Open Air Business February 2017

FUNCTION VENUES
CASE STUDY
Hounslow
Hall Estate
A dairy farm turned leisure pursuit and
function venue, Hounslow Hall estate
still operates as a farm but is now so much more
Situated just outside of Milton Keynes, this family-run business is
building its reputation as a team building and ‘away day’ destination as well as a wedding
and festival venue. Open Air Business talks to operations director Mark Stopps about the
team’s multi-channel approach to diversification into the outdoor hospitality sector.
When did you start your function
venue business and what is its
history?
Experience the Country was
founded in 2011 at Hounslow Hall
estate, with the primary purpose
of utilising an off-road course left
empty by the departure of Land
Rover Experience. I was working
on the farm and helped build
and run the course for 10 years.
The estate owners, Bryan and Val
Wood, have been diversifying their
farm activities from well before
‘diversification’ became a buzz
word, so when Land Rover moved
out we took it on and added clay
shooting and fly fishing to the
activities on offer for corporate
away days and the leisure market.
From there, we evolved to offer
“THE ESTATE
HAS SOME
BEAUTIFUL,
DISTINCT
LOCATIONS,
EACH OF
WHICH CAN
BE USED AS
INDIVIDUAL
VENUES”
Segway tours, quad biking, Zorb
football and archery, along with
more unusual activities such as axe
throwing and bushcraft.
As well as the experiential
activities, we are a function and
events venue. Bryan and Val’s
granddaughter Helen is taking over
managing the estate as a venue
for weddings and private parties.
We have separated this part of the
business off and given it its own
brand – Tip Top Venues. We also
offer the estate out for dry hire to
event organisers, and have hosted
several festivals including Into the
Wild.
Tell us about your location
and site
The Hounslow Hall Estate covers
800 acres of the Buckinghamshire
countryside and is located on the
western edge of Milton Keynes.
Originally a dairy farm, the land is
now used for arable crops. Owner
Bryan’s entire dairy herd was wiped
out in the 1980s due to TB, so he
diversified into turf growing and by
offering units out for business use.
His entrepreneurial spirit has seen
him build the estate from nothing
– I have a huge amount of respect
for him. Both in their 80s, he and Val
still work full time.
The estate has some beautiful,
distinct locations, each of which can
be used as individual venues. These
include an intimate lakeside setting,
pastures, gardens, rolling hills and
‘Bow Piece,’ a larger expanse of land
that is used for festivals.
What are the different sides of
your function venue business and
how did they develop?
Experience the Country offers three
key services: corporate events,
leisure activities for individuals and
couples, and professional training
courses. Tip top venues is the venue
hire side of the business. We have
a landing page for Experience the
Country which sets out the estate’s
four offerings, each then has its own
website designed to appeal to the
target audience. Our team is quite
unique in that we have members
from several generations – from
octogenarians through to people in
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