Tankersley Manor weddings: a photographer’s guide
Quick Answer
Tankersley Manor is a 17th-century Yorkshire manor house wedding venue in Tankersley, Barnsley, with two ceremony spaces: the Crook Barn (up to 90 guests, exposed beams and stone walls) and the Tankersley Suite (up to 200 for the breakfast, 250 in the evening). It’s set in mature grounds next to the Trans Pennine Trail, with woodland and stone walls that photograph beautifully.
I’m Tim, a Barnsley wedding photographer with more than 20 years behind the camera. Tankersley Manor is one of the closest wedding venues to my base and I know the building and grounds well. This guide walks you through everything from a photography perspective: which ceremony space works best for different-sized weddings, where to shoot portraits and what timings give us the best light through the year.
Where is Tankersley Manor?
Tankersley Manor sits on Church Lane in Tankersley, Barnsley, S75 3DQ. It’s five minutes off junction 36 of the M1, which makes it one of the easiest Barnsley venues for out-of-town guests to find. From Barnsley town centre, you’re looking at about a 10 minute drive.
The hotel is part of the Mercure group but it’s a proper 17th-century manor house rather than a modern hotel build, which means you get the character of an old Yorkshire stone building with the convenience of a full-service hotel around it.
Which ceremony space should I choose at Tankersley Manor?
Tankersley Manor has two main ceremony spaces, and the choice comes down to guest numbers and the feel you want.
The Crook Barn is the more characterful of the two. Exposed wooden beams, original stone walls, fairy-lit beams and a cosy, romantic atmosphere. It holds up to 90 guests for the ceremony and 60 for an intimate wedding breakfast, or up to 100 guests for the evening celebration. For smaller weddings or couples who want something with more personality, the barn wins every time.
The Tankersley Suite is the bigger space. It seats up to 200 guests for the wedding breakfast and 250 for the evening, and it has its own private entrance, bar, foyer and courtyard. The decor is neutral with ornate chandeliers, which means it photographs beautifully and suits whatever colour scheme you’ve picked.
For larger weddings, couples often do the ceremony in the suite and reception in the same room after a turnaround. For smaller weddings, the barn for the ceremony and then moving into one of the dining rooms for the breakfast works really well.
Where are the best photo spots at Tankersley Manor?
The grounds are one of the most underrated things about this venue. You’ve got the 17th-century manor house itself, mature woodland, stone walls, and the Trans Pennine Trail runs right alongside the property. Four spots I come back to every time.
The manor house exterior. Classic Yorkshire stone, ivy in places, mullioned windows. The front of the building gives you proper country-house wedding photos without the drive of going somewhere like Wentworth or Bolton Abbey.
The courtyard. Attached to the Tankersley Suite, this works well for evening shots and confetti throws. Stone walls on two sides give you a contained, characterful backdrop.
The woodland edge. The grounds run up against mature trees. Ten minutes in the woods gives you completely different couple portraits from anything shot inside, with soft dappled light in summer and bare dramatic trees in winter.
The Trans Pennine Trail. Just a short walk from the main building, this gives you open countryside and big skies. I’ll often take couples out here for 15 minutes while guests are having drinks. It’s one of the few Barnsley venues where you can walk from the ceremony to open countryside in under five minutes.
What’s the Crook Barn like for wedding photography?
The barn is genuinely beautiful to shoot in. The beams are the main feature, and I’ll usually position myself so they’re visible in the ceremony shots, especially the walk-down-the-aisle and first-kiss moments. Light is mixed, with some natural light coming through the barn’s windows and the fairy-lit beams providing warmth after dark.
I do bring extra off-camera lighting for the evening in the barn because the fairy lights are lovely but they’re not bright enough on their own for fast-moving first dance shots. That’s all set up discreetly so no one notices it working.
What timings work best at Tankersley Manor?
A typical Tankersley Manor day looks like this:
- Morning: Bridal prep on site or nearby
- 1pm: Ceremony in the Crook Barn or Tankersley Suite
- 1.30pm to 3pm: Drinks reception in the courtyard or gardens, couple portraits and family groups
- 3pm or 3.30pm: Wedding breakfast
- 7pm onwards: Evening guests, first dance, party
For summer weddings, a 1pm ceremony gives us golden hour portraits around 7pm, which is my favourite time of day to photograph couples in the woodland or on the trail. For winter, pulling the ceremony forward to 12pm is worth doing because the light goes by 3.30pm and we want outdoor shots in daylight.
Is there accommodation at Tankersley Manor?
Yes, the hotel has bedrooms on site as well as a spa, which is a nice touch for the morning of the wedding. Bridal prep in one of the rooms, a couple of spa appointments for the bridal party the day before, and most of your close family can stay over. Evening guests who’ve had a drink don’t need to worry about driving home, which makes the whole day more relaxed for everyone.
Why do wedding photographers like working at Tankersley Manor?
Three things for me. The Crook Barn is genuinely one of the prettiest ceremony spaces in the Barnsley area and never feels like a function room. The grounds give you four or five completely different backdrops without a long walk. And the venue staff are used to working around photographers, which makes the day run smoothly. Nobody’s rushing me, nobody’s in the way of my shots.
Who should I book for my Tankersley Manor wedding?
Most couples I work with have the venue first, then start lining up the rest. If you want recommendations for florists, bands, DJs, videographers or celebrants who already know Tankersley Manor well, give me a shout. I’ve worked with most of them over the years and I can tell you who’s good value and who delivers.
Tankersley is on my doorstep, so there are no travel fees for weddings here. For more on the area, have a read of my Barnsley wedding guide, or head to my contact page to check availability.
Frequently asked questions
How do I get to Tankersley Manor?
Tankersley Manor is on Church Lane, Tankersley, Barnsley S75 3DQ, five minutes off junction 36 of the M1. Barnsley town centre is about 10 minutes away by car.
Which ceremony room is best for a smaller wedding at Tankersley Manor?
The Crook Barn is the best option for smaller weddings. It holds up to 90 guests for the ceremony and up to 60 for an intimate wedding breakfast, and it has the most character of the ceremony spaces.
Can I have an outdoor ceremony at Tankersley Manor?
The licensed ceremony spaces are the Crook Barn and the Tankersley Suite. An outdoor blessing or symbolic ceremony in the grounds is possible, but the legal bit needs to happen inside.
Does Tankersley Manor have a spa?
Yes, there’s a spa on site, which a lot of bridal parties book into the day before for a relaxing morning. Handy if you want to include that in the run-up to the wedding.
How long should the couple portrait session take at Tankersley Manor?
Twenty to 30 minutes is plenty. The grounds are compact enough that we can cover the manor front, courtyard, woodland edge and Trans Pennine Trail without anyone feeling like they’re missing their own wedding.
Are there any tricky times of year to photograph weddings at Tankersley Manor?
The grounds look beautiful year-round. Late autumn gives you dramatic colour in the woodland, winter strips the trees back for very moody portraits, and spring and summer give you the fullest greenery. The only consideration is winter daylight, which is why I recommend an earlier ceremony for December to February weddings.
