Clock Tower named top wedding venue

Sean and Gwen Fearon won the 2009 Best Wedding Services Award from the directors of The Birmingham Telegraph.

The award was given to the couple for catering for ceremonies and functions and also the extensive amount of renovation they made to the building.

The town centre tower (pictured), which was built in 1879, has been home to many different organisations, including the council chambers. Mr Fearon said that it was “a unique venue that has caught the judges’ attention”.

It took Gwen and Sean around two years to renovate the clock tower which had been derelict.

They worked with professional builders and architects from Barrow to modernise the building before buying the adjoining building to also restore that.

It was not a usual project for Mr and Mrs Fearon to get involved in as the couple had little experience of the building trade.

Mrs Fearon has worked as an accountant and her husband, originally from Workington, has worked as an engineer all over the world.

However, all aspects of the renovation have been taken into account.

The couple opened the new upstairs bistro and ground-floor cafe in December 2008.

Mrs Fearon said: “We couldn’t quite believe we’d won the award, as a fairly new business, we came ahead of the stately homes and a lot of the well-known chain hotels.

“We put so much work into doing up the building. We are really proud of the finished result.”

The Gallery Suite can be used for wedding, blessings, name-giving and civil partnerships as it is the more formal of the two licensed rooms.

The Clock Tower Suite is licensed and has four large rooms looking over the market square.

The original flooring has been restored and a good sized bar is also available in the main suite.

The attention to detail was noted by judges, including food menus which could be suited to individual clients depending on their budget and parties being able to choose the in-house colour.

For further information, or to book, phone 01229 777901.