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About

On Hitched.co.uk since 2021

Last update: February 2024

Bake Barn is a beautifully renovated stone barn on the Fonthill Estate. Nestled in the Wiltshire countryside, easily accessible by road and rail. Available for exclusive, dry-hire and with no noise curfew, so you can party into the small hours!

A truly flexible venue comprised of several different areas, all licensed for a civil service and for you to use as you wish.

The main barn, open-fronted loggia, lawn and courtyard are enclosed by an attractive dry-stone wall. Sympathetically converted the barn has bare stone walls, exposed roof timbers and a wooden floor, it's an adaptable blank canvas for you to style as you wish. There is a large open fireplace at one of the barn providing a great focal point for flowers and fairy lights.

The main barn, open-fronted loggia, lawn and courtyard are enclosed by an attractive dry-stone wall. Sympathetically converted the barn has bare stone walls, exposed roof timbers and a wooden floor, it's an adaptable blank canvas for you to style as you wish. There is a large open fireplace at one of the barn providing a great focal point for flowers and fairy lights.

There is a separate entrance lobby, cloakroom area, luxury loos and professional catering kitchen. Upstairs there is a large, versatile space, which you could transform into a snug, bar, creche, wedding-night suite, or whatever takes your fancy!

A marquee, stretch tent or tipi can be erected on the lawn, so if you wish you can marry inside or out. The loggia has a huge fire-bowl for you to use, as well as overhead heaters and makes a great bar and chill-out area. As dusk falls the courtyard and front of the barn is lit-up, so sit back, sip cocktails, chat round the fire and party under the stars.

Capacity

The barn can accommodate approximately a couple of hundred guests, plus more outside for a standing drinks reception and can seat a maximum of 162 in the main barn. It a marquee is errected over the courtyard or on the lawn this number can be increased.

Facilities

  • Lobby with cloakroom area.
  • Disabled loo with baby changing facilities and complimentary hand lotion, soap and tissues.
  • Ladies and gents loos with complimentary hand lotion, soap and tissues.
  • Fully fitted professional catering kitchen containing: commercial dishwasher, turbo oven, large gas oven, gas hob, gas grill, hot cupboard, under-counter fridge, walk-in fridge, walk-in freezer, two sinks and handwashing sink.
  • Rear entrance for supplier deliveries.
  • PA system with built-in speakers and wireless microphone.
  • Projector with large pull-down screen.
  • Internal feature fireplace in which to light a fire.
  • Large courtyard enclosed by a stone wall.
  • Lawn on which to erect marquee if required.
  • Open-fronted Loggia with overhead heaters and fire bowl.
  • Outside lighting and electric points.
  • Two large car parking areas.
  • Several areas for camping.
  • Several grassed areas to be utilised as you see fit.
  • Private drive with security gate.
  • Commercial bin provided for general waste.

Dog Friendly

All of our venues are dog friendly and in fact animal friendly generally. We've had lamas, cats and several brides make their entrance on horseback!

Dry Hire

Dry hire means you are renting an empty venue, so you can source the suppliers you want to use, (we'll happily make recommendations), allowing you to keep control of your budget.

Access to Set Up

We allow you access to set up from the Thursday morning before your event and ask for the keys to be returned at midday on the following Monday, so there's plenty of time to plan, prep and party!

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Our Two Other Venues:

Here on the Fonthill Estate we also have two other fully licensed venues which are available to hire for weddings and events, Deer Park Barn and Quarry Wood.

Deer Park Barn is a charming little red brick and stone barn, nestled within parkland on the Fonthill Estate. Access is over the white bridge, through gates and along a track running adjacent to the beautiful Fonthill lake. The venue offers privacy and intimacy for small gatherings such as summer drinks parties and dinner parties and can seat up to 32 people inside. Alternatively, a large marquee can be erected next to the barn to accommodate several hundred guests for weddings and other large events.

