I was recently involved in the collaboration of a bridal shoot for the day at a fabulously restored Edwardian water pumping station – practically sat right on the edge of Sherwood Forest in Ollerton Nottinghamshire.
Originally called the “Boughton Pumping Station” the building was a statement of the times when it was originally designed by W.B Starr in 1905 for the Nottingham Corporation Water Department. At its operational peak, it was estimated to have been pumping over 20 million gallons of water through it a day! It's rare character with the ornate red brickwork both externally and internally was built to last in an era of originality and expertise that is sadly lost today. Even after over 100 years has passed, the grand brick chimney of the building is still today a distinguishing local landmark.
After being taken over by Severn Trent Water, it was granted grade II listing in 1974 due to its overall splendor, uniqueness and the craftsmanship involved in building it. Today it is aptly called “The Pumping House” and has been restored to a very high standard including many of the original features whilst sporting acres of woodland and open space - perfect for filming, photography, weddings and events.
Definitely worth checking out if you’re getting married and looking for a wedding venue.
The whole collaboration involved a great mix of accomplished suppliers and I was excited at seeing the results of our work later in the finished images. We arrived early and the building looked as grandiose and beautifully charming as when I had visited previously – maybe even more so as luckily it was a dry and sunny day.
The colour scheme for this particular shoot included a palette of dusky blue, copper and peach tones which was very in keeping for springtime.
Makeup was kept natural and pretty so I decided to keep the skin fresh and slightly dewy looking.
I used light champagne and copper tones on the eyes with a slight shimmer going through.
Pinky peach tones were used on the lips with a little gloss on top to add some shine.
Cheeks were slightly rosy using a soft pink blush and highlighted above to give that extra glow.
THE SHOOT WENT TO PLAN AND EVERYTHING CAME TOGETHER PERFECTLY WITH SOME REMARKABLE AND EYE CATCHING END RESULTS.
The shoot has also very recently been featured in "Rock My Wedding".
Meet the Team
Venue – Pumping House, Ollerton
Stylists – Save the Date Event Stylist
Makeup artist – Myself - Caroline Kent
Photography - Pear & Bear Photography
Hair stylist – Karis Hairdressing
Dresses – Luna Bride
Shoes – Rachel Simpson
Flowers – Catkin Flowers
Cake – Cottonwood Bakery
Silk ribbon and table runner – Pompom Blossom
Nails – Nikki Drury session manicurist
Calligraphy – Kayleigh Tarrant
Models – Amy Connor and Jade Hilton