COUNTRY CLUB

Soho Farmhouse: The 100 acre country club that celebrities can’t stay away from

BY ARCHIE CAWTHRA

Surrounded by 100 acres of Oxfordshire countryside, Soho Farmhouse is a destination for food and drink, wellness, and outdoor activities. Two hours’ drive or a short train journey from London, it has cabins, huts and farmhouse bedrooms to stay in. Neighbouring the Cotswolds villages of Chipping Norton and Great Tew, Soho Farmhouse has 114 bedrooms, a gym, a Cowshed spa, and the Lazy Lake outdoor wellness experience. Plus, a wide selection of activities such as horse riding and clay pigeon shooting.

Soho House is a members club with 40 clubs around the world, countless celebrities are members of the club. In fact, if you google any celebrity and then put “At Soho House” after their name, chances are a photo or article of them at the club will come up! However, the house of choice for most of the members seems to be Soho Farmhouse, people like to get a break from city life and relax in rural paradise. Some celebrities have even bought houses in the nearest village just to be near Farmhouse such as David and Victoria Beckham. The Beckham’s also inspired a couple to move to the village, that couple was Harry and Meghan. In fact, Harry and Meghan asked the designer of Soho Farmhouse to design their cottage in Great Tew.

Soho Farmhouse is a self-contained hamlet of hedonism where everything you could possibly want is within arm’s reach… or at least a very short bicycle ride away. The double-height barns and Cotswold stone buildings dotted about the perfectly manicured farmyard are, variously: a health club with an indoor-outdoor swimming pool, buzzing restaurants (four, at last count), the Electric cinema, a boutique selling Soho House homewares, and even a cosy pub called the Mill Room that stays open 'til late. 

Cotswold Style founder Archie Cawthra was lucky enough to be given an exclusive tour around Soho Farmhouse, here’s what he had to say. “Entering Soho Farmhouse was like entering a village run by Soho House, because that is what it is. Soho Farmhouse is a five minute drive to the nearest village Great Tew and a fifteen minute drive to the nearest town, Chipping Norton which means it is nestled in 100’s of acres of heavenly English countryside. Upon entry y0u are told you park up in the car park and then take a bus (which is a milk van!) where you’ll be dropped off. When you’re in the heart of Soho Farmhouse, it feels like heaven, it is the adults version of Disney World! The only vehicles on the property are the milk trucks, a cocktail van and the Porsche’s which the workers use to get around, we were lucky enough to be driven round in one of these stylish cars. The way the guests get around the estate is either by foot or by bikes.

Looking around farmhouse is a picture perfect countryside getaway, you have people swimming in the indoor-outdoor pool, a couple clay pigeon shooting, someone getting a massage in the much loved Cowshed Spa, children playing in the Teeny Camp, a family boating down the pond and people sipping on the signature Soho House Picante.”

The Piglet, Soho Farmhouse

Soho Farmhouse has a variety of huts, cabins and cottages to choose from. The cheapest hut being the piglet, while the original timbered cabins channel a Little House on the Prairie vibe, the snug Piglets, at 26 sq m, are more Scandi hygge than frontier chic. Inside are all the normal Soho House trimmings: emperor-sized bed, a Roberts radio, Bakelite phone and a shower brimming with Cowshed products.

The privacy-assured cabins are our favourite option – they are stand-alone structures positioned in wildflower meadows or overlooking streams with wood burning stoves and bath tubs on private decks. Cabin guests can also take advantage of the roving cocktail bars on wheels that’ll park up alongside your front door and deliver you a perfectly mixed Bloody Mary with no call for shedding that signature fluffy bathrobe.

Soho Farmhouse Cabin