Ye Olde Plough House in Bulphan is a popular wedding venue and for many good reasons. Bulphan itself dates back to at least the 13th century and the land was once owned by Henry VIII. Ye Olde Plough house started its life in the 70’s as a coffee shop and originally had no mains water or even toilets. It has grown to its present day status as one of the most popular venues in the area. I’ve photographed many weddings there over the years come rain, shine or even snow and look forward to many more to come. The staff are always in my opinion excellent. They are helpful and attentive to the wedding party as well as to professionals like myself. They are often advertising special offers such on their website to check in and see if there’s something of interest. Here’s my view on why it’s such a popular venue.

1. The Location - it sits in a semi-rural location a couple of miles off the main A127 between Basildon and Upminster and very easy to get to from Essex or London locations via M25 or A13.

2. The Grounds - The ample grounds are lovely and well looked after. The front has more than enough car parking spaces for the largest of weddings and the good thing is that the grounds are at the rear with no vehicles to spoil the view. As you exit the venue at the rear there is a very large patio area with a beautiful waterfall built in. The patio leads to the large and well kept grass area, which itself is broken up with trees and borders of shrubs with varieties that bloom for most of the season. A winding path to the left of the green leads over a very stunning little bridge crossing a small stream that runs through the grounds.

3. The Function rooms. There are two function rooms the first and larger of which is the Monks Barn. It was a barn originally built in Norfolk around 1650, It is situated at the rear of the venue leading directly out to the patio area and large windows stretch the length of the room provide great views of the unspoilt grounds and good light into the room during the spring and summer months. It has a seating capacity of 170 although for most of my weddings there have been around 100 to 120 seated guests and there is ample room between tables.

The second function room is called the Cavalier Suite and it is on two levels and seats around 60 guests comfortably on the main lower area. the upper area also has a few tables and is ideal for more evening guests providing a good vantage point to view the dancing when the evening entertainment starts. It has an open vaulted ceiling with solid oak beams. This room is completely set apart from the Monks Barn and has a large bar area just adjacent to the top level.

4, The Rooms. It’s always nice when a venue has the facility for the wedding couple and guests to stay the night and Ye Olde plough house has 71 rooms all with en suite and they surround the grounds around the perimeter. They have single, double and family rooms as well as two large bridal suites and 4 executive rooms. At the time of posting (2019) the costs per night were as follows:

Mon - Thursday: Single £50, Double £70, Family/Triple £90, Executive £95, Bridal £190

Fri - Sun: Single £70, Double £80, Family/Triple £95, Executive £110, Bridal £190

There are rooms set by for bridal preparations at the back - and groom preparations at the front, taking all the stress out of the wedding preparations. There is separate parking areas for the rooms so you don’t have to lug your gear all the way from the front car park. The rooms themselves are tastefully decorated and reasonable sized and many lead out directly to the central grounds overlooking the venue, certainly the bridal preparation rooms do.

The Cavalier Suite

The Monks Barn

5, The Photographs

The venue has so many opportunities for special wedding photos, you really are spoilt for choice. Outside the large patio are has ample room for large groups - useful in wet or snowy weather. There is also a nice waterfall at the centre of the patio for some nice couple pics. A large tree just off the patio area offers great shade in summer months for stunning group photos with the grounds behind. A walk along the pathway leads you past many photo opportunities for the special couple. You’ll walk past well kept shrubs to a lovely stone bridge with a small stream running through. Then the path will lead you through two beautiful stone arches with a large wooden wishing well in the middle of a smaller green. As you return to the venue there is a bench situated at the back of the main green and lovely views towards the Monks Barn and venue. You can follow the path around in a big circle leading down by the stream over a smaller bridge and back onto the patio from the other side.

I hope that gives you an idea of why this venue is so popular for weddings and why I always enjoy photographing there.

Links

Ye Olde Plough House Main page Main Ye Olde Plough House

Ye Olde Plough House Wedding Page Wedding Page

Adrian Miller Wedding Photography