The barn has attractive stone walls with alcoves and exposed roof timbers. At one end of the barn there is an entrance leading into a small open plan kitchen (which can be discreetly sectioned off using blinds), next door to which is a loo and shower room. At the far end is a second entrance, functioning wood burner and pull down hatch with metal steps leading to a sleeping platform above. Along the front of the barn there are double doors opening onto a pretty courtyard enclosed by a dry-stone wall. Outside of which is a large, grassed area approximately 30m square, where a marquee can be sited for wedding ceremonies, drinks, dinner and / or dancing and still leave enough space for seating an al fresco ceremony, games or whatever takes your fancy! Deer Park Barn is often used as a base or incorporated within the celebrations of those using Quarry Wood.

Quarry Wood with its quirky grottos, optional woodland ceremony setting, lawn overlooking the lake and dance pit is a fabulous setting for any event. From a bare-footed festival style event, to a traditional suited and booted wedding, Quarry Wood and Quarry Wood Lawn can accommodate either and everything in between.

Situated on the private part of the Estate, the wood with graceful mature trees is perfect for those wanting a woodland ceremony. Canvas canopies can be suspended to create a covered dining or dance area. The path continues through the wooded area opening out into a clearing where you’ll find an oval lawn, from which you look down onto the Lower Meadow and graceful swans swimming on the lake. The lawn is approximately 27m x 38m in size and can accommodate a large marquee for drinks, dinner and dancing. At one end of the lawn are a couple of grottos which look amazing lit up as it gets dusk and a secluded natural depression known as the dance pit, with a raised DJ platform - ideal for a silent disco.

Frequently asked questions

Venue type:

In the country
Unusual weddings
Historic
Marquees and tents
Woodland and festival
Barn
Outdoor license
Tipis and yurts
Unique weddings

Ceremony options:

Fire ceremony
Civil ceremony licence
Religious ceremony license

Dining options:

Seated meal facilities
Private catering allowed

Evening entertainment:

Dance floor
Live band facilities
Evening reception facilities
DJ facilities

Overnight accommodation:

Overnight accommodation for wedding couple
Overnight accommodation for guests

Other features:

Exclusive use
Accessible facilities
Car parking
Helipad
Confetti permitted
Changing room for wedding guests
Pet-friendly
Elephant baraat permitted
Horse baraat permitted
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Do you have any questions?

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5.0 out of 5 rating
12 reviews
  • Quality of the service
    4.9 out of 5 rating
  • Response time
    5 out of 5 rating
  • Professionalism
    5 out of 5 rating
  • Value for money
    5 out of 5 rating
  • Flexibility
    5 out of 5 rating
100% Recommended by couples
Becky
Becky B. Sent on 04/04/2023
5 out of 5 rating

Fantastic venue allowing us great flexibility

Bake Barn was exactly what we were looking for in a venue. A place that was a lovely setting, but also gave us the flexibility to have our own caterers, decor etc. The fact that we were able to hire for a full weekend meant that we were able to enjoy our time and prepare everything as we wanted rather than stressing about in and out in one day.
The staff we had contact with at The Fonthill estate were brilliant with being so patient with any of our queries and helping us to use their venue as needed.
We were able to have a brilliant wedding and attribute a large part of that to this lovely venue and the staff that run it.
Amy
Amy H. Sent on 09/08/2022
5 out of 5 rating

Perfect dry-hire venue!

Bake Barn was absolutely perfect for our wedding day! The whole team were incredibly responsive throughout, and provided really helpful information about the venue, surrounding area, and potential suppliers (many of whom we ended up using). The venue is perfectly set up as a dry-hire space - you're totally free to do what you want with the building and area, but it also has a full industrial kitchen, high quality bathrooms, a speaker system etc so you don't have to bring it absolutely everything. The barn itself is finished to such a high standard, and is set in the most beautiful countryside with lots of lovely accommodation options nearby. Honestly cannot recommend it highly enough!
H
Harriet Sent on 07/09/2022
5 out of 5 rating

The most picturesque and versatile venue.

We never write reviews; but how could we not after the wonderful and memorable experience we have just had.

