Our 2025 at Worton Park: A Year in Review
It’s been a busy year on the park as we’ve completed so many exciting projects. The year started with the renovation project in the Farmhouse with our other holiday cottages getting some extra tlc throughout the year too. On the park we continued our long standing tradition of hosting a hugely successful Macmillan Coffee Morning. Our events venue, Worton Hall also had another amazing year and hosted another fantastic wedding fair and styled shoot. On the farm we’ve welcomed new livestock and continued our work protecting the environment.
Holiday Cottages:
It’s been a hugely successful year for our holiday cottages welcoming over 3,500 guests! Some of this popularity was definitely due to our renovation of The Farmhouse which reopened in April. It involved replacing the old conservatory with an elegant orangery, carpeting the upstairs and upgrading the furniture and furnishings to make the house much more welcoming and cosy. You can read all about it here.
Throughout the year we also completed projects and added new furnishings to all of our cottages to bring a fresh look to each of the houses. Manor House saw one of the most notable transformations, with its master bathroom undergoing essential repairs and a complete remodelling matching the elegant style of the new bathrooms in The Farmhouse. The master bedroom also received new furnishings chosen to complement its rich purple carpet which really brings a cohseive feel to the room.
Coach House received brand new furniture to enhance comfort and style, while the top floor of Woodstock Manor was refreshed with a new carpet. Stable Cottage and The Dovecote both enjoyed vibrant makeovers featuring fresh paint and new furnishings, revitalising the look and feel of these charming cottages. Finally, over at Hillcrest, we added a brand new blackboard in the outdoor cabin adding to this already fantastic social space.
We’re also incredibly proud to share that several of our cottages (Manor House, Stable Cottage, The Farmhouse, Woodstock Manor and Hillcrest) achieved the prestigious 4 Star Gold Award from Visit England! This recognition highlights properties that not only meet a high standard but exceed expectations through cleanliness, exceptional presentation, thoughtful touches and an enhanced guest experience.
The Park:
This year has been a busy and rewarding one on the Business Park. The sunny weather meant that we could all enjoy the swimming pool and tennis court more often, the orchard was full of fruit and the seasonal blooms were stunning. The beauty and success of this year on the park was a testament to the hardwork the team have put in to make sure that facilities have been maintained and improved. The facilities were open ontime and maintained, the tenants were supported with the park allotment, and gardening and seasonal planting were carried out to keep the grounds looking vibrant year-round. Essential compliance and maintenance work has also continued throughout the year to keep the park running safely and efficiently.
In September, we continued our long-standing tradition of hosting our annual Macmillan Coffee Morning, which was a fantastic success once again. We managed to raise £978.47 thanks to the generosity of our tenants and visitors.
We were also pleased to bring back a Christmas tree to the park which we last had in 2023, bringing the festive spirit to the site.
We’re ending the year on a positive note and look forward to welcoming new tenants joining us in the New Year.
The Farm:
Our core mission to protect and enhance the natural environment has continued across the farm this year. We welcomed additional cows to the land and leased new areas for grazing sheep, strengthening the sustainable management of our farmland
Most of our land remains closed to the public to ensure nature can go undisturbed. This approach led to one of the year’s most exciting moments when the Upper Thames Curlew Recovery Project observed a pair of critically endangered Curlews successfully hatching chicks on our land.
On the park we do our best to nurture any life. Swallows nest every year in our old stable blocks before migrating back to Africa, bird and owl boxes are installed throughout the park and wildflowers have been planted to support bees, pollinators and insects.
On our sister site in Thrupp, we continued our woodland stewardship through a series of pollarding projects in the Thrupp Community Woodland. Pollarding is important as it encourages new growth when dead limbs are removed and allows more sunlight more sunlight to reach the ground beneath the tree, which can support a wider variety of plants below.
Worton Hall
Worton Hall has enjoyed a standout year, hosting a wide range of weddings, celebrations and corporate events. More than 5,800 guests walked through the doors, 24 couples celebrated their weddings with us and we’ve worked with over 250 suppliers to help make these events happen. The year also brought some fun firsts, including a horse at a wedding and a corporate away day featuring puppy therapy.
The Hall continues to develop its offering with the streamlining of our corporate and Christmas party packages. The Farmhouse and Stable Cottage also act as our wedding accomodation which both received significant updates. We also launched a brand new blog filled with planning ideas and inspiration. Creativity flowed throughout the year, with two styled shoots capturing themes such as Bridgerton-inspired romance and rustic country charm in our first and Timeless Elegance for our second just last month. Wedding fairs proved incredibly successful, and the team proudly celebrated two industry award wins, including a Highly Commended title at the Guides for Brides Customer Service Awards.
It has been a year filled with creativity, celebration and connection at Worton Hall, and we are excited to build on this momentum as we look ahead to 2026.
Final Thoughts:
This year feels like it has gone by in a flash and it’s because we’ve done so much in that time! Holiday let renovations, supporting wildlife, hosting amazing events and building on the hard work already done on the park! We can’t wait to do and show even more in 2026 and beyond!