How Our Site Became a Magical Woodland Wedding Venue
The Woods at Oakley outside Salisbury in Wiltshire, UK, has a rich and interesting history that our Venue Coordinator Rachel has dived into. Learn about The Woods at Oakley’s links to World War 2, and how the site evolved from a chicken farm and fly tipping site to a home, animal sanctuary and a magical woodland wedding venue!
The Site During World War Two
Oakley Farm, where The Woods at Oakley is situated, in Dinton, Wiltshire, served as an RAF munitions supply base during WW2. The location was chosen as the woods provided cover from the air for both men and munitions and was only a short distance from the railway stations in Wylye and Dinton.
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- Entrance to RAF Oakley Farm with the original gate posts. The hut on the left was the guard room. It is believed that there could have been as many as 80 Nissen Huts on the site at its peak!
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- Blast shelters typical of other RAF sites were positioned across the site. Some still exist today.
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- The scale of the sewerage system located at the southern end of the site confirms that up to 2000 troops could have been stationed here!
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- The old gymnasium, which is now used as a car repair workshop.
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- Vince, who has run this for 30 years, found this graffiti on the wall. He traced the name back to Kentucky – George Flutmus was born in 1921 and was an 18 year old printer when he was drafted. He served with his brother and died aged 85.
The Site Becomes A Chicken Farm
Ken Woodford, Charlie’s father, bought the site in the early 80’s. He was already a successful chicken farmer who wanted space to expand. An electronics engineer by trade, he soon put his skills to work installing innovative ventilation systems to the sheds to keep the birds healthier.
He also drilled a 300ft borehole to provide water for the farm. This water comes from the same aquifer that supplies the mineral water sold at Stonehenge! It’s the same water that comes out of the taps in the Nissen Hut and in the Woods (learn more about The Woods at Oakley’s amenities here).
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- The first shed already on site when Ken arrived.
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- The next generation with Ken’s fans on the outside.
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- The sheds built when Charlie was still involved. They are smaller and better engineered to meet Waitrose’s standards.
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- An article from the September 1973 edition of ‘Poultry World’, showing Ken putting his electronic engineering skills to work, removing 5 miles of cabling from his first sheds!
The Site Becomes A Home
In 2010, Lindsay and Charlie moved onto the site of what was to become their new home. They lived in a caravan on site whilst Charlie got on with building their house. This was fine in summer but in winter it was freezing. Toby, their sheep, came in to get warm and found some Ugg boots for his cold feet. He later became famous as the picture of him below was printed in the children’s edition of National Geographic!
Lindsay and Charlie’s daughter, Amelie, was born in the house they had built. It was meant to be a stress-free home birth, but no one told the sheep, who wedged themselves against the front door and refused to let the midwives in!
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- Lindsay and Charlie’s house being built.
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- The caravan in the snow.
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- Toby in the children’s edition of National Geographic.
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- The Woollies protecting the family home!
Converting Buildings
After their house was built, Lindsay and Charlie began renovating the site, beginning with ‘The Cube’, a converted WW2 MT garage that is now a modern art space. They then moved on to the riding school, stables and yard, which has become a sanctuary for Ernie, Mango, Kevin and Marcel, some of the many rescue animals that have made The Woods at Oakley their home (read more about our Woods at Oakley animals here).
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- The old WW2 MT Garage that was converted into ‘The Cube’.
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- The newly converted ‘Cube’.
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- The riding school, stables and yard.
In spring 2013, they began work to convert ‘The Nissen Hut’, one of our many WW2 Nissen Huts, into a holiday let (you can explore some of our disused WW2 buildings here). Guests began to stay from May 2022. It’s now a hugely popular Airbnb and bridal accommodation for couples getting married in the woods (explore The Nissen Hut and book to stay here).
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- The Nissen Hut as it was in 2010.
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- Work began in 2013.
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- The finished product!
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- The Nissen Hut now.
The next project was ‘The Mess’, another Nissen Hut that has very recently been converted into our office space, as well as storage for our ‘Something Borrowed’ items – take a look here.
The Mess.
Looking forward, we are hoping to convert another, larger Nissen Hut into ‘The Bunker House’, accommodation for up to 10 guests. After a very long time, we have just secured planning permission, so watch this space and take a sneak peek inside ‘The Bunker House’ here!
The Bunker House.
The Site Becomes The Woods at Oakley
When Lindsay and Charlie moved to Oakley Farm, Lindsay fell in love with the woods. It broke her heart that they were being used as a fly tipping site, and she wanted to regenerate it. So, Charlie’s parents gave Lindsay and Charlie the woods as their wedding present and she set about turning the woods into a sanctuary for wildlife again.
When Lindsay and Charlie discovered that the woods were being affected by ash dieback (you can read more about ash dieback here), they knew they had to act to protect the woodland they loved. The government’s proposed solution was to bring in approved tree surgeons who would cut down all the ash trees in return for taking the timber. But this approach came with a heavy cost — it would mean felling even the ash trees that showed signs of resistance, as well as removing other species just to create access for heavy machinery. Given that around 80% of the trees in the Woods at Oakley are ash, this method would have left the landscape devastated.
So, in 2020, during the COVID-19 pandemic, Lindsay and Charlie decided to begin the adventure that would turn The Woods at Oakley into the beautiful woodland wedding venue that it is today. With so many couples looking to get married outdoors, they decided this could be a brilliant opportunity for a way to fund the conservation of their beloved woods and fight ash tree dieback. They built the woodland chapel, now known as ‘The Hazel Bower’, which is a structure now licensed for official marriage ceremonies with Wiltshire Council.
The money from the weddings keeps the woodland thriving, providing a natural habitat for a huge variety of wildlife, some of which is completely dependent on ash. When trees need to be chopped down, the wood is used to supply heating and hot water to Lindsay, Charlie and Amelie’s home as well as the Nissen Hut. Any surplus wood is used to create beautiful, natural features in the Woods at Oakley, such as the Hazel Bower benches and natural tables in the Bluebell Glade.
Couples who choose to get married with us also have a tree planted to commemorate their special day. Their tree has a label with their names and wedding date on, and couples are more than welcome to come and visit their tree in the future. We replant a diverse mix of native tree species to help protect the long-term health of the woodland and reduce the risk of future outbreaks from species-specific diseases. Read more about this in our brochure here.
Our Woods at Oakley couples have become part of the site’s rich history, helping to leave a legacy of conservation and wildlife protection. Become a part of our family now! Read our brochure here and email enquiries@thewoodsatoakley.co.uk if you would like to book a viewing.
Looking for inspiration to make your wedding as eco-friendly as possible? Read our blog here.
If you would like to learn more about the history in our area, there are many military museums nearby, including: