Scottish castle named takes top UK venue prize

A Scottish castle has been crowned the winner of the the Best Wedding Venue at the prestigious UK Heritage Awards 2018.

Myres Castle, in Fife, received the honour at an exclusive ceremony celebrating the best heritage experiences and places to stay in the UK, hosted at Goldsmith’s Hall in London.

Myres Castle is a family home in Fife and was recognized by the judges for their aim to combine impeccable service with the relaxed feeling of staying with friends.

The castle dates back to the 1530s with outstanding formal gardens and 10 en-suite bedrooms with additional space in the gate lodge.

A joyous day at bright and beautiful Myres Castle in Fife

The Barnquee – a specially designed hybrid between a barn and marquee, built in the gardens with local larch tree supports, is unique to the castle, offering something away from the norm. There is space to seat 160 guests, a rustic bar, and beautiful light filtering through the canvas roof and the trees above.

Owners of Myres Castle, Henry and Amanda Barge said: ‘We are so thrilled to have been awarded such a special UK Heritage award. It means so much to all the team here at Myres, who put so much effort into creating exceptional weekend weddings.

‘We want to continue being able to offer couples and their families a wedding just the way they want it. We love that they can style their time here any way they want – mixing old and new to create a truly memorable and unique celebration.’

Nicola and Gordon McKinley celebrate their wedding at Myres Castle

The UK Heritage Awards are arranged by the UK’s leading heritage, tourism and destination marketing company, Visit Heritage, publisher of best-selling heritage guide Hudson’s and the UK’s independent hotel guide, Signpost.

This year’s winners were crowned across thirteen categories; nine UK Heritage Awards and four hotel awards recognized by Signpost.

The judging panel was lead by Norman Hudson OBE, Chairman of the Judges, and included country house consultant Simon Foster, author and TV presenter Lucinda Lambton, architectural writer and author Jeremy Musson, tourism consultant Ken Robinson CBE, writer and art historian Helen Rosslyn and director of Visit Heritage Paul Bridle.

In the Wonderful Places to Stay category, the Head Gardeners’ Cottage, at Floors Castle in the Borders, was commended.