Before the wedding season kicked off in May there was lots of work behind the scenes at Houchins. We were busy with all sorts of improvements and infrastructure upgrades!
Here’s a glimpse of what’s new for 2026?
1. GLAMPING!
Five new glamping tents in the Herbery behind the farmhouse
means that we now offer super-comfy sleeping accommodation for an
additional 10 friends of our couples. King size double beds, Egyptian cotton sheets and a light breakfast all included. A compostable loo is nearby and washing facilities are provided from the Dairy for the morning after! So now our Summer accommodation capacity is 26 – more friends, more laughter, more memories!
Please contact us for more information.
2. WILD SAUNA.
Coming in July ’26. Just beyond the Glamping, in a small woodland area an eight person sauna has been delivered. Forget the health club sauna experience – this is all outdoors – an enclosed area with outdoor changing, hot sauna and cold showers. Surrounded by the great outdoors and views across open farmland! The health and wellness benefits of saunas are well recognised nowadays. What a great way to slow down and reflect on your plans, either before or after your wedding celebrations!
3. TEAM MEETINGS/AWAY DAYS & CONFERENCES.
If you’re reading this it’s probably because you know Houchins is a wedding venue. Of course it is, but now we want to offer our beautiful venue to businesses looking to get out of the office for meetings/training or conferences. Please contact Zoe for more information.
4. 10 ACRES OF NEW WOODLAND.
In February we planted 4,750 new trees around the farm. You may have noticed the tubes along the side of the A120. This is part of our on-going commitment to develop our business in harmony with the environment. The new woodland will encourage wildlife, bio-diversity, capture carbon and over time insulate Houchins from the road noise of the A120.
5. Rhian, our wedding administrator went away to Bali for a month to polish her Yoga Instructor skills and has now returned. Who knows there may be yoga sessions available at Houchins soon?
6. Eloise, one of our brilliant event managers will be returning from her Maternity leave next month. She and her beautiful daughter, Dove are popping into the office this month to get used to the idea!
Boring but important.
7. Repairs to the driveway. Everyone loves the crunch of fresh new gravel as they approach the house. Gone are the puddles and bumps of last winter so everyone can now arrive not ‘shaken’ or ‘stirred’.
8. After more than 800 weddings it was time to re-lay the paths in the wedding garden. For 2026 brides and their guests will glide down the York stone path to the marquee safe in the knowledge that all the pavings are rock solid. The little things are important too!
9. New sewage system. This week sees the completion of a major upgrade to our sewage treatment plants! It’s caused a bit of a stink in the farm yard but means that stinks will be a thing of the past (thank heavens). The increased capacity also means that Houchins is now perfectly placed to cope with even more guests safely in the future.
10. All the usual maintenance – Graham our painter has been busy repainting rooms, Joe and Dave – our builders have been repairing window frames, brickwork and walls all around the venue.
So, now we are ready for the summer season and look forward to welcoming you in the coming months. If you have any questions or would like more information about any of the new enhancements please call/Whatsapp/email us.
