Couple become first to renew wedding vows on Oxford's Castle Mound
Friends and family gathered at the unique ceremony on the couple's 39th wedding anniversary
Last updated 6th Aug 2025
A council worker and his wife have become the first known couple to renew their wedding vows on Oxford’s Castle Mound.
Tim Stimpson MBE, who has worked in facilities management Oxfordshire County Council for 32 years, renewed his vows with his wife Jeanette at 3pm on Saturday, July 26.
Mr Stimpson has been looking at Castle Mound from his office window for years, and said that some people have called it his back garden.
Friends and family gathered at the ceremony, which took place on the exact date, day and time of their 39th wedding anniversary.
It is believed to be the first of its kind to take place on top of the ancient mound.
He first asked his wife Jeanette about renewing their vows on the mound while on holiday in Tenerife last October.
He said: “When I found out it had never been done, I sprung the question on my wife.
“She said ‘that’s a bit unique, let’s do it’.”
He got in touch with Oxford Preservation Trust, which lease the mound from the county council which owns the land, and obtained permission to hold the ceremony.
When asked why he chose to renew their vows on their 39th anniversary instead of waiting for their 40th, he said he wanted to get married on the same day and at the same time as their wedding.
He added that the next time their anniversary would take place on a Saturday would be in six years’ time, by which time the county council would have relocated from County Hall to Speedwell House.
“The stars all seemed to align so I could do it on that day”, Mr Stimpson added.
The Counties Registration Service performed the ceremony, and representatives from the Oxford Preservation Trust were also in attendance.
The couple, who now live in Appleton, first got married in Leeds in 1986.
Mr Stimpson said: “It was nice to bring the ceremony to Oxford, where I’ve lived all my life.
“We have three children and four grandchildren who weren’t at our wedding, so it’s about showing them what it’s all about.
“It’s like bringing a bit of new history into Oxford.
“Everyone was cheering, and it was a very friendly atmosphere from when we got married in 1986.
“There’s a hope that lots of people will want to get married here. It may start a trend – who knows.”
Oxfordshire County Council has sold its current headquarters at County Hall, which will be turned into a hotel.
The authority plans to move to Speedwell House in 2027.