Cornhill Castle in Biggar has just had a complete revamp of its banqueting suite which has now been transformed into a Grand Ballroom worthy of its castle credentials. Owners Manorview, who bought the hotel a year ago, are investing £750,000 in the hotel, and this, the first phase, is now complete.
Today the décor of the former function suite and its adjoining conservatory, which had been added on to the hotel in 2008, is much more in-keeping with the feel of the hotel. The Grand Ballroom can now accommodate 180 guests, and 250 plus for an evening reception. David Tracey, Manorview’s Operations Manager explains, “Our brief to the designers was to help us create a wedding suite befitting of the hotel’s Castle status and make it feel part of the building.”
The existing shape of the original function suite has been retained and so has the ceiling height, but designers Space I.D. have re-designed the space, with the help of contractors Dimension, and created an optical illusion by sloping the perimeter ceiling to trick the eye into believing the ceilings are higher – more in keeping with the proportions that a building of that period would have. Michael Simmons of Space I.D. says, “The original room was a good size, but the low ceiling gave it a ‘letterbox’ appearance. We solved this by sloping the ceiling and by painting the walls a dark colour and keeping the ceiling light.”
They also added intricate cornice and period mouldings on the ceiling, faux bookcases and a state-of-the-art stereo system sourced by SSE Audio.
A new addition to the wedding suite is the Bride’s Powder Room which is also at the rear of the suite. Says David, “This has become an amazing selling point. It is a space where brides can disappear to. It boasts its own toilet facilities so the bride doesn’t have to use the public toilets. It also has its own mini-bar which we fill with goodies for the bride and her bridesmaids.”