page_title: Cogges Manor Farm
section_title: Since the 2011 re-opening
hierarchical_section_title: Cogges Manor Farm / Since the 2011 re-opening
caption_attribution_description: English: Portraying a walk from the orchard into the sunlit woodland, with the promise of fun to come
context_page_description: Cogges Manor Farm is a one-time working farm in Cogges near Witney in Oxfordshire, England, now a heritage centre operated by a charitable trust and open to the public.
context_section_description: In July 2011, Cogges Manor Farm re-opened, now operated by a charitable trust, the site and buildings being leased from Oxfordshire County Council at a 'peppercorn rent' that is in practice a basket of apples. It is no longer a Museum in the conventional sense. Instead it is being developed as a place where families and individuals can relax, learn, and contribute voluntarily to its operation with the aim of giving visitors a better understanding of food and its production, both historically and today.
  The Farm has been changed from a museum to an educational and recreational heritage site. Small farmyard animals such as chickens, ducks, pigs and goats are husbanded using traditional methods and vegetables are grown for food in a classical 'walled garden'.
  The transition has been accomplished chiefly by the efforts of volunteers under the direction of a minimal management team.
  The concept is that through volunteering and training opportunities, courses and workshops, school learning activities and by seeing the work first-hand, visitors and volunteers are able to appreciate the ups and downs of small scale farming.
  Displays and activities, coupled with conducted tours, explain how the Cogges Manor Farm site has developed since Saxon times, how its past residents made a living and how the farm has continually evolved in response to changing fortunes and opportunities.
  The hitherto neglected and overgrown medieval moated area, after being sensitively cleared by volunteers, provides play opportunities and family trails that connect with this theme.
  The intention is to develop the venue into a self-funding prime visitor attraction, hosting events such as food markets and a beer festival to supplement admission fees.
  With support from local businesses the surfaces of the open yards and the interiors of the two barns have been improved while retaining their essential period atmosphere. The site has been used successfully for theatre productions, both in the open air on the lawns and in the barns. The barns have become popular locations for wedding receptions.  Such special events promise to yield an income stream that will enable the Trust to become sustainable.
  UK Prime Minister and local MP David Cameron visited the attraction in January 2011 prior to the re-opening and described the Trust's plans as "enterprising". He visited again on 13 September 2013, when he congratulated the Trust on its successful operation to date. He returned again in July 2015 as part of celebrations of the 800th anniversary of the signing of Magna Carta.
  Cogges Manor Farm also doubles up as the fictional Yew Tree Farm in the hit TV series Downton Abbey.
caption: Cogges Manor Farm – the way to the woodland play space
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