28
Jun
Ripley Castle cancels weddings as sale looms
All weddings booked for 2025 at the Ripley Castle estate have been cancelled.
The news comes after Sir Thomas and Lady Ingilby announced yesterday their entire estate is up for sale.
The estate, which has been owned by the Ingilby family for more than 700 years, includes Ripley Castle, the village shop, a coffee shop, a tea room, a few cottages and the Boar’s Head pub.
With the future owner uncertain, the estate today confirmed it had cancelled all wedding bookings from 2025.
Some people have already taken to social media to say how the cancellations had thrown wedding plans into chaos.
One Stray Ferret follower, who commented on yesterday’s story, said her “poor” sister and her fiancé were among those affected.
She said:
[They] now need to find a new venue with just under a year to go!
The Stray Ferret contacted the estate to confirm the reports.
Carter Jonas consultant, Mark Granger, who is representing the sale, today said all 2024 bookings would go ahead, but the 2025 brides and grooms weren't so lucky:
I can confirm that all wedding bookings in 2024 will be taking place as planned and all couples have been contacted to confirm this.
So far as 2025 wedding bookings are concerned, the decision was taken to cancel all those bookings, to remove any uncertainty and so that couples had as much notice as possible, to allow them to make alternative arrangements.
All those couples have also been contacted, and whilst they have been disappointed, they have been appreciative of the openness shown to them by the Ripley Castle estate.
He also said some couples were “considering a move of their wedding date” to this year, “so that they can still hold it at Ripley Castle”.
The disruption comes just a day after the estate said most of its enterprises will “continue to trade as normal”.
“Our valued clients, employees and tenants will be advised at the earliest opportunity of any changes to this plan”, the statement added.
The estate is to be listed with Carter Jonas. The asking price has not yet been revealed.
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