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A Rustic Wedding Venue in Wiltshire

Bowerchalke Barn is a timeless 16th century thatched threshing barn surrounded by unspoilt rolling chalke hills of the Wiltshire countryside. Set in 1200 acres of farmland where Wiltshire meets Dorset and only 10 miles from the medieval market city of Salisbury. The Barn offers a unique and picturesque countryside venue for your wedding celebrations or event.

BARN FLOORPLAN

A traditional barn with plenty of character

The Barn has a spectacular exposed timber frame structure made of elm wood, covered by a vast thatched roof. Three large double opening doors and one main sliding door that leads out onto the surrounding fields and a farm courtyard. Three wrought iron chandeliers, hand crafted by our resident blacksmith hang along the centre of the barn with ten mounted candle holders each.

Ideally located between Wiltshire & Dorset

Bowerchalke Barn is part of a larger farm, set in the stunning countryside near Cranborne Chase, awarded the title of ‘area of outstanding natural beauty’. With rolling chalke down banks, a natural amphitheatre, far reaching views, woodlands and a hidden lake, you can escape from the busy bustle of the city and enjoy a peaceful escape to the country. The farm has been host to a huge array of events over the years, with good access and transport links and relatively close to London, it provides a unique setting.

Equipped with facilities to make your event perfect

The barn is surrounded by fields to be used for photos, field games, host a bale seated ceremony and our large fire pit for the wedding party. To keep in theme with our beautiful rustic barn, we have a large oak barrel bar, banquet tables and lime washed crossed back chairs and our very own luxury shepherds hut toilets. The newly refurbished fully fitted kitchen sits next to the barn and will ensure your chosen caterers have everything they need to meet your catering expectations.

A History of Bowerchalke Barn

The Barn was once part of the larger Cranbourne Chase estate in the 1600 AD and at one time the barn and the nearby pub The Bell Inn were the only significant structures for miles around. The Barn is now part of Knowle Farm, owned by the Mann family, which was bought by Capt Douglas Mann in 1970’s. It’s a working farm with around 600 sheep, 50 Dexter cows, 700 acres of arable land as well as woodland and chalke down banks to look after.

Bowerchalke Barn outside view

The barn was constructed in 1690, built from locally sourced Elm. It has eight bays with two threshing floors and is one of the largest of its kind in the county. Carts would access the floors via large double opening doors, two to the north and two to the south of the building. Farmers would thresh the grain harvest over winter, winnow it, then sacked it up to be stored in the adjacent thatch barn. Animal and steam powered threshing machines from the nineteenth century onward made threshing floors obsolete. Since then the barn has been used for housing livestock, storing hay and more recently machinery.

In 2008 major restoration work were done on the barn. Nearly all the thatch came off and many of the beams and purlins had to be replaced or repaired due to extensive water damage. Thankfully original thatch was found in the far west bay which helped secure a grant for the repair work. Now with a change of use and new purpose, the barn can be enjoyed by many and in isn’t original form for years to come.

TIMELESS 16TH CENTURY BARN SET IN THE PICTURESQUE WILTSHIRE COUNTRYSIDE

THE PERFECT VENUE FOR YOUR EVENT

Bowerchalke Barn is the perfect venue, to host your private functions and event.

Our Testimonials

  • “We were fortunate enough to hold our wedding at Bowerchalke Barn on 16th June 2018. We loved the incredible barn from the moment we saw it and are so happy we were able to hold our special day there. The surrounding area is beautiful and the barn is perfect for couples looking for a rustic venue. Tim was so friendly, accommodating and helpful throughout the lead up including a busy couple of days before, as we had a number of different suppliers arriving on site. Thank you so much – the day was just what we hoped for and more!”

    Emily & Steve
  • “We stumbled across Bowerchalke Barn whilst looking for a venue for our wedding reception, and fell in love instantly! It is simply the most stunning venue and Tim and the rest of the team were so helpful and accommodating for start to finish. We had the most amazing day and would highly recommend.”

    Hayley Hall
  • “I was lucky enough to hold my first ever styled shoot at Bowerchalke & it's completely held my heart ever since. The most stunning location to hold a wedding with the most incredible features and views! Nothing was too much trouble for Tim and we were so lucky to have him on hand to help make the day run as smoothly as possible and were equally lucky to then have the shoot featured on Bride & Tonic. If you're looking for a venue full to the brim with character and atmosphere then you need to go check out the barn and I guarantee you'll fall in love with it as much as myself and the other suppliers did. Wishing Tim and his family nothing but all the success they totally deserve for years to come.”

    Laura Clifford
  • “A stunning setting for any special event, made even more spectacular by the delicious food and attention to detail. The whole team are committed to making your celebration the very best it possibly can be. They really care about what they do and it shows.”

    Annie Parnell
  • “The most incredible venue for a wedding or party. Such an historic and characterful building, with a purpose built bar, excellent facilities and generous hosts. Well worth considering for that special day. In fact don’t consider it, just book it!”

    Haydn Oakley
  • “We held a small, intimate and very personal marriage at Bowerchalke Barn this January and it was a day that will live long in our memory. Tim and his team were absolutely incredible, we couldn’t be more thankful for everything they did for us and also at such short notice. It is clear they care so much about their business, putting on the perfect day for their guests and ensuring we had the best time possible.

    Nothing was ever too much hassle, they are friendly, accommodating and know how to put on a wedding, organising everything from seating to food (delicious). As a licences venue it meant we could have it all under one roof which was perfect for us. The Barn itself is something to behold, the lighting, decoration all works beautifully and it backs onto the most beautiful countryside.

    We couldn’t have asked for more. Again another huge thank you to Tim and his team for going above and beyond to create a really special day for us.”

