Winterbourne Medieval Day 2025 – full pre-event information

Doors will be open from 11am – 4pm. Please feel free to come for as much of the day as you would like.

If you need to leave at any point, but wish to return later in the day, then please speak to our front gate volunteers who can provide you with a hand stamp.

We will have a list of names on the door to check you in so you will just need to know the name the ticket was booked under; no need to worry about printing your ticket.

Please remember to dress appropriately as this event will take place in all weathers.
Please take care when walking around the event. Due to the nature of our site there are areas of uneven ground.

Cash and card payments are accepted by most stands at the event, but we are a medieval building that was not designed with Wi-Fi in mind. We would recommend brining some cash just in case there are any connectivity issues on the day.

Programme of the day
Click here for the programme of the day, general information and a list of traders and caterers.
Click here for a site plan for the day.

Please note we operate a challenge 25 policy, and you may be asked for ID if buying alcohol. Asking for ID is at the discretion of our bar volunteers, but spot checks are taking place in the area, and no-one wants to serve a minor or for a volunteer or a charity to end up with a hefty fine. We would recommend bringing ID with you, regardless of your age, and ask that you be flattered, rather than offended, if you are asked for it. We fully support our volunteers on asking for ID when serving alcohol.

Please do bring along your reusable coffee cups, if you have one, to help reduce the amount of waste generated at this event.

Parking
Parking is at Winterbourne Academy’s main car park for this event. The address is Winterbourne High Street, BS36 1JL.
There will be a shuttle bus service from the Academy to The Barn continuously throughout the event. The mini-buses do have limited space for pushchairs.
Both the shuttle bus and parking are free.
No need to book, please just speak to our steward for details on the next bus.

There is bicycle parking at The Barn they can direct you to the appropriate space.

If you have pre-booked an accessible parking space at The Barn, then please make your way to the main entrance gate and follow the instructions of our parking stewards to make sure we safely fit everyone in. If you have not already booked an accessible parking space and you need one, then please make your way to the entrance gate and speak to the parking stewards. Space is very limited but we will do our best to accommodate those in need. 

Please do not park along church lane as this obstructs the road for other users and emergency vehicles and please do not park anywhere other than designated Barn car parks for this event. We cannot control when other car parks are locked and may not be able to assist if you have any issues.
There is no overnight parking at this event and this car park will be locked at the end of the evening and only re-opened next time someone is at The Barn site.

As part of our agreement to operate with South Gloucestershire Council, we would be really grateful if you could complete this short survey about how you travelled to The Barn for this event: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/2FZTLGT 

Dogs
We are a dog friendly site and well-behaved dogs on leads are welcome to this event.
All we ask is for you to please be a responsible dog owner and respect other visitors who may not be fans of dogs and clean up after your pooch.
Dog waste can’t be disposed of on site, but there is a specific bin just a few steps away from the church next door.
We will also have a drinking bowl for thirsty pups at The Barn Bar.COVID
To help protect everyone from COVID-19 there is hand sanitiser around the site  and  you are welcome to wear a face mask if this is your preference also.

Feedback
If you have any feedback about this event, we would love to hear your thoughts. Please email contact@winterbournebarn.org.uk

Our office is now closed whilst we finalise setting up for tomorrow. If you have any questions then please feel free to ask one of our team on the day. Look out for the purple t-shirts and / or lanyards.

We hope you enjoy your time at The Barn and travelling back to 1342!

Find your way around. Site plan for Winterbourne Medieval Day 2025

A feast awaits at Winterbourne Medieval Day – Sunday 8th June 2025

Here are the caterers who will be getting your taste buds tingling.

🥤The Barn Bar – serving a selection of snacks, ice creams and hot and cold drinks (GF options available).

🥗KooKoo Food – Persian saffron chicken , falafel, lamb doner kebab, samosas, and delicious baklava for dessert. Gluten-free falafel and a variety of fresh salads that are both vegan and gluten-free.

🧁Magnolia Mews Bakehouse – Ploughman’s cups, pastries and a selection of homemade cakes.

🐷Old Sodbury Lamb – traditional hog roast plus bacon or egg breakfast baps whilst the hog is getting ready! (GF rolls available)

Book at the early bird ticket rate before 31st May 2025 here.

Traders for Winterbourne Medieval Day – Sunday 8th June 2025

Meet the makers who will be trading at Winterbourne Medieval Day! What a variety of beautiful items we have for you this year, take a look below for a sneak peak:

💍Aimee Winstone Designs – visit Aimee’s onsite jewellery studio & learn how to make a Viking weave bracelet

🌾Anthony Gay straw craft – beautiful traditional straw creations

🍐Cotswold Fruit – Locally produced cider and perry

📿Cross My Palm Designs – handmade jewellery using preloved gemstones, pearls and precious metals

🎍Driftscapes – Locally sourced driftwood planters

🥫Gills jams & chutneys – homemade preserves in aid of St Michael’s church

🧔Gingerbeard’s Preserves – awesome tasting, award-winning craft preserves, rubs and sauces made in Bristol

💐GiTi Studio Handmade Craft – Crochet flowers, small plush toys and book marks

🍯Hives and Herbals – Handmade, eco friendly & natural candles, skin care, soap and honey from their own hives

🎨Lolly Skura – Medieval illustrations

🍎Orchard Revival Cider – Locally produced cider

🐉Pretty Things – Flower headbands, 3D dragons and other children’s accessories

💼Roninja Leather – leatherworker specialising in medieval fantasy products

🧺Wynkyn de Weaver – Absurdist basket-maker

👐 Handmade goods to browse

🔨 Artisans at work and providing demonstrations throughout the event at some stalls

🎟️ Book your tickets at the early bird rate here until 31st May 2025.

