From when the farmhouse was first built above Rushton Spencer in 1824, to the sustainable future we’re working towards – Heaton House Farm is a place full of memories

We know that in 1851, Dr. Robin occupied Heaton House, working as a farmer as well as a consulting surgeon. Local legend has it that by the time villagers climbed the hill to see him about an ailment, they’d either be killed or cured given the strenuous walk! It’s quite possible he threw some parties – perhaps even a wedding celebration – on his land during his time here too. A few years later, our family acquired the farm and all its land.

By 2003, we were hosting several weddings a year, so we took the difficult decision to sell the dairy cows. Although it was a sad day to see them go, we still kept the beef herd and sheep and had plenty on our hands to look forward to.

We set about converting our existing barns and outhouses to better accommodate wedding parties and transform the buildings into a luxurious wedding venue. With the money raised from selling the cows and with our own onsite stone and oak craftsmen, we turned our attention to every building on the farm, one-by-one to make each of them a wonderful place for a wedding, with:

• permanent marquee linings for the Wedding Barn and all the latest sound and lighting equipment.
• Steeles Barn in 2007, named after Sarah’s Great-Granddad
• The Old Stableyard breakfast room converted in 2014 from the milking parlour used for the Steele family’s Shorthorn cows
• award-winning toilets (outstanding quality is important everywhere!)
• purpose-built accommodation with luxury guest rooms and step-free disabled access, finished in 2014