One of the ways by which I pay for the maintenance of my two Inigo Jones pavilions at Stoke Park in Northamptonshire is to let one of them out for wedding receptions. These buildings, originally a chapel and a library, were once attached by colonnades to a large country house; but this burnt down in the 1880s, leaving only the pavilions and the colonnades still standing. They had fallen into an advanced state of dilapidation when my late uncle Robin bought and restored them in the 1950s.
I suppose that, if I didn’t need the money, I wouldn’t hold these events here, for they always involve dancing to loud pop music that reaches a deafening climax just before closing time at midnight. But money is not the only compensation; for the wedding guests are usually very happy, and the newly-weds often express their appreciation in euphoric terms. This is not only thanks to the brilliant management of Sarah, my wonderful and charming events organiser, but also to the romance of the buildings themselves and the landscape that surrounds them.
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