Open Air Business August/September 2018

FUNCTION VENUES
CASE STUDY
The Cow
Shed Crail
Diversifying from farming activity The Cow Shed
Crail offers a blank canvas for weddings and a
full event planning service for corporate days
Located in a picturesque corner of Fife, The Cow Shed Crail puts its dairy farm heritage
pride of place with a marquee covered steading and plenty of options for ceremonies
and corporate functions. We talk to Jo Trust about keeping the local community happy
and how the venue survived the ‘Beast from the East’.
When did you start your venue
business and what is its history?
The Cow Shed has been a part of
the Logan family for over 70 years.
Originally used to house the calves
for a dairy, it was an important
part of a working dairy farm. The
dairy closed its doors in the 1980s
but we have given The Cow Shed
a new lease of life and we were
excited to open its doors as a
venue in January 2016.
The Cow Shed operates next to
an arable farm run by the family,
“FOR
WEDDINGS WE
JUST PROVIDE
THE VENUE
AS A BLANK
CANVAS BUT
WITH A POINT
OF CONTACT
ON DUTY
THROUGH-
OUT THE
EVENT”
which still farms potatoes, broccoli
and wheat, providing an element
of diversification.
Tell us about your location
and site
The Cow Shed is located on the
outskirts of Crail in the East Neuk
of Fife, a beautiful corner of
Scotland with stunning beaches,
traditional fishing villages and
pretty harbours… oh, and not
forgetting a huge selection of golf
courses too!
It is full of original features and
character, and enjoys sea views
across the Firth of Forth to the
Bass Rock and East Lothian - the
perfect backdrop to our “blank
canvas” venue.
What facilities for functions do
you offer?
We have three flexible indoor
spaces: a steading marquee,
L-shaped indoor workshop and a
barn, both of which have beautiful
vaulted ceilings. We also have a
lovely sheltered courtyard with
original cow shed arches as a
feature and an outdoor patio area
with a large grass lawn.
The venue also has a large car
park. We have a sister company
which rents out self catering
cottages and can sleep up to 44
within walking distance of the
venue.
What services do you offer?
For weddings we just provide
the venue as a blank canvas
but with a point of contact on
duty throughout the event.
Couples are welcome to have
ceremonies inside or outside,
depending on the weather.
We don’t offer catering but are
happy to advise on some great