TRINITY HOUSE AND ALL HALLOWS BY THE TOWER

A Match Made in Maritime Heaven for Weddings and Important Religious Occasions

Bridal parties wishing to celebrate a traditionally English wedding in one of London's most ancient boroughs will be delighted to learn of the formal collaboration between maritime entitiesTrinity House- the working home of the General Lighthouse Authority - and the august Anglican church ofAll Hallows By The Tower. Historically linked to the Port of London Authority (formerly housed at 10 Trinity Square adjacent to Trinity House), All Hallows is the oldest medieval church in the City of London to survive the Great Fire in 1666. The site of Christian worship since 675 AD (nearly 300 years before the Tower of London nearby), the church is located within five minutes walking distance of Trinity House, rendering it ideal for post-service receptions and wedding breakfasts for up to 130 guests.

In partnership, Trinity House and All Hallows are extending a special all-inclusive rental hire rate of £5,900 (Saturdays) and £6,900 (Sundays)inclusive of 20% VATand incorporating the formal wedding service (and use of organ and church bells) and exclusive venue hire (only) of Trinity House including tables and chairs. Bridal couples are welcome to meet with the church vicar, The Rev Bertrand Olivier, to discuss legal requirements and ceremonial arrangements at least six months prior to the proposed wedding date.

In additional, several four and five-star hotels and hospitality options are located within proximity of both Trinity House and All Hallows, such as theGrange HotelandDouble TreebyHilton, and particularly the impressive newCheval Three Quays Residenceslocated on the River Thames. Trinity House has special commercial arrangements in place with these hospitality providers to offer exclusive accommodation rates to bridal parties, and has a special wedding breakfast option in place with Create Food and Party Designstarting at £110per person.

Trinity Houseis one of London's most distinguished and romantic private event venues. The elegant and spacious interiors of the House have the ambience of a grand private residence and are an impressive setting for memorable civil weddings, receptions and celebratory events. Behind the building's imposing neo-classical façade, designed by Samuel Wyatt in 1794, are five graceful banqueting rooms - The Library, The Court Room, The Pepys Room, Luncheon Room and Reading Room catering for formal banqueting ranging in capacity from 10 to 130 places. The House's particularly beautiful Reception Hall, with its sweeping, twin-curved staircase, houses remarkable maritime artefacts that bear testament to the prominent role played by Trinity House in the nation's maritime history. Please visit Trinity House website -www.trinityhouse.co.uk/events- to view a brief film of the facilities.

A comprehensive list of other preferred caterers and service providers is available as well as testimonials from previous wedding celebrants: please visithttp://www.trinityhouse.co.uk/venue_hire/your-event/weddings/wedding-testimonials.html

About Trinity House:

The history of the House is omnipresent and throughout the building, valuable paintings and antiques bear out the nation's remarkable nautical heritage. This chronicle began in 1514 when a young Henry VIII granted the charitable guild of mariners a Royal Charter to regulate the water trafficon the River Thames, their powers later extended by Elizabeth 1 to include the sea-markers around the English coastline.

In its 200 year history, the building has welcomed royalty, prime ministers and Lords of the Admiralty and is today managed by Deputy Master, Captain Ian McNaught. Reflecting the on-going patronage of the Crown, the current Master of the Company is HRH The Princess Royal, filling a role held in former centuries by, amongst others, the diarist Samuel Pepys, the Duke of Wellington, William Pitt and, more recently, The Duke of Edinburgh.

About All Hallows By The Tower:

A Christian church has stood on the site of All Hallows By The Tower for over 1,300 years but even before then, Tower Hill was an important meeting place for people of faiths. The church's saxon undercroft contains the most perfectly preserved tessellated (tiled) Roman pavements in the City of London, thought to be part of the floor of a domestic house in the second century. The Abbey of Barking built a small church on this site in 675AD called ‘All Hallows Berkyngechirche' and a Saxon arch of the southwest corner of the nave still stands.

Three historic chapels are also below ground: the Undercroft Chapel linked to the Knights Templar, the Chapel of St. Francis of Assisi and the Chapel of St. Clare. Three saxon coffins lie in the Undercroft Chapel and standing below the High Altar are altar stones believed to have been brought back from the Knights Templar church of Athlit in Israel around the time of the Crusades.

All Hallows was one of the very few churches to escape the ravages of the Great Fire of London in 1666, due to the quick thinking of Sir William Penn who ordered that the houses standing between the church and the fire and the Navy Offices be blown up to stop it's eastwardly destructive tract. All Hallows subsequently stood supreme until it was hit in the Blitz of the Second World War (as was Trinity House). The current nave was built after the war to blend in with the medieval aisles which survived - an evocative tribute to the church's resilience and endurance.

Of the many treasures and artefacts contained inside, the font cover by Grinling Gibbons made for the church in 1682 is exceptional, as is the Purbeck marble tomb to Alderman John Croke (1477). There are also 17 memorial brasses dating from the 14^thcentury, and valuable registers and documents which survived the Protestant Reformation hidden in a lead cistern and only rediscovered in 1923. These detail a fascinating record of City events including ‘a gunpowder plot'.John Quincy Adams, the sixth president of the USA, was married in All Hallows in 1797 and the Marriage Register entry is on display in the Undercroft Museum, along with the baptismal entry for William Penn who founded Pennsylvania. Please seewww.ahbtt.org.ukfor more detailed information.

Additional Information:

The Corporation of Trinity Housewas incorporated by Royal Charter in 1514 to oversee the improvement of pilotage on the River Thames and manage the welfare of distressed seamen and their dependents. Today it serves the mariner as the General Lighthouse Authority (GLA) for England, Wales and the Channel Islands, with responsibility for nearly 600 aids to navigation, from traditional aids such as lighthouses to the latest satellite navigation technology.

It is also the UK's largest-endowed maritime charity, wholly funded by its endowments, spending around £4m each year on its charitable activities including welfare of mariners, education and training, and the promotion of safety at sea. It is also a Deep Sea Pilotage Authority. Please visitwww.trinityhouse.co.ukfor more information on the Corporation.

For More Information:

Karen Luard[Media]KP Communications - Tel: 07813833724 Email: kp@kpcommunications.co.uk

Zoe RichardsDeputy Events Manager - Tel: 020 7481 6927 Email:zoe.richards@thls.org

The Rev Bertrand OlivierVicar - All Hallows By The Tower Email: bertrand@ahbtt.org.uk