An intriguing medieval site

Winterbourne Medieval Barn is a building of national importance. Built in 1342, just a few years before the Black Death swept across England, the barn is an extraordinary survivor of our medieval past. It was commissioned by Thomas de Bradeston, who was Lord of the Manor of Winterbourne from 1328 until his death in 1360.

Major building works have recently been completed with support from the National Lottery Heritage Fund and many other generous funders and donors to revitalise the whole Barn complex into a community heritage site promoting the knowledge of medieval history, its architecture, agricultural landscape and people.

What happens at the Barn

As a multi-purpose venue we host a range of activities for the local community including family activities, music and theatre performances, craft workshops, a monthly lecture series, and our flagship events the Medieval Fayre and Orchard Harvest Days.

The Barn makes a unique and beautiful setting for a magical wedding day and is available for hire all year round. The Barn and seminar rooms can also be hired for celebration events, film shoots, and meetings. Get in touch to find out more.

Next Events

Click here to go to our full event listing page.

Remeber me project – caravan and trench cake

We are delighted to welcome local resident Liz Ferguson to The Barn to share her story of her one woman research into the 53 WW1 and 25 WW2 names on the Whiteshill Common Memorial, Hambrook.
As part of her talk on “The Remember Me Project” we will hear stories of brave and talented local folk and also be remembering and acknowledging those in our local villages who did so much on the Homefront during both wars.
Liz encourages participants to bring along any artefacts they may have from either of the World Wars to discuss and potentially learn more about. Some may even help further Liz’s research!

Liz will also be bringing along her teardrop caravan which houses her own mini WW2 museum and baking a traditional Trench Cake for audience members to sample, if they wish.

Refreshments available from our pop up bar. Cash and card payments accepted.

Limited free parking on site. Parking for this event will be at the Barn, BS36 1SE.

The primary purpose of this event is to raise money for WMBT and to support conservation, management, maintenance and improvement of the WMBT site.

If you wish to avoid the online booking fee then please contact the office to arrange a time to come and book in person.

Talk: The story of our barn: medieval to modern

Date: 10th July 2025
Time: 7:00 pm
Location: Winterbourne Medieval Barn
Story of our Barn image old vs new barn

Join our Community Events Coordinator, Ceara, to find out about the turbulent 1400s and what was happening in England, and to the people here, as The Barn was being built.
Hear the fascinating story of how this historic site was almost lost, how and why it was saved, and how it is used today.

Who was Thomas De Bradeston and why did he build Winterbourne Medieval Barn?
How was it built? Why was it so important then and now?
What are the links between The Barn and St. Michael’s Church?

Come and find out the answers to these questions and more at this talk about the history of this amazing heritage site: from medieval to modern!
Includes a talk on the history of The Barn (past & present), interesting features pointed out and discussed plus plenty of time for questions with our friendly volunteers.

After the talk and tour of The Barn you will be taken over to the 12th Century St Michael’s church next door to see some of the amazing features there and further discuss the links between The Church, The Barn and Sir Thomas.

About your speaker:
Ceara has been a member of the team here at The Barn for 3 years. As a local resident she has grown up loving this beautiful site and had attended many events here before she was in charge of planning them! Since joining as the Community Events Coordinator Ceara has become even more interested in the history of our unique heritage site and, after answering many questions about The Barn from the public, has complied this presentation, with input from many of our longest standing volunteers, to help share it’s story.

Refreshments available. Cash and card payment accepted.

Please note parking for this event will be on site at the Barn, BS36 1SE. The car park will be locked once the event has finished so please ensure your car is moved if you will be exploring the local area after your visit to The Barn.

The primary purpose of this event is to raise money for WMBT and to support conservation, management, maintenance and improvement of the WMBT site.

If you wish to avoid the online booking fee then please contact the office to arrange a time to come and book in person.

Weddings

We’re now taking enquiries and bookings for wedding celebrations. The Barn and grounds make a spectacular backdrop for a special occasion. At Winterbourne Medieval Barn you have the flexibility to create an event that is as unique as you are. Check out our weddings page for more information.