Vlada & Oleg were married at the Weston Favell Kingdom Hall of Jehovah’s Witnesses, Northampton, on Saturday, 20th January 2018. After the wedding ceremony we headed to Delapre Abbey for some bridal portraits.
Depending upon your point of view, the weather was either perfect or not very good! It snowed and it rained. The happy couple are originally from Chisinau, the capital city of Moldova, and so they were perfectly used to a bit of snow! As such, they fully embraced the elements.
We had hoped to go into Delapre Abbey to take some wedding pictures after the ceremony, but sadly the property is currently closed to the public. It was far from a disaster, though, since the abbey grounds still provide lots of wonderful areas to work with.
Delapre Abbey History
1145-1530s
There is still much to be learnt about the history of Delapre Abbey, but it is known that the site has been occupied for almost 900 years. The first occupation dates to circa 1145AD when the Earl of Northampton, Simon de St Liz / Senlis, founded a Cluniac nunnery. Very little evidence remains today of what this building might have looked like, but it is likely that it would have been very similar the current Abbey layout.
Queen Eleanor’s funeral cortege stopped at the nunnery on its journey from Nottinghamshire to Westminster in 1290. The Eleanor Cross on London Road was constructed to mark the fact. It is one of only three of the 12 crosses that were built that still survive.
The Battle of Northampton took place in the vicinity of Delapre Abbey on 10th July 1460. It was one of the battles of the War of the Roses, where the Lancastrians took on the Yorkists. Based on eyewitness accounts, it seems likely that the battle took place in the vicinity of what is now Hardingstone Golf Course. King Henry VI’s Lancastrians were heavily defeated and he was imprisoned in the nunnery overnight.
The Tate Family
The Abbey was dissolved in December 1538 after King Henry VIII’s creation of the Church of England. In 1543, the Abbey and its lands passed into the hands of John Mershe, a land speculator, before being sold to the Tate family around 1546. The Tates were a prominent family in national affairs, with positions held including Sheriff of Northampton and that of a member of parliament. They would be associated with Delapre for more than two centuries.
The Bouverie Estate
The property was purchased by Edward Bouverie in 1764. The Bouveries owned the estate until 1946, though the family did not occupy the Abbey themselves during the first decade of the 1900s.
Modern History
The War Office requisitioned the Abbey in September 1940. The Ministry of Works became custodians in 1948 when it became home to the Northamptonshire County War Agricultural Committee. Once the end of rationing started in the 1950s, the Estates Department of the Corporation took up residence. The building was falling into a state of disrepair. The Corporation voted to demolish it.
Joan Wake, the County Record Officer, wanted to see the County Record Office take up residence. A “Save Delapre” campaign was setup with the aim of raising £15,000. The campaign was successful, and in 1957 work begun on making it fit for its new purpose. The Northamptonshire Record Office was located on the site for 33 years from May 1959 until 1992.
After laying empty for almost a decade, Northampton Borough Council decided to offer the property for lease to businesses. The Friends of Delapre Abbey was duly formed by local people concerned they might lose access to the site. After raising its profile by operating guided tours and opening a tea room, they became a real voice for the community.
In 2006, the Delapre Abbey Preservation Trust was formed to safeguard the property as a public asset. In 2013 an application to the Heritage Lottery Fund was accepted and guaranteed £3.6 million for the first stage of restoration.
Delapre Abbey Weddings
The property reopened to the public in 2017 and is one of Northampton’s real treasures. It is able to host weddings from 5 to 500 people. Wedding ceremonies can be conducted inside the Abbey’s eight stunning ceremony rooms and marquees can be erected on the South Lawn.
Delapre Abbey remains one venue at which I am itching to photograph a full wedding!
Here’s a short highlights package of some of my favourite moments from the day:
Wishing the new Mr & Mrs Ungureanu all the very best for long, happy and healthy lives together.
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