Spaces now available for Wednesday Tai Chi classes

Have you always wanted to take part in the ever-popular Tai Chi sessions at The Barn?
We are delighted to announce that after many months of being at full capacity, we have a few spaces available!
Our Tai Chi classes take place on Wednesdays at either 10:15am, 11:45am or 1:30pm and are held in our beautiful and serene main barn.

Classes are specifically designed to incorporate gentle movement for the over 50s along with a focus on mental well being and mindfulness.
The moves can be done freestanding or seated, so are accessible to everyone.
Each session is £6 (pay as you go) and include a cuppa and a biscuit, along with time to socialise after your class.
Free parking is available at The Barn.
Booking is recommended as numbers for each session are limited, so do get in touch at contact@winterbournebarn.org.uk if you are interested in coming along to avoid disappointment.

Share your story

WE NEED YOU: HISTORY CALLOUT!
We would love to find out more about the modern history of The Barn and how it has been seen / used by the local community. As part of our research into the History of the Barn and its use, both recent and medieval,  we would love to hear about any memories or stories of the site during this time.
Do you remember what was growing in the fields around WW2? 
Did you grow up in and around Winterbourne and have any stories to share about the site? 
Do you have memories of playing in The Barn when it was unoccupied, or perhaps remember it as a working farm and can remember where things were stored or what was going in and out of The Barn? 
Do you have any photos of the site before it was renovated, or perhaps of some of our early events? 
We would love to hear from you! 
Some of our friendly volunteers will be collecting any stories / copies of photographs / recording any items you would like to share during the Open Day. The aim is to help fill in some of the missing history about The Barn, so we would love it if you would like to come and be involved.
If you can’t make it to the open day, but would still like to share your story with us, then please email it to us at contact@winterbournebarn.org.uk 

Pop along at anytime on Sunday 27th April between 1 – 4pm. There is no need to book.

To find out more about the Open Day, or any of the other events we have on at The Barn please visit https://www.winterbournebarn.org.uk/events/

Come and see us at our next volunteer open evening – Thurs 23rd Jan 6-8pm

Do you want to try something new this year? Do you have skills you would like to use outside of your “day job”? Are you looking to meet new people and join our friendly, social and inclusive team?

Would you like to develop some new skills? Do you want to be a part of keeping a historical building alive?

Winterbourne Medieval Barn is run almost entirely by volunteers, so if there is something you are interested in getting involved with then we most likely have a volunteer role to suit you!

From gardening, AV at live events, stage set-up, welcoming visitors, running our bar, site maintenance or event management – we have something for most! Lots of our events require multiple volunteers which means you can sign up as a couple/pair/group and volunteer together.

We are an inclusive, very friendly team and offer a dedicated volunteer contact, training and support along with regular social events for our volunteer team.

Interested?

Come along to our Volunteer Open Evening on Thursday 23rd January 6pm – 8pm.

Join us for a look around our beautiful heritage site and have a chat to some of our friendly current volunteers about the wide variety of opportunities here at The Barn.

Tea, coffee & biscuits provided. Parking available on site.

For an informal chat about our opportunities or to discuss getting involved if you need any additional support, please contact Louise Barnett on volunteercoordinator@winterbournebarn.org.uk

Statement from Trustees

STATEMENT ON BEHALF OF THE TRUSTEES OF WINTERBOURNE MEDIEVAL BARN

5 JULY 2023

Following significant renovation works, Winterbourne Medieval Barn Trust (WMBT) became the Leaseholder of the Barn complex, which is owned by South Gloucestershire Council (SGC).

The continued preservation of the Barn is enabled by a commercial operation which hires out the venue for events, and licences other entities to operate from the Barn premises. In line with WMBT’s charitable aims, these are small artisan businesses, and as the brewing of beer and making of cider are traditional rural activities, 3 Engineers Brewery (3EB) fitted this broad remit, and on 1st July 2020 became a Licensee of Unit 1 of the Cow Byres, permitted to brew beer on site.

3EB requested permission to open a “taproom” within the Unit, and WMBT agreed the sale of beer brewed by 3EB and one local cider, in line with the traditions of the area, and also soft drinks and pre-packaged snacks. 3EB then unilaterally added the retail sale of wine to their offer, breaching the conditions of their Licence, and also without consulting WMBT as the Premises Alcohol Licence holder.

When this became apparent to WMBT, 3EB were asked to remove this offer, and when the breach of the Licence became persistent, a meeting was arranged for 24th November 2022 that re-stated the limitation of the Licence agreement. 3EB continue to challenge the terms of the Licence and

on June 3rd the Licence extension for 2023 was returned with a handwritten statement that rejected the terms of the Licence, so in fact 3EB had decided not to continue operating from the WMBT premises. WMBT offered an interim extension to enable the packing up of the operation, and to enable a new Licensee to be sourced, but the deadline for agreement passed with no meaningful response.

No Licence was agreed, the last “taproom” session was on Wednesday 28th June, and on Saturday 1st July the 3EB Licence came to an end, though equipment is still on site in the North Yard.

WMBT has successfully operated other Licence agreements and will continue to deliver the range of events that ensure the future preservation of the Barn, follow the Business Plan agreed with SGC and the National Lottery and provide a cultural asset to the local community.

We hope this has been useful background, and an alternative perspective to the views and comments you may have already heard or read.

Now Recruiting – Duty Managers

The Trust is recruiting a small pool of casual staff to act as Event Duty Managers. Duty Managers will cover events that take place during the day and evening on week days and weekends. These events vary, from Trust led activities such as concerts, workshops, and family events, to private hires including Weddings and Private Parties.

The full job description is below to read and download.

To apply please email your CV and a brief covering letter to Hazel Hatton, Business & Development Manager hazel.hatton@winterbournebarn.org.uk. Hazel will also be happy to answer any questions you might have about the role.