A council has ended its venture into hosting weddings at a historic venue – after racking up a large deficit.

No more bookings are being taken for ceremonies at Tower House in Canterbury’s picturesque Westgate Gardens after it was revealed commercial activity at the building had resulted in losses of more than £400,000 since 2018/2019.

It had been hoped that weddings would subsidise the cost of running and maintaining the building.

But this week council spokesman Rob Davies said rising operating costs along with low demand for intimate wedding celebrations have made it unviable.

Residents say it is a “shame”, as it is such a “beautiful” venue.

Occupying one of the city’s loveliest settings, the house, built in 1850, was donated to the city by the Williamson family in 1936 and was for many years, the Lord Mayor’s parlour.

But in 2014 it was decided that the property could be re-purposed as a venue to bring in revenue for the authority to help offset costs and more than £760,000 was spent over the next two years refurbishing the building.

When launched, its advertising blurb said: “Here at Tower House, we provide you with a romantic ambience, and unlike many other wedding venues, we give you exclusive use of the venue for your big day.

“Our terrace and stunning Westgate Gardens provide the perfect backdrop for your ceremony, with amazing photographic opportunities – we offer you everything you need to create your memorable occasion.

“Whether you are looking to host a summer or winter wedding ceremony, Tower House is guaranteed to provide you with the most amazing day of your life.”

The venue was suitable for smaller weddings, catering for up to 60 people and dozens of couples praised the facilities, staff and its setting.

But the bleak reality of Tower House as a commercial venue, also impacted by the pandemic, was first revealed in questions to the council cabinet last November.

The then Cabinet Member for Corporate, Cllr Rachel Carnac said: “The ability to use it for commercial purposes has been limited through licensing and planning restrictions with such activity restricted to a maximum of 20% of overall bookings.

“This has meant that the commercial activity could, at best, only aim to reduce the subsidy and Tower House is now being used predominantly for civic activities and for corporate use only.”

Last year Cllr Carnac said there would be a review of the future best use of the building, because the restrictions had meant it has not been successful as a wedding venue.

Now the authority has decided to pull the plug on the venture to prevent further losses.

This week, council spokesman Rob Davies said existing bookings would be honoured but the wedding team at the venue had been disbanded with one leaving the authority’s employment and the others redeployed elsewhere within council facilities.

Explaining the decision to wind up wedding services, he said: “As is being seen with other businesses in this sector, rising operating costs along with low demand for intimate wedding celebrations have made this service currently unviable at Tower House. As a result, we have no on-site team at the venue.

"Tower House is still available for 'dry hire' packages for small special events but this does not include wedding ceremonies as we understand that couples require more support to celebrate their special day and we are not in a position to provide it.

"It continues to be used by the civic team for events and activities and has also been made available for community events such as the Canterbury Show earlier this year."

Couples planning their weddings are no longer able to book the Tower House as a wedding venue, which has been commented on by social media users.

“What a shame, such a beautiful place, “ wrote one on the Canterbury Residents Group Facebook page.

One husband-to-be who inquired about having his celebration in August next year, was told the building was being “decommissioned” and no new bookings were being taken after March 31.

But the council has suggested the decision not to book any more wedding ceremonies may be temporary.

“It's currently unviable but we don't know what we will do in the future and will be reassessing the situation in due course,” said Mr Davies.