Weddings at stately homes to cost more

Couples getting married at West Bromwich's Manor House are to face a fee of at least £600.

The charge at the 13th century property, which is being renovated, and other changes in costs will be finalised by Sandwell Council next week.

In addition to that flat fee, couples will be charged £40 for every extra hour spent at the building which is being renovated.

Meanwhile at another historic building in the borough, Haden Hill House in Cradley Heath, the cost of a wedding will go up from £400 to £425.

The Manor House, in Hall Green Road, will charge schools £140 for living history sessions for key stage 1 pupils and £145 for key stage 2 students.

And admission for night time events will cost up to £9 per person.

The planned charges are in a report to be presented to Sandwell Council on Monday. Plans to increase fees at a number of museums and attractions in Sandwell are included. The council said increases were necessary to cover overheads.

A report to the meeting said: "All museum service fees have been revised. Where service provision is dependent on income, for example living history sessions, charges have increased to reflect increased staffing, equipment and premises costs. Other increases have been kept to approximately 2.5 per cent."

At Haden Hill, room hire will go up by £5 per day, from £120 to £125. Home Front sessions, in which children learn about the Second World War, will go up by £10 a day to £100. And for wedding photographs the fee will rise from £70 to £75.

At Oak House museum in West Bromwich, living history sessions will go up from £140 to £145. There is no wedding service there, but wedding photos will cost £70, a rise of £5.

And across the museum service every commercial booking will increase from £280 to £300.