Bake Barn is an extremely robust venue set in the heart of Wiltshire; amongst several thousands of acres. With its secluded location and carefully thought-out facilities, this venue is suitable for an array of events (especially weddings).

We wanted a venue that would allow us the flexibility to use our own caterers, decorations and timings for food, drink and music. After contacting many venues with our requirements, we became disgruntled in the fact that we would not be able to fulfil our idea of what we wanted for a wedding. Alas, we contacted the Fonthill Estate Team and arranged a visit; due to the friendly yet professional nature of the team and their philosophy behind wedding arrangements we were delighted to be able to book Bake Barn for our wedding in August 2022.

The venue is versatile; providing a functional courtyard area consisting of a grass space, snug and additional barn – we used the latter for a drinks bar which worked exceptionally well and even had the luxury (due to the surprising August weather) to get married outside too. With the addition of a few bamboo chairs and pampas grass, the outside courtyard provided a great reception area for guests and a wedding ceremony.

Lu and Co. were so extremely helpful, providing contact details for local suppliers for a range of matters and providing clear and timely advice/support, where requested, for everything from the setup of the Barn to log delivery for the fire pits.

If you are wanting a wedding venue that will support a personalised, memorable wedding for you and your guests, Bake Barn and its team will enable you to do this.
K
Katie Sent on 07/09/2022
5 out of 5 rating

An amazing and beautiful venue, and a great party planning experience!

An incredible countryside venue for any party! Bake Barn is in a beautiful setting whatever the weather, and a perfect entertaining space with spacious inside and outside areas fit for any occasion. Couldn't have loved organising a party at Bake Barn more from beginning to end - the venue is brilliantly equipped, managed and looked after, making the whole organisation experience enjoyable and the space so wonderful for hosting. The managers of the site were efficient, kind and fun and so helpful. Not only is the venue fabulously maintained and cleaned inside and out, there are highly informative printed specification guides to the venue on site which are also kindly sent to you prior your event, as well as recommended suppliers and lists of accommodation, hugely useful for guests. The view is stunning and Bake Barn is wonderfully secluded down a pretty track to take advantage of the surrounding countryside hills, as well as give a lovely feeling of privacy for your event. An absolutely great, beautiful and fun venue all round!
J
Judith P. Sent on 30/11/2022
5 out of 5 rating

Wonderful wedding venue

This venue was perfect for my daughter's wedding and the staff at the Fonthill Estate Office could not have been more helpful and absolutely lovely.

The bride and groom wanted a venue for the weekend so guests could camp and this worked really well - it was a wedding/mini holiday for everyone!

If you want to organise a wedding to suit your individual tastes - Bake Barn provides a blank and beautiful canvas to create your special day. I can't recommend it enough.
E
Elj Sent on 18/08/2022
5 out of 5 rating

Amazing venue, lovely team

When we were booking our wedding back in 2020, we were struggling to find a venue that would allow us to make the day our own. Bake Barn was the only venue that was truly happy to let us do what we wanted! A lot of local venues had long lists of rules & regs and preferred suppliers. The team is so friendly and approachable, and we appreciated the chance to visit the venue a few times and do a couple of calls in the week running up to the wedding.

One of the joys of the barn is its natural beauty- it doesn't need a lot of decoration. We went with a few different arrangements that were moved around, bud vases on the tables, and had the mantelpiece dressed by our florist. With a few candles at dinner and the lovely up-lighting in the barn and huge chandelier, it really came to life in the evening. We were slightly hesitant about the capacity in the barn for dinner, but we happily fitted just over 100 guests in the barn on 2 rows of 6 trestles & we could have happily fitted 2 more trestles.

We set up the barn for dinner and used the outside courtyard for the ceremony and drinks reception. We hired lounge furniture for the side barns where we also added a bar, which worked really well. The upstairs Beaters Room was on stand-by for the wedding ceremony in case of bad weather, but we ended up using it for after-dinner coffee as the rain started- the space was perfect for it.

