UpArt Photography is run by the lovely Agata, who started the business three years ago. We have had the pleasure of working with Agata on several occasions, including the Mini Wedding Collection back in October 2017, where she not only photographed the event itself, but also captured a styled shoot in our stunning Hayward Room. Below photos: October Mini Wedding Collection ...

Above photos: images 1 and 3 Cornerstone Vision; image 2 Richard Downer Photography We are delighted to announce that we have appointed a new Head Chef to lead our Award winning Restaurant and culinary offer at the hotel, and he’s a familiar face… Following five years of dedication to the Duke, Nicholas Reed was promoted to Head Chef at the beginning of the year. Nick brings passion and creativity to the role, adding delicious new dishes to the menu on a daily basis and with his extensive experience in the catering industry he is the perfect choice to lead the hotel’s food offer forward. Nick’s drive ensures that the Restaurant remains fresh and inviting ...

As one of the Westcountry’s most remarkable wedding venues, the Duke has played a proud part in couples’ love stories. We’re pleased to introduce you to some of the people who have chosen the hotel as the setting for their big day – this time meeting Dawn and Mark Higgins, who got married on 1st September 1990. Mark was serving with the Royal Navy when he proposed to Dawn. While stationed in the US, he had invited Dawn for a holiday, during which he surprised her by popping the question. Mark’s proposal spot was fittingly water-based for a seafaring man – the Mississippi boat ride at Disneyland! The couple were married at Plymouth’s St Andrews Church on a beautifully ...

If you’re a fan of the BBC’s Great British Railway Journeys, you might have seen the Duke of Cornwall Hotel appear in a recent episode. In presenter Michael Portillo’s journey along the South West’s railway network, he stops off to talk to Nigel Voisey, organiser of the Titanic exhibition that starts here at the Duke this weekend. In the programme, Nigel explains the role played by Plymouth, and specifically the Duke of Cornwall, in the tragic story of history’s most notorious cruise liner. Ascending the spiral stairs into the Duke’s tower ahead of his chat with Nigel, Michael Portillo remarks, “What a brilliant place!” and compliments its “superb view”. During Nigel’s interview, he talks about how the hotel welcomed twenty ...

Another month, another awards ceremony for the Duke! This time, we’ve appeared as finalists in the South West’s most prestigious wedding awards. The Duke was on the shortlist along with four other establishments from across the region for the title of best town-based wedding venue at the 2018 South West Wedding Awards. We offer our congratulations to the lovely Tregenna Castle Hotel in St Ives, which took the top prize in the category. Of course, it’s an award we would love to have claimed for ourselves. But we’re honoured to be counted among the cream of the region’s wedding venues. This is a highly competitive category which covers locations stretching from the western reaches of ...

In August 2017 we bid farewell to Bill, a much-loved member of our team (click here to read our blog post). Bill worked at the hotel for thirty years, initially for a contractor and then on a full-time basis once the opportunity arose to employ him eight years ago. At that time, we welcomed Ian, Bill’s former apprentice. Ian has since been busily working away at the hotel, refurbishing bedrooms as well as the public areas. Ian is a fantastic addition to our team, and can always be found with a smile on his face! We took a moment to find out how Ian is finding his role so far. Thank you so ...

The Duke of Cornwall Hotel has for many years provided a dream location for couples celebrating their marriage. We’re pleased to be able to share some of these love stories, both from recent weddings and from those in decades past. This time, we’re shining a spotlight on Jacci and Mike Bowden, a lovely couple who were married here at the hotel on 22nd March 1975. Jacci and Mike had met through mutual friends. Their first date was a cinema trip, an outing that confirmed the couple had similar tastes – they both thought Up Pompeii was a bad film! After romance had blossomed, Mike proposed to Jacci at home, although she admits that her first thought was that ...

Janie is the owner of a fabulous jewellery business, The Lucky Sixpence. As one of our trusted Wedding Partners, we wanted to take a moment to talk to Janie to explore all areas of her business and provide our couples to be with some inspiration! Janie is truly amazing at what she does, offering a range of exquisite pieces as well as bespoke designs. We have worked with Janie on a number of exciting projects including our Wedding Collections and stylised photo shoots and always receive fantastic feedback on her beautiful pieces. ...

We’ve done it again! Adding to our award last month for fine dining, we’ve just gained another accolade for our collection – this time for our qualities as a business venue. The Duke won Bronze in the ‘Venue & Business Tourism’ category at the 2017 Devon Tourism Awards in a swish ceremony held last night at Plymouth Guildhall and attended by hundreds of representatives from the world of hospitality. It’s a significant achievement for us at the Duke, as we faced stiff competition from across the county to be shortlisted in the top three – the only Plymouth business tourism venue to achieve this. The awards were presented in a glitzy ceremony by arctic explorer ...