Friars Court

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Stories about my C17th moated home
💍 weddings
🪴garden tours & 🍰 cream teas
🚐 caravans sites

Founded in 1149 by the monastic Knights of St John the current Cotswold stone house has stood on its moated site for over 350 years. Today Friars Court is a thriving conservation farm with woods, wetland and wildlife habitats. Surrounding the house are three acres of part-moated gardens where borders and specimen tree divide the grounds into smaller ‘room like’ areas. To the front of the house are water lily filled moats ponds whilst behind the house a woodland walk lies beyond the imposing Yew Arch and ‘Monet’ style bridge

In the summer the grounds of Friars Court can be visited by arrangement by groups and clubs and there are public open days, check our website for more information. Friars Court is also a licensed wedding venue and further information can be found by visiting either www.silverpearweddings.co.uk or the Silver Pear Weddings page.

07/10/2026

The recent dry spell was perfect for our local contractor, George Edwards Agricultural Services, to come out and cut, bale and wrap my grassland for a late crop of silage.

Good work George, thank you…..and the job was finished done just before the 🌧️ came down which was a huge relief for everyone 😀👍

And what he didn’t know was that, thanks to my drone, he was to play the leading role of my latest reel too 😅

02/10/2026

How well do you know Clanfield?

The Clanfield Archive Group is hosting an open-to-all event at the Carter Institute on Saturday 3rd October, from 2.00pm to 6.00pm. It’s an afternoon of photographs, documents, maps, memories and stories from the village’s past.

There’ll be plenty to look at, and members of the group will be on hand to answer questions and explain more about the work of the archive.

But we’d also like to hear from you.

Do you have an old photograph, document, or other item, stashed away in a drawer that relates to Clanfield? If you have something you’d like to bring along and show us, we’d love to see it. At this early stage of the Clanfield Archive Group we’re simply interested in finding out what’s out there and gauging what people have. If there’s something you’d subsequently like to have copied, documented or considered for the archive, we can talk to you about that another time.

Or maybe you have a story about the village that you think is worth recording. Come along and tell us about it — we’d like to start building a picture of the memories and material that people have, and what might be worth preserving for the future.

There’ll be refreshments too, because what better way to spend an afternoon looking and reminiscing over old photographs than with a cup of tea and a slice of cake.

And at 3pm and again at 5pm, Rosemary Honour-Smith will be repeating her popular ‘Guess the Property’ slideshow featuring houses in Clanfield during the 1960s and 1970s.

So whether you’ve lived in Clanfield all your life, have only recently moved here, or are simply curious about the village and its past, come along and see what you can discover.

Saturday 3rd October 2026 2.00pm – 6.00pm Carter Institute, Clanfield, OX18 2SR Free entry

We look forward to seeing you.

27/09/2026

When I tell someone I’m going to a ploughing match, I normally get a quizzical look, followed by the question:

“You’re going to watch…… ploughing? Why?”

Because, as weird as it sounds, it’s a great day out and it’s a traditional annual outing.

It’s not just tractors going up and down in a field….. although that is a quintessential part of the day….. it’s more than this. It’s about seeing the different methods used over the years all brought together in one place.

It’s seeing the old equipment and machinery, lovingly restored and cared for, and watching friends enjoy the gentle competition of trying to do a better furrow than their neighbour. And this isn’t just one or two people. There are competitors in their hundreds, with classes, and equipment, ranging from horses, steam, vintage and classic machinery through to modern tractors.

And then there’s the main arena, where you can just sit and watch displays of falconry and heavy horses, the chaotic madness that you only get with terrier racing, and the always-popular Tug-of-War between a vintage tractor and a long line of children (and yes, the children won).

Add into the mix the elements of a country show; the trade stands, rural crafts and the social side of things (I kept bumping into people I knew), it’s hugely entertaining too.

The FFF&B Ploughing Match is a wonderful tradition that I have attended every year for as long as I can remember….. and the date of the next one is easy to remember…..

…. it’s ALWAYS held on the last Saturday of September.

So the next question…… will I see you there next year?

25/09/2026

Well, this was an interesting day out!

It was an event hosted by Wild Oxfordshire, which, as you can probably tell from its name, is an Oxfordshire-based charity. Its aim is to bring communities, conservation groups, farmers and landowners together to help support nature recovery across the county.

And today they organised an event which was held at the beautiful Asthall Manor and, after an introduction (which involved tea and cake ), we were invited to join one of several walks and talks taking place around the grounds.
The talk that appealed to me was about owls, and it was fascinating. I learnt a variety of new facts: how their territory may only extend for a few acres, and how they can live in the same territory for years; how some species of owl can breed at different times of the year; and that their feeding habits vary between species.

Did you know that Tawny Owls like voles and frogs, Barn Owls favour mice and shrews, while the diet of the Little Owl often includes insects and other invertebrates? I didn’t.

I also learnt that when installing an owl box it’s important to position it somewhere that avoids excessive direct sunlight and heat (northeast facing is apparently the best direction), and that the box only needs to be a few metres above the ground as owls don’t actually fly that high. All common sense when you think about it, but I hadn’t thought about it before.

But one of the unexpected highlights of the talk was that, without warning, a Barn Owl flew across the meadow right in front of us. What a treat.

Asthall Manor was a delight to visit with its ethos about regenerative land care, organic food growing and art. If you’d like to visit yourself have a look at their bio for details of their open days and events.

