Orchardleigh House

Stand on the stone balustrade at Orchardleigh House and the parkland drops away to the lake behind you, which is the frame we’d give up ten minutes for. It’s the one spot where the Somerset estate reads as an estate rather than a big house, and late on, light comes back up off the water. Everything else is indoors and heavy in a good way. You marry in a panelled room under a chandelier with an old painting of the house behind you, the register gets signed in carved chairs, and the panelled hall takes the walk back out. Winter suits the place. Bare trees along the gravel avenue and low grey light make the stone look older, and there’s plenty of house to retreat into if the weather turns properly. The frontage and its steps hold the whole guest list with columns either side. The grand staircase takes a train the full length of it. Last one is the lit doorway against the dark facade, a big finish for very little effort.