Corporate & Conference
Highclere Castle has six State Rooms which are available for indoor activities and fine dining. All State Rooms are on the ground floor and are served by natural light.
The first main room which greets the visitor to the Castle is the Saloon.
The Saloon
The Saloon is physically and socially the heart of the house. It was designed for the 4th Earl by Thomas Allom in a gothic style with rich decoration and completed
in the 1860s. A large room, 13m x 6m, with a stunning 15.24m (50 feet!) vaulted ceiling and fireplace, it is the perfect venue for top class reception duties, pre-dinner drinks, presentations
and many other uses in corporate entertainment.
Entered by a double door from the Entrance Hall, the Saloon combines a substantial 'wow' factor with a homely, living
room feel. There is considerable natural light from the vaulted ceiling. Winter events can benefit from a roaring log fire in the centrally-positioned fireplace. There are
doorways leading to the Dining Room, The Library, and the Drawing Room. The upstairs Gallery is reached via a magnificent hand-carved oak staircase.
The Library
The Library is a very long, double room of 20m x 7m with east facing windows looking out to lawns and the Jackdaw's Castle, a 1743 limestone folly with
Corinthian columns. The Library has a working fireplace and three doorways to the Entrance Hall, the Saloon and the Music Room. It is mostly used for corporate presentation
work and for dining. It can seat up to 140 places.
Broadband Internet
The Library has a considerable number of 13amp electrical outlets and is supplied with a broadband Internet service, 1Mb bandwidth, with 16 hardwired 100Mb ports
provided by a switched router. The service is powered by British Telecom.
The Dining Room
The Dining Room is a smaller room than the Library at 11.3m x 5.5m. It is reached from the Saloon and is ideal for dining up to 60 places, for large breakout sessions
or as a separate room to be used while the Library is being used as a main presentation area. The Dining Room has a fireplace and is sumptuously decorated with many fine
original oil paintings.
The Music Room, the Drawing Room and the Smoking Room
These three south-facing rooms are very well supplied with natural light. The Music Room is reached from the Library via a 'secret' doorway constructed from bookshelves
as per the rest of the same Library wall and also via a double doorway from the Drawing Room. The Drawing Room is a very Victorian, very comfortable sitting room, and
is occasionally used as a somewhat unusual conference room or for breakout sessions. The same duties are performed by the Smoking Room, which is reached by a doorway
from the Drawing Room, or from the Saloon.
Please note that the Castle operates a strict policy of NO SMOKING in the House
Smoking is permitted outside.
