Private Dining

Highclere Castle has three State Rooms which are available for 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 and pre-dinner drinks.

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 often used for private dining. It can seat around 140 places.

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. 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.

Please note that the Castle operates a strict NO SMOKING policy