Healey Barn is a collection of traditional stone farm buildings round a sheltered courtyard in the Tyne Valley, close to the hamlet of Healey and a few miles south of Corbridge. Riding Mill is the nearest town and station, which makes it unusually easy to reach for somewhere so thoroughly rural — Newcastle is less than 20 miles away, yet what you see from the terrace is open countryside rolling south. Cripps & Co converted the buildings into a wedding venue in 2015, and they have a knack for making a barn feel considered rather than merely rustic.
The Long Barn is the heart of it, and it’s a beauty: a raised cruck roof in oak, a vast stone fireplace, fairy lights and well over a hundred candles doing the lighting, and underfloor heating so that a February wedding is no hardship at all. Dining happens in the Oak Room, a converted cow byre with its own oak roof and windows over both the landscape and the lit courtyard. A copper-clad building opens through glass doors onto a terrace and garden, and the courtyard comes into its own after dark with lanterns and fire pits.
Food is a serious business here. Everything is cooked in-house, much of it over flame — there’s an eight-spit rotisserie and a mobile barbecue in play — under a philosophy the team sum up as buy the best, cook it simply, serve it generously. Hire is exclusive, so the whole courtyard is yours, and although there are no bedrooms in the barn complex itself, accommodation is available at neighbouring Healey Hall and its cottages.
Where the band plays
The Long Barn is the room, and it’s a properly rewarding one to play in. That cruck roof gives real height and a warm, generous acoustic, while the stone walls keep the sound contained rather than letting it evaporate. Evening numbers run to around 200, so this is a dancefloor that fills quickly and stays full. A house lighting and sound system is already installed, which covers speeches and playlists neatly, and the venue is relaxed about live bands — a full line-up with drums is very much within the spirit of the place.
The ceremony and the courtyard
Civil ceremonies take place in the Long Barn, and with that fireplace and all those candles behind you it hardly needs decorating. Acoustic music suits the room enormously — a guitarist, a cellist or a small vocal group will carry to the back row without amplification if you want them to. The courtyard takes the drinks reception, sheltered on all sides and far more usable in Northumberland weather than an open lawn — a natural spot for a roaming acoustic act while the barbecues get going.
How the evening runs
The licence here stretches into the small hours, running to around 1am, but the band’s part of the night generally finishes nearer midnight — which leaves a comfortable hour afterwards for a DJ, the fire pits and the last of the bar. It’s a good arrangement: the last set goes in with the room at its fullest, and nobody has to make the decision to go home while the music is still playing. There’s parking on site and level access into the barn, so load-in is straightforward even with a full backline.
Bands available in Northumberland and perfectly at home in a venue like this.
More live music in Northumberland.
- Northumberland Wedding Bands
- Northumberland Events Bands
- Tribute Acts in Northumberland
- Wedding DJs in Northumberland
- Corporate Entertainment in Northumberland
Worth reading before you book: Sound Limiters Explained. More questions answered on our England & Wales FAQs.