THE leading UK wedding venue management group behind Shrawley’s Curradine Barns has strengthened its portfolio with another Worcestershire acquisition.

Artemis has signed a long-term lease on Crumplebury, an exclusive-use property on the renowned Whitbourne Estate near Worcester, taking its growing portfolio to 14.

Crumplebury launched in November 2019 following a £3m design-and-build project by the Evans family which has owned the 1,500-acre estate since the 1800s.

For the past five years, Crumplebury has hosted weddings, marque car launches and exclusive events alongside its acclaimed restaurant Green Cow Kitchens.

“We’re absolutely delighted to have entered into this partnership with Crumplebury,” said Stuart Owens, Artemis managing director sales and marketing.

Artemis CEO Angus Hastie, an ex-pupil of King’s School Worcester, says the group is actively seeking new partnerships with other well-established, luxury wedding venues.

Joe Evans, owner of the Whitbourne Estate and Crumplebury’s founder, said: “I have had an extremely positive experience dealing with the team at Artemis to kick-start our new commercial partnership.

“Having started the business from scratch, it was a personal wrench to decide to relinquish the operational reins but the transition has been dealt with efficiently and positively.

“Now the full transfer has happened, we look forward to seeing our property soar to new heights as the marketing and operational strength of Artemis beds in.

"Having been approached by several operators in the past, we chose to partner with Artemis because they saw genuine value in the work that we had already done to create a strong brand and, whilst clearly the working practices will evolve, it’s comforting to know that founding values will remain.”