 It’s a kind of magic…. In the little medieval town of Battle in the heart of East Sussex you will find The Pilgrims Rest. Nearly 600 years old, this beautiful old Wealden Hall house is full of rustic charm and historic soul - a unique and truly magical wedding venue. As well as being a stunning building with its medieval vaulted Great Hall, The Pilgrims Rest boasts three working inglenook fireplaces, ancient beams, linenfold doors and oak floors. With all the cost advantages of a dry hire venue (with no fixed suppliers, no corkage charges and the choice to have your own bar) The Pilgrims Rest is as far removed from “dry” as you could possibly want; designed and furnished to need little extra decoration and a member of our wedding team available for advice and a little hand holding. In the morning you can both get ready in the stunning Fitzherbert and The Bryant Rooms - two beautifully designed and furnished changing rooms. The Bryant Room also has a panelled sitting room which is perfect for pre-wedding photographs. The Great Hall - furnished with benches topped with a choice of furs or boho rugs for the ceremony. Lanterns and safety church candles line the aisle. You can say your “I do’s” with the fire burning in the huge inglenook. After your meal the benches are cleared making way for dancing. The Dining Room with its wide, lime washed trestle tables - perfect for en-famille dining with Chivari chairs comes with pewter candlesticks (with real candles), vintage decanters and wine buckets and has a second inglenook fire to keep your guests cosy. The rustic Webster Bar complete with open fire, pea-lights and hops has champagne baths, a drinks fridge and drinks dispensers for Pimms or fresh lemonade. It goes without saying that there is plenty of wood for all three fires. At The Pilgrims Rest we hope to make a stunning wedding possible without too much hassle and expense. With this in mind we seasonally decorate the building (which can be used or stored away if you prefer), designing a backdrop for couples to add their own finishing touches, helping create a beautiful wedding without spending a fortune. Best of all we do not charge corkage and have no fixed suppliers, but a book of tried, tested and trusted suppliers if you need help. At The Pilgrims Rest we offer the choice to have your wedding just how you want it - with a little added dusting of magic! If you would like to make an appointment to meet one of The Pilgrims Rest team then please email venue@pilgrimsrestbattle.co.uk or call us on 07552873448. Photo by Katie Rogers Photography  Photo Credit: Georgina Piper Weddings Dream Team (noun): The best possible combination of people for a particular activity. Nearly 5 years ago I bit the bullet and realised my long term dream of transforming the Pilgrims Rest into a wedding venue. After many weeks of scrubbing, painting, and furnishing, Amy and I stood at the front door welcoming friends, family and suppliers to our launch party. At the time it was a very different concept to other venues. We didn’t want to hold on to the catering and the bar nor have fixed suppliers. Five years on we have stayed true to our roots but have continued to add to the venue to make it as easy and as affordable as possible to get married at The Pilgrims Rest. As wedding bookings came flooding in we realised quickly that the team needed to grow. Amy Lou joined a few months later with Anita, Waverley, Kate, and more recently Elle, making up a team of six - all with different skills but with a united goal - to ensure our couples have a wedding day to remember. I can confidently say that we really do have the very best possible combination of people who run and care for our stunning wedding venue. Being confident is one thing but, as they say, the proof really is in the pudding. Recently The Pilgrims Rest was voted the best wedding venue in Sussex (East and West) from more than 320 wedding venues across both counties. Unknowingly nominated by a couple who had married at venue, we were chuffed to bits when we discovered how many more couples had voted for us and completely over the moon to hear we had won! Winning an award is incredible but what makes me swell with pride is reading the emails and letters from brides and grooms, full of praise for the venue but more importantly for our team who work with endless enthusiasm and dedication on each and every wedding day. Finding the perfect combination of a beautiful venue with a friendly and approachable team to help guide you up the aisle isn’t an easy task. When you find your dream wedding venue be sure there is a dream wedding team to go with it. Here are some recent kind words from some of our happy couples: “Amazing staff, who are great communicators and went above and beyond our expectations on every level, full of great ideas , not shy telling us if something won’t work, you may not want to hear this, but it’s worth listening as they are usually right ! If I was ever to be asked to recommend a venue, this would be it . If you have to ask yourself how can I spruce this venue up to my taste , it’s the wrong venue, it works so well because of how well it’s set up and pre-decorated.” ****** “This place and team are all truly magical! We held our wedding at The Pilgrims Rest on the 24th June 2021. We had it booked since 2018 (we may hold the record for their longest booking!), but unfortunately had to postpone it twice, due to restrictions. We are so glad we chose The Pilgrims Rest as our place of marriage and to celebrate our wedding. We knew it was the right place from the start. We were looked after so well by the whole team over the years of planning. They were fantastic at communicating, being supportive, understanding and reassuring. The place itself just met everything we envisaged for our day. It provides everything you could need, with lots of special touches, whilst allowing you to put your own stamp on the day. We feel so lucky to be amongst the couples who have chosen to be married here. We need to find a reason or occasion to book with them again, perhaps a vow renewal in the future!?” ****** “Had our wedding there finally after two Covid postponements and it truly was such a lovely place that has left us with such magical and memorable experience. The lasses who run it are superb and soo helpful and accommodating. Sad that I cannot give it another star!” ****** “I can't begin to tell you how perfect this place is. It's honestly where I had the happiest day of my life. The staff are amazing, the venue is perfect and... Well, just go look for yourselves. Thank you everyone at Pilgrims rest. I feel like the luckiest man on the planet.” The Pilgrims Rest is a pretty magical place to tie the knot. Not only an extraordinary 600 year old building but one with an extraordinary wedding team. If you would like more information or speak to a member of the team please call ...or email.... We look forward to meeting you!  Photo credit: Hayley Rose Photography
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