    Willum Long
  • “We both always thought it was such a cliché to say that your wedding day is the best day of your life.. but it really was the best day of our lives!!
    Carolyn and Tim at Bowerchalke Barn were so incredibly helpful and accommodating. Every last little detail was handled perfectly by Carolyn, the co-ordinator. From the big stuff, like the table layout, to the small stuff, like Marshmallow toasting over the fire pit. They were both so friendly and approachable, and always quick to respond to any queries. We felt confident throughout that they were experienced and knowledgeable, and gave lots of sound advice in regards to the “big day”. I really do wish we could do it all again!”

    Chelsea Emms
  • “Myself and my husband had the best time celebrating our wedding at Bowerchalke Barn. We fell in love with the barn two years prior, it was incredible. Tim and Carolyn were really helpful, checking in to see if we needed anything leading up to and on the day.

    We got married outside in the hut which was super special and allowed our guests to be surprised by the inside of the barn following the ceremony.

    We highly recommend Bowerchalke Barn as a wedding venue, it’s beautiful, has so much character and Tim and Carolyn are great!!

    Thanks you !”

    Jasmin & Ed
  • “We held a small, intimate and very personal marriage at Bowerchalke Barn this January and it was a day that will live long in our memory. Timmy and his team were absolutely incredible, we couldn’t be more thankful for everything they did for us and also at such short notice. It is clear they care so much about their business, putting on the perfect day for their guests and ensuring we had the best time possible.

    Nothing was ever too much hassle, they are friendly, accommodating and know how to put on a wedding, organising everything from seating to food (delicious). As a licences venue it meant we could have it all under one roof which was perfect for us. The Barn itself is something to behold, the lighting, decoration all works beautifully and it backs onto the most beautiful countryside. We couldn’t have asked for more.

    Again another huge thank you to Timmy and his team for going above and beyond to create a really special day for us.”

    Will and Kirsty
  • “We had our wedding reception here, it was an amazing venue and surroundings were beautiful. The site managers were engaging and very supportive to make the day schedule work perfectly.

    It had the atmosphere and setting for a wonderful day and it did not disappoint. Thank you to the staff and all involved.

    Would definitely and highly recommend this venue.”

    Kieran and Alice
  • “The most incredible venue for a wedding or party. Such an historic and characterful building, with a purpose built bar, excellent facilities and generous hosts. Well worth considering for that special day. In fact don’t consider it, just book it!”

    Helen and Haydn
  • “We loved everything about the Barn from the moment we first saw it in November – the setting amongst the beautiful hills, the history of the barn, the traditional thatched roof, the decor and the light – all of these things really drew us to choosing Bowerchalke. What really blew us away was how much work you have put into the space and surroundings between our first viewing and last week.
    The outside space looks amazing – the attention to detail is really beautiful. The new shepherds hut toilets are absolutely brilliant and much bigger than we thought!

    Inside the barn the natural light coming through the new full height windows really made the space special, everybody commented on how fantastic they were when the wooden doors were pulled back and the daylight streamed in. Then later in the evening the lighting inside the barn was magical – the fairy lights and subtle up-lighting gave the space an intimate glow which was really welcoming.

    We loved that the barn has so much charm that we only needed to add a few touches to make it feel personal to us. We really tried to keep our decor in keeping with the feel of the barn and the whole place felt like a reflection of our personalities as well – a subtle mix of country and creative.

    Tim was amazing and so helpful all the way through the journey to our wedding, and we loved that we could set up the Barn from Thursday morning.

    Thanks again !”

    Jen Titchmarsh
  • “Like so many fairly recently married couples, our wedding should have happened in 2020, but in the end we waited until June 2022. We booked the barn at the beginning of 2019 for our original date(!) and Tim could not have been more accommodating with all of the back and forth attempts to rearrange and the huge uncertainty which came with navigating weddings and events during Covid. Oh my goodness was it worth the wait though! We had looked at a few conveyor belt wedding venues as I call them, and Bowerchalke Barn is as far away from that as you could possibly get. It really is the most incredible venue in an utterly fabulous location and we could really make it in to the day we wanted it to be. Equally if you want more direction and guidance the support is very definitely there in spades, but we had the freedom to curate our day with our wonderful suppliers. We had the most amazing day, and Tim and Carolyn were totally brilliant smoothing bits and pieces over and being such a calm presence. I could not recommend the venue and team more highly and I just wish we could do it all over again!”

    Laura and Graham x
  • “We loved everything about the Barn from the moment we first saw it in November – the setting amongst the beautiful hills, the history of the barn, the traditional thatched roof, the decor and the light – all of these things really drew us to choosing Bowerchalke. What really blew us away was how much work you have put into the space and surroundings between our first viewing and last week.
    The outside space looks amazing – the attention to detail is really beautiful. The new shepherds hut toilets are absolutely brilliant and much bigger than we thought!

    Inside the barn the natural light coming through the new full height windows really made the space special, everybody commented on how fantastic they were when the wooden doors were pulled back and the daylight streamed in. Then later in the evening the lighting inside the barn was magical – the fairy lights and subtle up-lighting gave the space an intimate glow which was really welcoming.

    We loved that the barn has so much charm that we only needed to add a few touches to make it feel personal to us. We really tried to keep our decor in keeping with the feel of the barn and the whole place felt like a reflection of our personalities as well – a subtle mix of country and creative.

    Tim was amazing and so helpful all the way through the journey to our wedding, and we loved that we could set up the Barn from Thursday morning.

    Thanks again !”

    Jen Titchmarsh
Get in touch

Bowerchalke Barn, Knowle Farm, Bowerchalke, Salisbury, Wiltshire, SP5 5BP

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