Friars Court

Friars Court was founded in 1149 by the Monastic Knights of St John as their first hospitallery in Oxfordshire. The estate remained under religious ownership of the Order for nearly 400 years until the Reformation in the 1530s, after which it became a private residence.

The house was enlarged in the 1650s and the current, imposing Cotswold stone building has stood on its moated site for over 300 years and has been home to the Willmer family for over a century.

The moat, believed to be more than 500 years old, partially surrounds the house and its three acres of gardens. It was not designed for defence, but rather to keep livestock out of the grounds to protect the vegetable plots and served as a fishery for silver carp. In the 1960s, the grounds were redesigned to form ornamental gardens. Then, in 2000, the moat ponds at the front of the house were restored as part of a conservation project and now support a thriving wetland habitat.

The 650-acre estate is deeply committed to environmental stewardship. It supports extensive wildlife and songbird conservation schemes and meets most of its electricity needs through solar panels and battery storage. Information on the house history, the development of the gardens, and its environmental initiatives is included as part of a group garden tour.