22/09/2026

From roots to branches, you grow.

A story which some people know, but some may not, is that I’m the youngest of three children. Sadly I lost both my sisters before I was 15 years old. Mary passed away in 1975, aged just 8, from leukaemia, while my eldest sister, Carol, died in a road accident in Australia when she was 18.

These two events deeply affected both my parents and me, but from that tragedy my sisters’ memory has been preserved. For my parents created the Carol & Mary Trust, and over the decades the Trust has been used to support a variety of charities which have a special meaning to us.

This year, I’m delighted to be helping and supporting Root and Branch

Located on an organic farm, Root and Branch near Watchfield, is a rural craft centre providing a safe and supportive environment for people experiencing mental health difficulties. It’s a place where participants can take part in therapeutic and creative activities such as gardening, woodwork and cookery. This gives them the opportunity to learn new skills, spend time outdoors, make friends and, perhaps most importantly, rebuild confidence. Because for anyone who has experienced mental health difficulties, or knows someone who has, they will understand how important these things can be.

Today helpers, volunteers and participants from Root and Branch came down to Friars Court, and for nearly three hours they explored my gardens, sat, chatted, relaxed, and enjoyed a cup of tea and some of my homemade sweet treats. It was lovely not only to meet them but to also hear more about what they do. And their gift of one of their handcrafted bird boxes was so thoughtful and gratefully received (and it will be placed somewhere high so Ginger can’t reach it).

It means a lot to me to support this charity and I look forward to seeing more of Root and Branch over the coming year.

13/09/2026

We all know this summer has been very hot, and very dry, and gardeners around the country have seen how their plants have suffered and hoping they’ll bounce back.

I’ve had more than a few plants of my own that have struggled, but the thing that has worried me more than anything has been one of the pair of tall yew trees at the front of the house which started to show signs of stress. At first it was just a few strands of brown but then, very suddenly and within a matter of weeks, the whole of the tree looked very unwell 😬

These two trees have been a prominent feature at the entrance of my home for so long - they were first documented in a photograph back in 1904, and were mature even then. Yews are known to live for years, centuries even, but as one expert told me, everything has a lifespan, and the extremes of the last two summers may have shortened the life of this tree.

The only remedial plan we have for now is to remove the wires that maintain its shape, opening it up and allowing the air to pass through. Apart from that the consensus is that I should just to sit, and wait, and see what happens next Spring.

That’s easier said than done.

For while I know it’s only a tree, it’s one of a pair, I’ve seen them every day and I’ll be very sad should one of them have to go 😔. We all like to live in hope, so I’m keeping every finger crossed that next year it may show some signs of recovery 🤞🙏 as, for now, I don’t want to think about the only other option.

08/09/2026

Do you want to read about visiting royalty, fierce battles, or celebrity sleepovers?

……alas, none of those have happened at Friars Court – at least, not that I’m aware!

Instead, Friars Court has quietly, and rather unassumingly, slipped through the centuries with just the occasional mention in the history books.

Friars Court began life in 1149, when it was established as a hospitallery by the Knights of St John, and it was from here, for 400 years, members of the Order cared for travellers.

From the road, not many people are aware of what’s hidden behind the trees, but after driving around the farm buildings and crossing the cattle grid, you have your first glimpse of Friars Court. Although its origins date back to the C12th, the building was substantially enlarged in the C17th creating the slightly imposing Cotswold stone house, covered in Virginia creeper and with tall stone pillars standing proud at the entrance, that you see today.

Friars Court has been my family’s home for over a century, and I’ve lived here all my life too. Over the years, I’ve been fortunate to have various people come in to research its history, and every time someone does, they always seem to unearth another little snippet of information that I didn’t know before. Because while I may have lived here all my life, Friars Court still manages to surprise me with one of its many ‘quirks’.

There is a saying that with some houses, you’re never really its owner; you’re just its custodian, looking after it for the next generation. I plan on being here for some time to come but, in the meantime, I’m continuing to piece together its history, so that whoever comes after me can hopefully enjoy reading Friars Court’s story as much as I have enjoyed discovering it.

At almost 900 years, Friars Court’s story – the house, the gardens, the farm, and my own (albeit the slightly lesser 56 years) – are all far from over, and there are so many elements still waiting to be told.

I just need to find the words to tell them 🤔

04/09/2026

Picture this… I’m hosting a small, intimate, wedding ceremony, with just the couple and six guests gathered on my lawn. The couple start to exchange their vows when, out of nowhere, an unexpected guest walks in.

Ginger 🐈

Normally shy of strangers I could only look on in mild horror as he sauntered across the lawn, tail in air, and went over to say hello to the registrar. No amount of psst’ing from me was going to stop him.

At first I thought he might just curl up under the table and stay there. But no… he walked out the other side and wandered over to rub himself against the groom’s legs, hoping for attention. There was absolutely nothing I could do apart from thinking ‘I hope he likes cats’.

Not getting any attention from the groom (who was otherwise preoccupied), Ginger then decided to have a sniff around the guests’ chairs (I’m sure I heard some giggling at this point), before sauntering off. But even then he was still taking centre stage, in full view of everyone, despite being in the background.

I think we can safely say that cats have minds of their own. Once they’ve decided to do something, there’s very little you can do to persuade them otherwise.

So, what would you say if Ginger walked in during your wedding?!

Address

Bampton
OX18 2SU

Telephone

01367 810206

Website

http://www.friarscourt.com/

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