Ashridge Great Barn

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Exeter, EX20 2DH | Tel: 01837 352025

Guests: 2 - 200 Licensed Accommodation Dog Friendly

The Ashridge Great Barn is a rustic Devon wedding venue set amidst beautiful gardens and mature woodland. Offered for exclusive three-day hire, it’s ideal for personal, laid-back celebrations. With planning support, on-the-day coordination, and space for camping or bell tents, it’s perfect for a relaxed weekend wedding surrounded by nature and loved ones.

Couples can marry inside the characterful barn, within the garden’s Magic Circle or beneath the trees in the Secret Glade before gathering for a wedding breakfast of up to 140 guests and an evening reception for as many as 200.

Ashridge Great Barn at a glance

Location: North Tawton, Devon
Setting: Private valley on a regenerative farm between Dartmoor and Exmoor
Venue type: Exclusive-use barn and countryside wedding venue
Exclusive use: Yes – three-day hire
Wedding capacity: Up to 140 seated guests and 200 in total
Small and intimate weddings: Yes
Indoor ceremonies: Yes – the Great Barn
Outdoor ceremonies: Yes – the Magic Circle and Secret Glade
Licensed for: Civil ceremonies and civil partnerships
Accommodation: Onsite accommodation for up to nine guests
Camping: Yes – camping and glamping options are available
Catering: Couples choose their own caterer
Bar: Couples may choose their own bar or drinks arrangements
Corkage: None
Wedding planning: Planning support and on-the-day coordination included
Dog-friendly: Yes
Accessibility: Wheelchair access to the gardens and most of the barn, with accessible facilities
Evening celebrations: Amplified music permitted until 1am
Sustainability: Regenerative farm setting with wildlife-conscious woodland management

Why couples choose Ashridge Great Barn

Hidden within a peaceful valley in the Devon countryside, Ashridge Great Barn offers the freedom and privacy to make a wedding feel completely your own. Only a limited number of celebrations are hosted each year, allowing each couple exclusive use of the venue for three full days.

The setting brings together an airy historic barn, established gardens, mature woodland and extensive lawns. There is space for ceremonies, drinks, dining, dancing and quiet moments outside, while the surrounding countryside provides a wonderfully rural backdrop.

The venue’s relaxed approach gives couples control over their food, drink, suppliers and styling. Planning support is included throughout, balancing the flexibility of a bespoke wedding with the reassurance of an experienced team behind the scenes.

Three days to celebrate

Three-day hire allows the wedding to unfold at an unhurried pace.

The first day provides time to decorate the barn, meet suppliers and settle into the accommodation. Couples might also arrange an informal supper or spend the evening catching up with loved ones before the main celebration.

On the wedding day, the venue team coordinates the practical details while the couple focuses on enjoying the occasion. The following day can be used for a leisurely clear-down, relaxed breakfast or farewell brunch with guests.

This extended access makes Ashridge particularly suited to hands-on celebrations, weekend weddings and couples who want more time with friends and family than a single day allows.

Ceremonies in the gardens and woods

The Magic Circle sits within the Victorian gardens, surrounded by sweeping lawns and majestic trees. It provides a picturesque and naturally romantic setting for outdoor vows, with plenty of space for guests to gather.

For a more secluded woodland ceremony, the Secret Glade lies among trees managed to support and enhance local wildlife. Its leafy setting brings a whimsical, intimate atmosphere to the ceremony and creates a beautiful backdrop through the changing seasons.

The entire farm is licensed for civil ceremonies, offering couples considerable flexibility over where they marry. The Great Barn provides an impressive indoor alternative, ensuring there is a characterful ceremony space available whatever the weather.

Make the barn your own

The Great Barn combines impressive scale with warmth and intimacy. High ceilings, timber details and natural materials give the space rustic character, while its simple interior allows couples to take the styling in almost any direction.

It can feel magical dressed with candles and fairy lights, relaxed and colourful with festival-inspired details or elegantly styled with abundant flowers and foliage. Couples also have complimentary access to the venue’s extensive collection of props, helping them add personality without sourcing every decorative element separately.

The barn can seat up to 140 guests for the wedding breakfast before transforming for an evening reception of up to 200. A sprung wooden dance floor provides space for music and dancing until 1am, while a quiet snug offers guests somewhere comfortable to step away from the party.

Food, drinks and freedom

Couples are free to choose their own caterer and shape the menu around the atmosphere they want to create. The venue works with a broad selection of recommended suppliers, from formal wedding caterers to wood-fired pizza companies, street-food traders and specialist producers.

There is also flexibility around drinks. Couples can bring in their preferred bar supplier or organise their own arrangements, with no corkage charges applied by the venue.

Outside, the firepit becomes a natural gathering place as evening falls. Logs are included within the hire, allowing guests to sit beneath the stars while the celebration continues inside the barn.

Planning and coordination

Every wedding package includes practical planning support alongside coordination across the three-day hire period.

The process includes supplier sourcing, an order-of-the-day session, a logistical walk-through and communication with suppliers. The team also assists with final preparations during the setup day and coordinates furniture, parking and the flow of the wedding itself.

A coordinator and assistant remain on hand during the wedding, while support is also provided during the clear-down. Couples can ask for as much or as little guidance as they need, retaining creative control without having to manage every practical detail alone.

The venue’s prop collection is included, and couples may also forage foliage from the farm for their styling where appropriate.

Stay under the stars

Onsite accommodation for up to nine guests is available across the Old Laundry Cottage, which sleeps six, and Woods Barn Studio, which sleeps three.

Camping for up to 20 people across two nights is included within the wedding package, with the option to add unlimited campers. Couples may also arrange a bespoke glamping village, allowing more guests to stay close to the celebrations in comfort.

With friends and family gathered onsite, the wedding can take on the relaxed atmosphere of a private festival or countryside weekend. Guests wake in the valley the following morning, ready to share breakfast and relive the celebrations before heading home.

Combining three-day exclusive use, indoor and outdoor ceremonies, flexible suppliers and expert coordination, Ashridge Great Barn is a distinctive choice for couples seeking a personal and relaxed barn wedding in the Devon countryside.

Perfect for…

Barn weddings • Exclusive-use weddings • Weekend weddings • Outdoor ceremonies • Woodland weddings • Festival weddings • Camping and glamping weddings • Dog-friendly weddings • DIY weddings • Sustainable weddings • Large celebrations • Weddings near Dartmoor • Devon countryside weddings.