Welcome to Middle Aston House
We wanted to start a newsletter to allow us to keep in touch. More importantly, to let you know what was going on here at Middle Aston House.
We have a broad mix of followers online. Some have been visiting as clients for over 20 years; others trusted us to host their special day. There’s a good number who follow us because a friend or relative works here.
No matter the reason, thank you for the support. Read on so that no matter the reason you’ve decided to join us, there’ll be something that you’ll learn about us. You’ll also get to see some of our favourite pictures of the venue.
For any questions please feel free to give us a call on 01869 340361 or email enquiries@middleastonhouse.com.
What is Middle Aston House?
First and foremost, Middle Aston House is a family-owned residential venue run by a small team of people. We are all incredibly passionate about the venue and what it stands for.
With History dating back to the 11th Century, there have been at least three houses on the site before the current house-front. This dates back to the late 1800s (although the “West Wing” or the Farmhouse and Brewery date back much further.) You can read more about the History of the House by visiting our clicking here.
Middle Aston House was a residential home until the mid-1960s. It then transformed into a corporate conference and events venue.
What do we do?
Across the 20 acre site, there is one lake and two ponds, woodland, meadow, walled garden, low ropes course. There are also 55 bedrooms, ten meeting rooms, five dining rooms and most importantly…a bar!
For over half a century, we’ve seen a vast number of clients and guests walk through the doors. This was for weddings, conferences, charity events and residential learning and development events. We have hosted for multi-national companies to small independents.
Up until 2020, a majority of business came from corporate clients, running either a conference or learning and development events. For some, we are a venue only, somewhere to host their event. For others, we start to use our experience and contacts to tailor a bespoke programme. This helps them to get the most out of their time with us. To focus the learning of the delegates, we offer a residential aspect. This includes a single occupancy double room and a delicious three-course meal from our hugely talented kitchen team.
We also have the pleasure of hosting a large number of special occasions and private events. From birthday parties to anniversaries and of course the most special of occasions; weddings. We’re licensed to hold your ceremony either inside the venue or out in the gardens.
For more intimate receptions, we can host inside the house. In one of 2 rooms, you could have 45 for the reception and 100 for the evening. For larger celebrations, a marquee out on the lawn has the most fabulous views.
2020 has been the worst year that the Hospitality and Events industry could imagine. Middle Aston House hasn’t been immune to the resultant challenges. Before re-opening at the end of lockdown, we realised that we would have to change aspects of the business.
With that in mind, we opened our doors to the leisure market. Offering short breaks and ‘UK Stay-cations’ to anyone who would like to come and relax. Taking advantage of the full 20 acres of the site. As part of that, we also started welcoming four-legged friends (which made the staff very, very happy!!)
We’ve also started to link in more with the local area. Opening up a restaurant service on Thursday, Friday and Saturday evenings, we’re welcoming those from surrounding villages. Offering the opportunity to pop across for a drink and walk the grounds.
Why do we do it?
If you speak to anyone who comes to visit us whether they be a corporate guest or someone just trying to escape for the weekend, they all tend to agree that it’s a pretty special place.
Being able to surround yourself with the peace and tranquillity of 20 acres of natural Oxfordshire countryside when you come into work is pretty amazing!
Working within a small team for a family-owned business means that we’re able to offer a great deal that the corporate venues are unable to. The passion that a lot of our historic clients have for the venue is unbeatable.
Whether they haven’t seen us for a couple of months or a year (especially this year!) our guests all feel that they’ve come back home.
How does the future of Middle Aston House look?
The business is continually developing, and we’re always looking at the next offering.
Before lockdown (2) began, we were offering a bar menu on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday evenings. For the Winter season, we’re developing this menu to offer more seasonal, local produce.
We will also be offering a “build your own” Sunday Lunch during December with Christmas hints!
For all our guests, we’ve linked in with one of our friends from SPELLBOUND to offer an escape room experience. This is now ready to go live! The MAH team are at the top of the leaderboard (at the moment) why not come to try beat our time!
For those of you who follow our social media, you’ll realise that coffee is a staple of the team at MAH.
We will be launching a “coffee and cake” morning five days a week. You’ll be able to come and chat with friends, do some work, or take a break with views across our lake.
We’re also working on the house and the grounds. You’ll see some changes popping up slowly and steadily through the next few months! Work is due to start next week on a kitchen garden. This will be at the top of the meadow with fruit, veg and flowers. We can’t wait to start growing so that you’ll see them on your dinner plate! There are also plans for a relaxation area for adults and kids alike that will start to appear in the new year!
We will be writing these weekly to keep you up to date about what’s happening and MAH. It will also allow you to start learning a little more about the house, the grounds and even the team that you will see on-site.
