On an English island once favored by Queen Victoria, Benedict Cumberbatchand
Sophie Hunter wed in a tasteful affair fit for a titled resident of Downton
Abbey.
On Saturday, the duo exchanged vows at the Church of St. Peter and St. Paul
in Mottistone, England. The location is a medieval church dating back to the
12th century.
Mottistone is located on the Isle of Wight, England's largest island and the
former home of famed poet Alfred, Lord Tennyson, as well as Queen Victoria, who
built a summer residence there with her husband, Prince Albert.
"It's a beautiful setting and very old English, very quaint and pretty," a
local tells PEOPLE of the church where they swapped vows on Valentine's Day.
"The church is not that big ... I would say maybe 100 people maximum would fit
in there."
St. Peter and St. Paul's Church in Mattistone, England.
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About 40 guests were seen arriving at the church Saturday along with several
limousines around the Mottistone estate.
The couple did not use the church's organist to play for the wedding. Locals
confirmed that they didn't use the church's florist or a Mottistone baker.
Night Before the Wedding
The Isle of Wight County Press reports that the The Imitation Game actor and
Oscar nominee, 38, spent Friday evening at the Royal Yacht Squadron in nearby
Cowes, a prestigious yacht club that counts Queen Elizabeth II as a patron.
Prince Philip serves as the club's admiral, according to the squadron'sofficial
website.
The private-members club is a roughly 30 minute drive from the church.
"It's a private members club and very private so I'm sure it was perfect for
him," islander Ross Findon told PEOPLE.
Representatives for the Royal Yacht Squadron were not available for
comment.
The Reception
After the ceremony, the couple and their guests headed to a reception at
adjacent Mottistone Manor, which is now owned by the country's National
Trust.
The 650-acre estate holds historical significance as it was first mentioned
in Britain's famed Domesday Book, a survey of England dating back to 1086. (Yes,
you read that correctly.) The oldest parts of the home that currently stands on
the estate date back to the 15th century.
The gardens of Mottistone Manor
COURTESY ISLE OF WIGHT COUNTY PRESS
"It's a beautiful place and the gardens are very picturesque," Findon who
spotted the groom in nearby Cowes just last weekend, tells PEOPLE. "There are
sprawling lawns surrounding by roses, a nearby woodland with a stunning bluebell
meadow that is really special. It's a very romantic little spot."
A local tells PEOPLE Hunter's family is related to the Nicholsons, who once
owned Mottistone Manor and now live on the estate as tenants.
"Sophie is one of the Nicholsons, which is why they have chosen to have it
here," the local source says. "The Nicholson family used to own the manor until
they sold it to the National Trust ... It's a beautiful house."
Another local tells PEOPLE that Sophie's great grandmother, also named
Sophie, is the sister of first Lord Mottistone, General Jack Seely, the famous
World War I hero and friend of Winston Churchill. Current tenant Lord Charles
Nicholson has a house in Hampshire and not there all the time. His father used
to live there permanently after he retired.
Yet in traditional British fashion, locals aren't making a giant fuss about
the couple's hush-hush nuptials.
"Honestly people just aren't that bothered about it, so there's been no big
'talk of the town' or anything like that," says the source.
However, the source says locals have spotted "deliveries coming and going" on
"lorries" (that's trucks to us Americans).
"The manor is right opposite the church so it will be very private," the
source adds, "which I'm sure was the intention."
The Guests
Well-dressed guests were seen making their way to the reception after the
church ceremony. This included actor Tom Hiddleston, who was seen in traditional
morning dress while walking alongside a woman in a red ensemble.
Tom Hiddleton and a guest at Benedict Cumberbatch's wedding
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Cumberbatch's Sherlock nemesis, Andrew Scott, was also spotted walking with
guest.
One famous Brit who wasn't there was Dame Judi Dench.
The actress, 80, was in London promoting her upcoming movie The Second Best
Exotic Marigold Hotel, says she hopes Benedict Cumberbatch and Sophie Hunter are
having a "lovely day."
Dench has known Cumberbatch since he was "tiny" as she was at Central School
of Music and Drama with his mother. Talking as grey skies and showers hovered
over London and the south of England, she tells PEOPLE, "I wish they'd had a
better day. I hear it's on the Isle of Wight – well, that's lovely. I expect
they're having a lovely day anyway."