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.

21/06/2026

There was something magical about climbing to the top of White Horse Hill at 4.00am to watch the sunrise on the Summer Solstice.

Unsurprisingly, we weren’t alone. Small groups of people sat quietly on the hillside, all facing east, as the colours in the sky slowly changed from soft yellow to deep red and finally a burning orange. The fields below were shrouded in mist, skylarks sang overhead, the temperature dipped, and then, slowly, the sun revealed itself above the horizon.

The sun rises every day, but how often do we actually stop to watch it? For us, this was a wonderful way to begin the longest day of the year. ☀️ 🧡

19/06/2026

🚐 Last-Minute Riverside Getaway – Pitch Available This Weekend

I've had a cancellation on my popular Cricket Bat Field caravan site at Radcot, Oxfordshire, OX18 2SX, and now have a five-night pitch available from Friday 19th June to Wednesday 24th June.

This peaceful 3-acre riverside field, with avenues of tall cricket bat willow trees, is a basic, back-to-nature site (no electric hook-up) bordered by the River Thames on two sides. It's the perfect base for walking the Thames Path, exploring the Cotswolds, or simply relaxing by the water.

Fish or launch a paddleboard from the riverbank, watch the boats and swans, or enjoy a meal or drink at the riverside pub just a few minutes' walk away.

Only £15 per night.

To book, visit www.friarscourt.com or call Charles on 01367 810206.

CAMC members only. Local rod licence can be provided on request.

16/06/2026

I do enjoy it when someone tells me they’ve spotted something interesting on the farm that I knew nothing about.

David F, who was staying in his campervan on the Cricket Bat Field, got in touch to tell me he’d found a Pyramidal Orchid growing in one of my meadows. He must have keen eyes, the meadow covers 25 acres, spotting this tiny flower amongst the tall grass was quite an achievement. Thank goodness he marked its location using What3Words, as I’d never have found it myself when I went to take a look.

The orchid itself isn’t particularly rare, but where it was found makes the discovery interesting. Pyramidal Orchids are more commonly associated with chalk grassland, so finding one growing in a riverside meadow on the Thames floodplain, with its silty soils, is an unexpected surprise.

It’s a beautiful flower to look at, and even more fascinating when you realise that what appears to be a single flower spike is made up of tiny individual flowers. And it’s purple, which is my favourite colour 💜

For many years this meadow has been managed to create a restored wetland habitat for wildlife. Whether this orchid arrived by chance or as a result of that management, I couldn’t say. Whatever the reason, it feels like an encouraging sign that the meadow is continuing to develop as habitat for a broader variety of plant life.

Thank you David for sharing your discovery.

12/06/2026

“What do you actually do?” is a question I’ve been asked many times over the years.

“I bumble about” is usually my stock response. Partly because there’s no easy answer, partly because every day is different, and partly because I seem to spend my life bouncing from one job to another.

It’s easy to lose sight of just how many different things happen at Friars Court, so I thought I’d sit down and make a list of the main activities.

Life here is incredibly varied and it has certainly kept me busy over the years. Of course, none of it would be possible without the help and support of some wonderful people (they know who they are), and who are kind enough to put up with me whenever I change my mind (which is often) go into one of my occasional flaps (which is very often).

Looking over the list I suppose the thing that surprises me most isn’t how much there is to do, but that somehow it all just comes together and ‘works’.

And while I do have the occasional sleepless night, I wouldn’t have it any other way.

10/06/2026

“I can resist everything except temptation,” wrote Oscar Wilde in his play Lady Windermere’s Fan.

And that has been my downfall these last two days with the slices of cake left over from the recent open day constantly tempting me with their deliciousness.

But no more... a case of late-night munchies now means all the cake has gone — that’s it until the next time I do some baking 😉.

Which will be soon, as I have some private tours booked in the diary and then I’ll be whipping up more scones, lemon drizzle and perhaps some gingerbread 🍰😋

Yes, I really do need to burn it off 🏃😅

As for Ginger….. he’s not a cake-loving 🐈 😂

08/06/2026

Thank you, thank you, thank you to everyone who came to my National Garden Scheme open day. And what a day.

The build-up is always nerve-racking. I never quite know how many people will come and, after one of my recent posts unexpectedly went [for me] viral (an experience I found both exciting and unnerving), I had even less idea of what to expect.

As always, I worried far more than I needed to. Hence, I was up at 5am on Sunday, baking scones while my partner David busied himself setting up tables and chairs and taking care of all the finishing touches that I hadn’t gotten round to doing (he’s more organised than me).

At 2.00pm, the gates opened and the cars started arriving….and they just kept coming. David, ably assisted by friends Sarah, Damian, Jane, Rachel, Roger and Jen, took charge of the parking with military precision. It was just as well we enlarged the car park on Thursday, as it soon filled. I was in the garden oblivious to this, chatting to visitors as they arrived.

Out of the 160 scones I baked that morning, nearly all were eaten, along with almost every slice of cake. Fortunately a few slices of my favourite cakes were leftover so I didn’t miss out completely. A huge thank you to Paul and Siekse of Sadlers, and all their team for running the teas so efficiently.

And most importantly of all it didn’t rain!

Finally, thank you to those who came for your support and your kind comments about the gardens. It was a pleasure to share Friars Court with so many people. If you missed this open day, do keep an eye on my website (link in my bio) for details of future openings.

Alternatively, gather a few friends together and arrange a private visit. I’d be delighted to show you around my gardens, after which you can enjoy one of my cream teas with homemade scones and lemon drizzle cake. What’s not to like?

07/06/2026

It was an early start this morning when I started baking for today’s NGS open day.

160 scones made, as well as a batch of gluten & dairy-free ones ☺️. And there’s cake too.

📍Friars Court, Clanfield, Oxfordshire, OX18 2SU

Gates open at 2pm until 5pm.
£4 adults, children free

Address

Bampton
OX182SU

Telephone

01367 810206

Website

http://www.friarscourt.com/

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