Reviews

We booked Melmerby for a small family wedding and it was the most amazing experience. The location is perfect. The hall is beautiful and was the perfect backdrop for our wedding photos. On the morning of our wedding we walked though the gardens and the private gated archway to the local church and returned for champagne on the lawn moments later. The beautiful interior, with huge family kitchen and sumptuous bathrooms, all blended perfectly with original period features. The welcome hamper of local produce was delightful. Nothing was too much trouble for the owners before we arrived and they are clearly attentive to every last detail as everything was perfect for our stay. Joanna was especially helpful while were organising our stay. All our meals were catered by Lynn Hilditch and her food was absolutely delicious and delighted our guests. Lynn’s portions were so generous we had more leftovers than we could possibly eat up before it was time to leave. And we really did not want to leave at all, next time we will definitely be back for a longer stay!

We stayed in Melmerby Hall for a 60th Birthday party with the whole family and friends. It had everything. Spacious, well equiped and all the creaks and quirks you expect of a period property. Gorgeous

This was our second stay at a Rowley Estate venue and certainly will not be our last. Melmerby Hall lived up to our expectations, I thought it would be difficult to outshine Blencow Hall, but it was just as amazing. All we needed was a butler to complete the Downton Abbey scene. It is difficult to find somewhere that 18 adults are all completely happy with but Melmerby Hall did that in spades. The thought that has gone into making it a memorable occasion is second to none. The welcome pack is amazing with local jam, homemade toffee/fudge, speciality tea, local bakery bread. There were even eggs, butter, oil, milk, fruit juice, tea bags, coffee and sugar along with various herbs and spices. This along with a host of non-food items such as cling film, tin foil, washing up liquid, dish washer tablets etc etc meant that even if you had forgotten to bring something with you it was more than likely already there. The 9 bedrooms did not disappoint either they were all very spacious and the beds extremely comfortable, each with its own en suite. Most had amazing views and although it was the end of November the frost added to the magical picturesqueness. I booked Lynn Hillditch for my celebration dinner on the Saturday evening and cannot praise her and her staff enough, the food and service was exceptional and when she left the kitchen was spotless. I could write so much more, but suggest you find out by booking, I can assure you you would not be disappointed. I will remember my celebration at Melmerby for a long time, so much so that all my guests are looking forward to making our visit to a Rowley Estate venue an annual event. Thank you Christine and the Team for a very special weekend.

We have not yet stayed at Melmerby Hall but I needed to write a review on our experience of booking our wedding with Rowley Estates. After months of looking for the perfect wedding venue we found Melmerby Hall via Rowley Estates. We are having a small wedding and all the guests are staying for the weekend. The service has been exceptional, it has been completely stress free and enjoyable. Joanna is a dream, from answering questions to arranging for us to visit the Hall and spending time looking round and deciding who would love which bedroom, the pictures really do not do this amazing property justice. Joanna has provided details on caterers, flowers, photographers and even a hot tub provider, the response is always quick, friendly, professional and fully informative. On our visit she recommended the local cafe/ bakery, we visited before our journey home and the food was lovely, we are going to use them for fresh bread etc for our stay. We have booked Lynn Hilditch for the wedding breakfast and again nothing is to much trouble and we can design our own menu with different choices. Lynn even does a drop of service so you don’t have to do any cooking if you don’t want to! The church is very close, just a lovely short walk on pathway through the grounds, we have booked the little church but you can get married in the drawing room. If you are thinking about what to do differently for your wedding rather than spending all that money on just one day in a generic Hotel that only cares about taking your money then book a weekend property and extend your celebrations with the freedom to do what you want when you want. I can’t recommend booking Melmerby Hall highly enough and although I have not seen the other properties from the service we have received I would recommend to book through Rowley Estates. We are having the wedding of our dreams (in budget I might add) and its been totally stress free, roll on March 2020 🙂

