Hoad Farm

About Us

Firstly I would like to thank you for visiting our Website. A little introduction to let you know who is who..

Shirley McCrystal who is the owner, Valerie Hunn who assists Shirley and Bronwyn Hunn the Wedding/Events Co-Ordinator. Shirley and Valerie are sisters and Bronwyn, Valerie’s daughter, so we are very much a family run business. We wanted to offer our beautiful venue & relaxed cottages; which are pet friendly, for everyone to enjoy. Our cottages were built on the site of the old pigsty, the barn has been renovated with a modern twist and the whole venue is set in an area of outstanding natural beauty.

The Farm House that Shirley resides in dates back to the 14th Century and is attached to a 13th Century first floor hall house. This is where it was said that King John met with the Pope’s Legate to offer him the Crown of England in exchange for the lifting of the Interdict, which was imposed by the Pope for John’s refusal to appoint the Pope’s choice as Archbishop of Canterbury.

Acrise owes its name to the abundance of oaks that grew on the high ground in the area – oak rise. There are still many oak trees to be found within the parish. Acrise was listed in the Domesday Book (1086) as being held by Ansketel of Rots from Bishop Odo of Bayeaux. It was also home to British, American and Canadian troops preparing for the D Day landings.