OXFORD is set to have a new wedding venue following an application by the Bodleian Library for a licence to hold civil marriage ceremonies.

But the Bod, as it is known to students, was quick to point out that weddings would not actually take place in the library itself.

Spokesman Sarah Henderson said: “We already hire out the Divinity School for wedding receptions and other functions and it has been very popular, particularly for wedding receptions of alumni, so it seemed logical to apply for a licence so that we could do the whole thing.”

She said the Divinity School, built in 1488 as a room for teaching divinity, was now a ceremonial room used to offer hospitality to the university's distinguished visitors on special occasions. “It has never been a library — it was a teaching room originally.”

She added: “We are proud of our lovely buildings and we are pleased that we can share them in a way that benefits everyone and enables us to raise funds for outreach work.”

Anyone who hires the building — and the royal announcement is likely to spark an increase in 2011 weddings — must promise not to damage the historic fabric.

However, the cost might put it out of the reach of some brides and bridegrooms without a royal budget. The hourly rate is £395, with an off-npeak winter wedding venue rate for 2011 of £325.

If the application is accepted, the Bodleian will join a other university venues licensed to hold civil wedding ceremonies, including the Ashmolean and Natural History museums, Rhodes House, Mansfield College and St Edmund Hall. Oxford Brookes University already has a licence for Headington Hill Hall.