Your every whim is catered for at this gorgeous property. We were a group of 16 with 3 dogs, clearly the owners have been doing this a long time and know their stuff. The property was immaculate on arrival with a well stocked welcoming hamper to start you off. This a a very well organised set up for larger groups. We tended to use the main lounge, conservatory and kitchen area for socialising. There were a number of other beautiful rooms with a formal dining area (great should you bring in outside catering) which we did not use but ideal if anybody wants to escape for some quiet time. Towels and toiletries are provided and all the bedrooms are to a good standard. The grounds of the property are amazing, some great family games of cricket on the Archery lawns and there is a lovely dog walk in the grounds via a wooded area and adjacent to the beck which takes about an hour or so depending on pace. We were going to hire a hot tub but stupidly left it until a month before to book (none available) so ensure you book one well in advance should you be considering one. Had some lovely afternoons sat in the outside seating are between the hall and the lawns. Their is ample fridge space (2 large) , 2 dishwashers, An Aga which we made use of and is surprisingly easy to use and a conventional cooker and hob. Nearby within 500 yards is a local store, bakery with dining area and adjacent shop, Shepherds Inn pub which we highly recommend, had lovely meal for 16. The only fault is that we didn’t book to stay for a full week. Worth a look if you are considering a wedding venue, church next door to property and can be accessed directly from the hall and there is a local village hall within 200 yards which can be hired out. This property sleeps up to 18 and there is a property to the rear Stags cottage which I believe sleeps 8. Hall would be great for murder/mystery weekend. Fantastic property, full of character. Many thanks to Christine and Charles, particularly Christine who always replied to emails promptly re queries from guests prior to attending. Perfect weekend with family in perfect surroundings.

Melmerby Hall provided the perfect location for our family celebration. From start to finish of our week-end stay, our expectations were consistently exceeded. Beautiful rooms and grounds meant that everyone in our party (ranging in age from 7 to 81) had a superb time. Lots of open space to enjoy outdoor games and only a 40 minute drive on the Saturday to spend an afternoon on Ullswater Lake. We were made to feel most welcome at Melmerby and the Hall is somewhere we all agreed we would hope to return to one day. A truly exceptional property that we feel very lucky to have found.

We can’t speak highly enough regarding the Rowley Estate Properties – we rented Melmerby Hall, Kirkbride hall and Stag Cottage for a family wedding. The rooms are beautifully historic with the addition of modern bathrooms. The property was equipped with everything we needed to host a brilliant house party with no skimping on consumables such as dishwasher and laundry detergents – often absent in other properties we have rented. The local Church accessed through the gardens of Melmerby Hall and the addition of the highly affordable, modern village hall almost opposite the Hall made for the perfect wedding venue.

This magnificent Country House, cottage, gardens and estate was a perfect venue for 24 of our friends to jointly celebrate 40th birthdays in May 2019. The house is perfectly located, near Penrith and close to the Lakes District, Durham Dales and easily reached via the A66 or M6. We rented the main hall, sleeps 18 and Stag Cottage, sleeps 6, and it was superb in every way. The main hall is a blend of historic home with all of its original charm and character and modern, well appointed rooms (especially the luxurious en-suite bathrooms) and the awesome kitchen. The owners think of everything that a large group needs, including huge American Fridge Freezers packed with bags of party ice and a classy welcome hamper, milk, bread, tea, coffee and local goodies. We hired in the Rowley Estates’ recommended caterer, Lynn Hilditch catering, using the dinner drop off service on the Friday and Lynn and her team for a waited banquet in the main dining room/ Great Hall on the Saturday. Lynn delivered a stunning 3-course meal, including 30-day aged sirloin steaks and slow roasted lamb shanks. The food and service was magnificent and Lynn and team cleared up absolutely everything by the time we had finished our desserts. Perfect. The weather was great and we enjoyed drinks on the archery lawn and gardens in warm sunshine on the first night. There is a lot to do locally, including a number of fell walks and a lovely (if slightly pricey village bakery and cafe) plus a nice local pub which seemed to only open in the evenings. Melmerby Hall is a magical place where a large group can live like lords and ladies, recreate memories and enjoy a level of sophistication and splendour that is hard to recreate in modern venues and settings. Our group had a brilliant weekend and plans are afoot to make it an annual or bi-annual weekend in the Lakes. We booked through Kate and Tom’s but once set, we received outstanding communication and customers service from owner Christine Rowley. We received useful e-mail marketing with helpful local events, ideas and suggestions which helped us to get the most from our stay. I can’t think of a single negative about our stay – my only advice would be to take care driving into the hall and estate – the arched entrance is a snug fit for bigger cars. On the whole, Melmerby Hall is magical and a perfect venue for group celebrations and weekend escapes. 5-Stars

What a wonderful birthday weekend we have just spent at Melmerby – the Hall is amazing, the setting sublime, and we really appreciated how cosy and warm we were in such a big house. The kitchen is so well appointed, the bathrooms spotless, and the reception rooms and bedrooms extremely comfortable. Thank you also for the lovely welcome basket in the kitchen, and being so dog-friendly. Saturday saw the whole family enjoying riding with the lovely instructors at Bank House Equestrian centre, and the day was topped off by a fabulous meal in the superb dining room, provided by Lynn Hillditch and her excellent team. The exciting games of hide and seek were endless! An unforgettable experience, in a delightful setting !