Weddings and receptions
Woolas Barn hosts weddings for up to 120 seated guests at dinner and 160 in the evening, in a group of restored farm buildings at Appleton Roebuck, a village south-west of York. The venue takes one wedding a week, all year round, and couples have the place to themselves over a three-day period, so setting up and clearing away do not have to happen on the day itself.
Civil ceremonies take place in The Stables, which is licensed and seats up to 100 guests on rustic benches. Couples who want a church service can marry at All Saints Church in the village, a short distance away, and return to the barn for the reception. A wedding planner works with each couple on the running order of the day. Events finish by midnight.
Because the venue sits on a working farm, a few rules apply: no Chinese lanterns or fireworks, and only natural, biodegradable confetti such as dried rose petals. Dogs on a lead are welcome. The website presents Woolas Barn as a wedding venue only and does not offer meetings or company events.
Rooms and capacities
The venue is a set of linked spaces around a courtyard. The Stables, once home to the farm's working horses, keep their original timbers and brickwork and serve as the ceremony room. The Granary, built in 1863 and the oldest part of the site, holds the bar, a reception area and the dance floor, with its original barn doors, a double-height entrance and two small snugs upstairs. The Lambing Shed, converted for dining, has a vaulted ceiling, glass doors, traditional Yorkshire boarding and exposed brick, and seats up to 120 guests. The Courtyard is an open space with a firepit and views east across the fields toward York.
Ground-floor areas are accessible to wheelchair users, although the gravel courtyard can be difficult. Floor plans are available on request.
Accommodation
There are no bedrooms on site. The venue directs guests to B&Bs and hotels in the surrounding area and can share suggestions.
Catering
Catering is in-house. A team led by Jules builds each menu with the couple, from sharing plates to a traditional three-course wedding breakfast, and couples who have booked are invited to a complimentary tasting with the chefs. Cutlery, crockery, linen and glassware are included. The bar is fully stocked, with a wine list, drinks packages and a cocktail hour. Couples can also bring their own wine, champagne or beer for a corkage charge.
History and setting
The buildings date from 1863 and stand on a 500-acre family farm of pasture and arable land. The family took over the farm after the Second World War and has lived there for three generations, and it is still a working farm. Some walls carry traces of earlier lives, including names left by German prisoners of war and reused railway sleepers.
Getting there
Woolas Barn is at Appleton Roebuck, YO23 7HT, in open countryside south-west of York. York station, on the main line between London and Edinburgh, is the nearest major rail stop, and most guests arrive by car or taxi.
