Peckforton Castle is a Victorian country house built in the style of
a medieval castle. It stands in woodland at the north end of Peckforton
Hills one mile (2 km) northwest of the village of Peckforton, Cheshire, England. It is recorded in the National Heritage List for England as a designated
Grade I listed building. The house was built in the middle of the 19th century as a family home for John Tollemache, a wealthy Cheshire landowner, estate manager, and Member of Parliament. It was designed by Anthony Salvin in
the Gothic style.
Before moving into the castle in the 1890s, Wilbraham Tollemache, 2nd Baron Tollemache added central heating and electric light. In 1922 a large scheme of afforestation was started on the Peckforton Hills, and the resulting woodland has been granted the status of a Site of Special Scientific Interest. Bentley Tollemache, 3rd Baron Tollemache, grandson of Wilbraham Tollemache, and his family left Peckforton at the outbreak of the Second World War in 1939.
During the war the castle was used as a hostel for physically handicapped children who had been evacuated from the London area. Bentley Tollemache died in 1955 and, as he had no sons, the estate passed to his cousin, John Tollemache.
During the 1970s, 1980s and early 1990s, the castle was used as a location for shooting films and television programmes. These include the Doctor Who serial The Time Warrior, broadcast in 1973–74, and a 1991 movie of Robin Hood starring Patrick Bergin and Uma Thurman. From 1982 to 1986, Treasure Trap, one of the world’s first live action role-playing games took place on the site. In 1988 the castle was purchased by an American, Evelyn Graybill, for £1 million. She renovated most of the building and secured planning permission to convert it into a hotel.
In 2006 Chris Naylor was married in the castle, following which the Naylor family bought the property. Peckforton Castle is now used as an hotel and for corporate events and weddings. The building was severely damaged by fire in June 2011 during a wedding, the cost of the damage being in the region of £6 million.
This is the holy grail of venues for multiple reasons. It is steeped in rich history and has played host to many TV and film presentations more notably the film Robin Hood filmed in 1990 and released in 1991, this was where we took our inspiration for the display titles to inject a little fun into their descriptions.
We are really excited and proud to be chosen to provide pyrotechnic displays at this ultra-exclusive venue, this venue holds dear to our hearts as we spent time at the castles events early in our courtship.
The transformation of the venue has been astounding. All pyromusical displays are fired within the castle grounds and as such it has placed our choreographer in unchartered territory as he seeks to deliver a breathtaking vision of sound and light, only the very best material sourced from several continents allows us to interpret the musical score with feeling and emotion whilst respecting the castles beauty and aesthetics.
Due to the unique setting of the courtyard and the available distance we can only provide pyromusicals at this opulent venue, pyromusicals are the absolute pinnacle of firework luxury.
Fireworks are outstanding entertainment, however when fired at a venue of this calibre to a meaningful musical accompaniment the display becomes very emotive and provides a certain je ne sais quoi that exacting clients at Peckforton castle demand.
Music is essential in all the Peckforton displays and we only use high calibre outdoor PA systems to deliver crystal clear sound with all pyromusical displays.
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Blitz Fireworks are a professional established company within the UK Firework industry. We provide over 200 wedding displays annually across the country and carefully select the pyrotechnic material that we use so that we are able to offer bespoke displays specifically targeting the needs of the Bride & Groom on the biggest day of their lives.
The dedicated team at Blitz work full time preparing breathtaking displays for our clients whether that be a quick three minute high intensity display or a prestigious pyromusical, we are small enough to care and big enough to cope.
Our dedication to the design and choreography of firework displays has won Blitz 1st place at 7 competitions throughout the UK since 2011. Blitz Fireworks were crowned British Firework Champions in 2014 at Plymouth and most recently the 2018 Firework Champions at Newby Hall in Yorkshire.
Please note Blitz Fireworks Ltd reserve the right to make changes and amendments to the material in your display which may or may not affect the duration.
On extremely rare occasions this can be due to adverse weather conditions and not necessarily due to material availability, whilst this occurrence is extremely rare it can sometimes occur.
All displays at Peckforton Castle are pyromusical displays. Unfortunately as the castle and its grounds are so unique some musical tracks that a client may wish to use might not be suitable for the grounds or the pyrotechnic material available to interpret their music choice, on these occasions we will work with the client to agree a suitable alternative song choice.
Whilst this can be a little restrictive with regards to the choreographer’s creative flair it is essential that we take the venues interests in to consideration as well as those of their neighbours and the environment along with all safety aspects.
Please note: A minimum show value will be applied during our peak seasons. E.g. Bonfire season, Halloween, Christmas and New Year.