We loved being able to camp on site and use the place "as our own" until Monday, so we had a long walk and pizza van on Sunday. Bake Barn is a bit of a suppliers' dream- our caterers were thrilled with the incredible, professional kitchen set up, the florist was free to access and set up as she wished, and the furniture supplier found it easy to coordinate pick up & drop off. With Covid cancellations it took us 2 years to finally get married, but it was worth the wait.

In short, book this venue!
M
Mary H. Sent on 04/08/2022
4.8 out of 5 rating

Beautiful venue

Had our wedding here in May. Absolutely gorgeous venue which only needs minimal decoration as the building and location do it for you! Don't be put off by the closeness of the A303 as you certainly cant hear it and its super convenient! Had the best day here. Great that you can hire for plenty of time (thursday - monday) and great value for money!
A
Abbie Sent on 08/11/2022
5 out of 5 rating

Beautiful Venue

I want to do it all over again - the venue and setting was beautiful! I can’t thank Lu and Vicky enough - they were incredibly helpful from start to end! I would definitely recommend anyone to have their wedding at Bake Barn!

The only thing I would say is that travel after the event was a bit of pain. As it’s fairly remote taxi’s that were available were booked up very quickly and had extra costs for coming out of their area.

But otherwise 10/10!
A
Alice M. Sent on 15/11/2021
5 out of 5 rating

The place is magical


Our wedding was due to take place in April 2020 but due to Covid we had to postpone it 4 times finally landing on a weekend in August this year. It seemed a very stressful year but knowing we had Bake Barn to look forward to kept our spirits up and it didn’t disappoint. The place is magical, the views are stunning, and it works so well with the loggia area where we had chillout furniture with the heaters overhead, a band playing in the next door area, a lovely marquee on the lawn for our dinner, and the bar and dancing in the main magnificent room. The weather was kind to us and we danced until dawn (it’s wonderful not having time or noise curfews). Then everyone came back for pizzas the next day and lay around on the grass soaking up the rays of the sun whilst no doubt nursing their hangovers! Vicky and her team at Fonthill couldn’t have been more helpful. They were always there to help us whatever the request, and without them Im sure the weekend wouldn’t have been the success that it was. Thank you so much Team Fonthill. Adam & Alice (August 2021)
H
Hugh P. Sent on 15/11/2021
5 out of 5 rating

It is a very special place

We cannot thank Vicky and everyone at the Fonthill Estate enough for all their help in the lead up to our wedding. They were hugely generous with their time and made the whole process so easy and enjoyable. Bake Barn is just the perfect venue, so accessible, the most beautiful surroundings and the facilities are second to none! It is a very special place and we would recommend it to anyone looking for a wedding or party venue. Thank you!

Issy and Hugh
C
Chelsea Sent on 01/03/2022
5 out of 5 rating

Beautiful Venue and Excellent Experience Overall

I had such a wonderful experience working with Vicky and Charlie to rent the Bake Barn for my wedding reception. I live in the US and they were so helpful with suggesting suppliers, arranging time to show me the venue, staying in touch and remaining flexible with multiple date changes due to COVID. The barn itself is stunning and a perfect blank slate to dress up as much as you want for your event, although it really doesn't need much at all. I also loved that it has three unique spaces all within the same venue (main hall, front courtyard, and beater's loft) and allows for a lot of creativity.
G
Gail Sent on 15/11/2021
5 out of 5 rating

nothing was too much trouble

"Once we found the Bake Barn we knew it was the venue for us instantly! We actually planned the rest of our wedding around it. We absolutely loved that it was a blank canvas that we could personalise to our tastes, and the setting was simply stunning. From the moment we booked the staff were helpful and accommodating, and nothing was too much trouble. Thank you for helping us create the wedding we had dreamt of.
Mr and Mrs Booth"
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Hitched Wedding Awards 2023 Winner
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Bake Barn Real Weddings

Amy & George
88 photos · 09/06/2023
Lorna & Brad
105 photos · 29/04/2023

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Great Ridge, Salisbury, Chicklade, SP3 5SY Salisbury (Wiltshire)
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