Northside Farm sits on 70 acres of Northumberland countryside near Horsley, within easy reach of Hadrian’s Wall and about half an hour west of Newcastle. You arrive along a long driveway through rolling land, and by the time you reach the courtyard the rest of the world has comfortably dropped away. Lakes, woodland and open fields make up the view in every direction, and there is no neighbouring property to share the day with.
The buildings are the work of the family who own the place, who have been steadily making them since 2016 — a converted barn for the reception and, separately, the Gin Gang for ceremonies, a lovely round room with high ceiling beams whose name comes from the horse-powered threshing engines that once turned in buildings like it. Between them sits a courtyard that does a great deal of work on the day, catching the sun for drinks and giving guests somewhere to stand about looking pleased with themselves. Everything is set up to be styled the way you want rather than handed over finished.
Accommodation is one of the real strengths. There are 10 timber glamping pods, each with its own fire pit, and four cottages in a properly fairytale idiom, so the wedding party and the guests who matter most can stay on site. There is a fruit orchard. And crucially the whole farm can be taken exclusively for up to three days, which turns the wedding from a single long day into a weekend — arrival and set-up, the day itself, then a slow breakfast with everyone still in dressing gowns.
Where the band plays
The converted barn is where the evening lands, and barns of this kind are rewarding rooms for a band: height in the roof, solid surfaces around the walls, and enough volume in the space for drums and brass to sound big without anyone pushing. With the farm to yourselves and no neighbours within earshot, there is less of the usual anxiety about volume than at a venue hemmed in by houses — though it is always worth confirming the venue’s own conditions when you book. Agree the stage position when the table plan is drawn, so the dancefloor sits between the band and the bar rather than off in a corner.
Ceremony, the Gin Gang and the courtyard
The Gin Gang is a small, high-ceilinged room with terrific character, and an unamplified guitarist, harpist or string duo will sound lovely in it without any help. Outdoors is another story — 70 acres of open Northumberland will thin an acoustic instrument to nothing — so plan on a small PA for anything performed in the courtyard or by the lakes. The drinks reception naturally spreads across the yard and the grass, which is ideal territory for a roaming acoustic act.
How the evening runs
Live music tends to run through to around midnight, which suits a venue where nobody has to drive home: first dance shortly after dinner, two full sets with the barn at its fullest, and then the fire pits outside the pods for whoever is still going. Because the farm is yours for up to three days, a band can load in well ahead of the guests, which is always the smoothest way to do it.
Bands available in Newcastle upon Tyne and perfectly at home in a venue like this.
More live music in Newcastle upon Tyne.
- Newcastle upon Tyne Wedding Bands
- Newcastle upon Tyne Events Bands
- Tribute Acts in Newcastle upon Tyne
- Wedding DJs in Newcastle upon Tyne
- Corporate Entertainment in Newcastle upon Tyne
Worth reading before you book: Sound Limiters Explained. More questions answered on our England & Wales FAQs.