Our History of Wolds Village

The opening of Wolds Village sees these premises turning nearly full circle, back to the time when, as the New Inn Coaching House, travellers could break their journey & find refreshment. In the late 18th Century the house was also the scene of the Bainton Beacon Assizes with villians being locked overnight in the cellars prior to their final walk to Bainton & then along “Dead Lane” to Neswick where a gibbet (gallows) stood in a field. Since then the property has been a traditional family farmhouse under the name of Manor Farm.

There are now three of us involved in the business; Sally & Chris Brealey & Maureen Holmes (Sally’s Mum). Sadly Bob Holmes (Sally’s Dad) passed away in February 2009. He was the driving force behind the whole complex & is greatly missed by us all. He was a very clever & practical man who could turn his hand to anything. Wolds Village will continue in his memory & is a wonderful legacy that he has left us all to enjoy. When you visit be sure to take a look around the art gallery in the central barn. This project was Bob’s swan song, he developed this beautiful space during a gruelling 10 months of Cheimo. He really was an amazing man.

After months of planning & preparation we eventually moved in on Valentines Day 1995 & started on “Phase 1”of Wolds Village; the creation of two roomed tearoom. We opened for business on 9th May 1995 having renovated the Dining Room, Scullery & Kitchen. “Phase 2”,the creation of a new toilet block & the “Well Room” with its small bar area was completed & opened on 16th September 1995. The well itself is just short of 100 feet deep & would have been a vital source of water when it was built approximately 200 years.

In November 1995, the Craft & Gift Shop opened in the Old Stables & the adjacent rooms became work shops for Bob’s woodwork & wood finishing; so marks the end of “Phase 3”. Restoring the sagging & roofless Dovecote was “Phase 4”. There are over 700 pigeon holes with a central post which originally had protruding arms that supported a ladder. This could be rotated making it easy for farm hands to climb up & take the fledgling birds & eggs which were an important source of food. The restoration of the Dovecote was completed in time to be used as our main entrance for the summer of 1996.

Further Phases have seen the relocation of the Workshop to the west end of the courtyard & then enlarging the shop into four rooms. We have also renovated outbuildings to provide us with Bobs Clock workshop & showroom. We have added on the Archway dining area with its panelling & coach house feel. February 2001 saw the opening of the conservatory with a new bar area for pre & after dinner drinks.

The family has also managed to increase in size, with the birth of Jasmine in February 2001 & Willow in October 2002 to very proud parents Sally & Chris.

April 2005 saw the opening of the new Luxury Guest Accommodation at the far end of the west courtyard, a project that was begun in 2002. As with the entire project, it was very much a family affair, each of the family members being able to use their own talents in its building & design. Bob was involved in all the planning & spent months in communication with Defra who very generously provided us with a grant. Bob also designed & installed all the heating & plumbing system & each of the 7 ensuite bathrooms. Lewis (Maureen & Bob’s son) & labourer Ben worked with us on the project until its completion.

The design & theme of the room interiors was chosen by the Partners to give a unique selling point over all our potential competition. We then spent a great deal of time, researching the decors & then making, finishing, painting panelling & flooring. Sale rooms were searched for period furnishings which we then restored & upholstered. Maureen had the mammoth task of making all the beautiful window dressings & bedspreads. Firstly choosing the fabrics to be sympathetic to the individual periods & then researching the different styles from each period in time. Maureen, Bob & Chris created the garden area outside the hotel. Chris has also wielded a mean paint brush around & about the place. He was also involved in setting up the reception, dealing with bookings & enquiries & the marketing of the business. Sally did most of the tiling in the bathrooms & grouted for miles & miles! She was also involved in the housekeeping & reception planning. So as you can see we had an extremely hard & busy couple of years, alongside the usual work involved in running the tearoom, restaurant & shop & bringing up 2 small children between us!! We are fortunate to employ a wonderful hard working group of people, who are all dedicated to the cause & without whom, Wolds Village would not be the success that it is today.

Many of our staff members have been with us for more than 10 years & feel very much like part of the family. In fact back in 2004 our Restaurant Deputy Manager Kathryn tied the knot with our Head Chef Steve, strengthening our team further!

We launched The Gallery on the Wolds, in November 2008. Once again the project was overseen by Bob with assistance from Chris (woodwork & electrics) & labourer Alberto. Of course, Sally & Maureen helped too, with our “bonnie tiler” laying every one of the floor tiles. It was also Sally who promoted the gallery’s opening & ensured it was such a success for both the artists & members of the public alike. The aim of the gallery is to exhibit a wide range of work for local artists as well as providing space for Sally & Maureen to exhibit their own works.

In the summer of 2011 we started the Art Trail which is a work in progress & will be added to in the months & years to come.

Future plans are a a little vague at the moment, we do have planning permission to “finish off” the buildings in the West Courtyard with more accommodation & function room, but the current economic climate is not helping with that. We may have to wait for the next generation – Watch this space!