With a beautiful 45 acre site and views over the River Thames and surrounding countryside, Shiplake College provides a perfect venue for wedding ceremonies and receptions, formal dinners, parties and conferences. With an exceptional in-house catering team and a range of rooms and areas available to hire, we can provide an extremely flexible service to cater for your specific needs.
Please note that for safeguarding reasons availability for venue hire is only during school holidays when there will otherwise be no pupils on site. Availability can include half terms and exeat weekends as well as the major Christmas, Easter and summer holidays.
Weddings
Located just two and a half miles upstream from Henley-on-Thames, Shiplake provides a unique venue for wedding ceremonies and receptions. The College buildings are centred on Shiplake Court, which dates back to 1889. Having begun life as a fine Victorian family home, Shiplake Court now houses the traditional Great Hall and a number of smaller rooms which can be utilised to create a perfect day for every couple.
The Church of St Peter and St Paul is just 100 yards from the Great Hall. Alternatively, if you are interested in holding a civil ceremony at Shiplake, there are two options available. The Great Hall can accommodate up to 200 guests for the ceremony whilst the Old Library hosts up to 60.
The Great Hall and Old Library are also great options for intimate wedding receptions. The larger room can seat up to 110 guest for formal receptions, while the Old Library can hold smaller parties or be used for drinks on arrival, after the ceremony or for dancing later in the evening.
Our Catering and Events Manager, will be happy to advise you on ensuring that your wedding reception is perfect, from devising a sumptuous menu to suggesting matching wines, and from room layout to finishing touches. Our experienced Wedding team will take care of every detail during the preparation process and of course on the special day itself. This will allow you to relax and enjoy every moment.
Please note that we are a boarding school with pupils on site at all times during term time, with camps often running during school holidays. Visitors must sign-in at Reception and be accompanied by a member of staff. It is therefore essential that you arrange to meet with the Catering and Events Manager in advance of a wedding venue viewing.
Christenings and Other Services
With the Church of St Peter and St Paul as our close neighbour, the College is also available for hire after christenings, funerals and other services. Please contact the Church directly regarding services and our Catering and Events Manager if you are interested in using our facilities afterwards.
Other Facilities
The College boasts a range of exceptional sporting facilities including magnificent grass pitches, tennis courts, a multi-purpose sports hall, outdoor swimming pool and first-class multi-activity centre with boathouse. Depending on school commitments, these facilities are sometimes available for external use. Shiplake regularly hosts major events such as school tournaments, triathlons, river swims and county sports fixtures. We currently have strong links with Henley CC, Berkshire CCC, Shiplake Vikings BC, Shiplake Primary School, Henley Triathlon Club and Rotherfield Girls Football Club, which all enjoy use of our facilities.
In the first instance, if you have a generic venue hire enquiry, please complete the Lettings Enquiry Form.
Please note that for organisations making bookings, liability insurance and a risk assessment would be required for hiring the venue. For both organisations and individual bookings, a DBS certificate is required.