rafters50 for the ceremony
The Great Hall
In the centre of a Wealden hall house sits the hall itself. With its vaulted ceilings, a huge inglenook fireplace, oak floors and ancient pargetting walls, it is a very special place to make your vows. While you dine, the team quietly turns it into the dance floor.
- Rustic benches for 50
- Mongolian faux fur or boho rugs
- Safety candles for the chandeliers
- Hand-painted lanterns
- Wood for the fire
- Seasonal garlands & pea-lights
Six centuries of celebrations
She has seen a few parties.
Medieval banquets, Georgian balls, Victorian luncheons, Edwardian tea dances — six hundred years of merriment beneath her eaves.
c. 1420
She is built
A Wealden hall house at the Abbey gate: an open hall in the centre, two-storey bays at each end, all under one great roof.
Hidden
Witch’s marks & a tunnel
Marks cut to ward off evil spirits still guard her. A secret tunnel under the Great Hall fireplace runs beneath the Abbey walls.
c. 1620
A ship’s oak ceiling
Some four hundred years ago oak from a wrecked ship went into the Dining Room ceiling.
Georgian
Balls
Flagons of ale, goblets of wine and the sound of merriment flooding through her walls.
Victorian
Luncheons
Long tables, polished silver, a fire in the inglenook.
Edwardian
Tea dances
Flutes of champagne beneath her eaves.
2021 – 26
Five awards
Best Wedding Venue in Sussex, Best Historical Venue in the South East, three Hitched Wedding Awards.
2027
And then, you.
We, & , would be married beneath her eaves in .
Write your names in and she will keep them.
Make it realSeasonal looks, included
One house, three wardrobes.
Faux cherry blossom, magnolia and eucalyptus woven into natural twigs and twisted willow — white and green, elegant and bright, but still cosy as the sun sets. Moss-lined glass baubles and lanterns finish it.
- Faux cherry blossom
- Magnolia & eucalyptus
- Twisted willow
- Moss-lined glass baubles
- Lanterns
Spring & Summer
Spring & Summer
March – August
Faux cherry blossom, magnolia and eucalyptus woven into natural twigs and twisted willow — white and green, elegant and bright, but still cosy as the sun sets. Moss-lined glass baubles and lanterns finish it.
- Faux cherry blossom
- Magnolia & eucalyptus
- Twisted willow
- Moss-lined glass baubles
- Lanterns
Late Summer & Autumn
September – November
Burnt-orange stems and Chinese lanterns mixed with berries and natural twigs: a warm, inviting backdrop to add a few pumpkins or finishing touches without spending a fortune.
- Burnt-orange stems
- Chinese lanterns
- Berries & natural twigs
- Room for your pumpkins
Christmas & Winter
December – February
Silver and brass with small pops of red, starburst lights and glass baubles, fires burning and candles flickering. For an Alpine feel: antique wooden skis, leather ski boots, sledges and skates — many family heirlooms or found in French brocantes.
- Silver & brass, pops of red
- Starburst lights
- Glass baubles
- Antique skis & sledges
- Ice skates
Three ways to marry here
Your date, your numbers, the price.
Not packages — three ways to use the house, with their own timings and guest numbers. The venue hire is the same in every season.
June 2027
Bank holidayPrices valid to the end of 2027
Saturday, 5 June 2027Saturday
Less is More
Up to 30 · 12-hour hire
No extra evening guests
—
Beyond the Moon
Up to 50 · 12-hour hire
No extra evening guests
—
Bells & WhistlesBest fit
50 by day + 40 evening
£5,750
Venue hire only, as in the 2026/27 brochure — no corkage, no fixed suppliers, no hidden extras. Bookings subject to the venue’s terms; dates subject to availability.
Next door · 1066
The Abbey is your backdrop.
She stands right beside the gatehouse of Battle Abbey, built where William met Harold. By separate arrangement with English Heritage — and for a small charge — you can be photographed in the ancient ruins, escorted by a member of their staff.
- Abbey views from the cottage garden and the Webster Bar
- A walled lane leads to a field — complete with sunset
- A medieval high street of photo opportunities on the doorstep
A day at The Pilgrims Rest
From nine in the morning to carriages.
One possible running order for a Less is More wedding, straight from the brochure. Later ceremony? Add a couple of hours to each time.
- 09:00
The house is yours
Both dressing rooms are ready, fires lit. Caterers lay the tables while you have three hours for hair, make-up and a glass of bubbly.
- 11:30
Guests arrive
Through the cottage garden, under the gaze of the Abbey gatehouse.
- 12:00
The ceremony
Vows in the Great Hall, on benches dressed in fur or boho rugs.
- 12:30
Confetti & photographs
In the front garden — or, by arrangement with English Heritage, in the Abbey ruins next door.
- 13:00
Drinks reception
In the gardens when the sun shines, by the fire in the Webster Bar when the heavens open — it is England after all.
- 14:00
Lunch & speeches
At the long trestle tables of the Dining Room, candles lit, decanters out.
- 16:00
Cake & first dance
Cut the cake, then the Great Hall becomes the dance floor.
- 20:45
Wave-off
Guests send you off; family leave with the decorations. On a Bells & Whistles day you dance on until carriages at 11.30 pm.
107 reviews on Bridebook
“The most magical little day”
The fires were lit, the table set and the sun streamed through the windows beautifully. You can really just turn up and get married and it will still be stunning!
1 / 7Read them all
- 2026WinnerHitched Wedding Awards
- 2023WinnerHitched Wedding Awards
- 2022Best Historical Venue, South EastThe Wedding Industry Awards
- 2022Best Wedding VenuesHitched Wedding Awards
- 2021Best Wedding Venue in SussexMuddy Stilettos Awards
To Have & To HoldQuirky WeddingsRock n Roll BrideRock My WeddingMagpie WeddingCoco Wedding VenuesEnglish Wedding BlogYour Sussex WeddingWedinspireHitchedGirl Gets Wed
The film
Walk through her door.
Sustainable by design
Something old, something tofu.
Something old
More than six hundred years old: any carbon embedded when she was built is long gone.
Something renewed
Furnished with antiques and vintage pieces; the seasonal looks are restyled, never binned.
Something borrowed
Hundreds of props from the Aladdin’s Cave — decanters, lanterns, even skis and sledges — at no extra charge.
Something tofu!
Tofu isn’t for everyone, but a smaller guest list and locally grown food is a huge leap towards a greener day.
Book a visit
Come and see her by candlelight.
Visit in person with Amy & Waverley — or, if you live further afield, take a virtual tour. Prices stay as they are until the end of 2027.