A PICTURESQUE wedding venue in north Essex has been named the most popular castle in the UK to get married in.
Hedingham Castle has been named the UK’s top-rated castle to get hitched in after new research carried out by online business Storyboards.
The study was assembled by collecting data from wedding planning website Hitched.co.uk, and an overall rating was given to each castle.
Over 70 castles across the UK were analysed and Hedingham Castle took first place after the wedding venue received more than 370 five-star reviews, resulting in a ‘10’ score.
Demetra Lindsay, the co-owner of Hedingham Castle, is delighted with the ranking.
She said: "We are completely over the moon to have been named the UK’s highest rated castle to get married in.
"To have nearly 400 five-star reviews on Hitched is both incredible and a true testament to the amazing team we have here at Hedingham.
"They go above and beyond every single day to ensure that the couples who get married at the castle really do have the best experience of their lives.
"So a huge thank you to the team and also a huge thank you to the couples who have taken the time to write those hundreds of reviews - we genuinely miss them when their weddings are over."
The venue and historic landmark bested Cooling Castle barn, Hever Castle and Leeds Castle, in Kent, in second, third and fourth places.
Hedingham Castle also ranked higher than Highcliffe Castle in Dorset, Clearwell Castle in Cardiff, Chiddingstone Castle in Kent, Eastnor Castle in Herefordshire, Warwick Castle in Warwickshire, and Rowton Castle in Cheshire.
Jason and Demetra Lindsay are the owners of Hedingham Castle, with Jason being a direct descendant of Earls of Oxford the de Veres.
The de Vere family was an aristocratic family with huge influence, and built the castle in the 12th Century.
The 900-year-old-castle opens to the public at certain times of the year with jousting, archery and other events, as well as educational school visits.
To find out more about Hedingham Castle, go to hedinghamcastle.co.uk.
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