The Notley Tythe Barn stands at Notley Farm at Long Crendon, on the Buckinghamshire side of the Oxfordshire border, and it is very much the real thing: a vast stone tithe barn of 12th-century origin, raised as part of a monastic complex and restored in 1991. The scale is what gets people. Huge timbers, a roof that disappears into the dark above your head, and stone that has stood quietly in this spot for eight centuries.
It sits in the middle of 500 acres of farmland worked by the same family for more than 350 years, and that continuity shows in how the place is run. Ceremonies can be held indoors or outside, the barn takes up to 150 for the ceremony and the same number seated for dinner, and 250 can be in for the evening. The Granary Bar alongside it adds room for another 60, and a marquee can go up on the grounds when the numbers call for it.
The grounds have been laid out with some thought about how a wedding day actually behaves: there is a lawn for drinks and canapés, and a separate recreational lawn where children can be children while the adults get on with the serious business of standing about with a glass. There is a licensed bar, tailored menus and a coordinator on the staff, and the barn has hosted well over 2,000 weddings, so very little can happen on your day that they have not already seen and solved. There is no accommodation on site, so most couples block-book rooms in Thame or Aylesbury.
Where the band plays
The barn is where the evening belongs. Stone and old oak make a warm, forgiving acoustic, and the sheer volume of air above the dance floor means a full band sounds big without having to be loud — a tithe barn is one of the most flattering rooms in the country for live music. With 250 possible in the evening this is a space that wants a substantial line-up, and a five or six-piece with a horn section will absolutely fill it. Do check the height available wherever the stage is going, since roof timbers can sit lower than you expect towards the ends of the building.
Ceremony, drinks and the Granary Bar
An outdoor ceremony with the fields behind you, drinks on the canapé lawn, dinner in the barn and then the Granary Bar as somewhere to escape to later on: that is the usual shape of the day here, and it works. Something acoustic outdoors during the drinks — a guitarist, a jazz trio — is the easy win. If you are adding a marquee as well, settle with the venue and the band which structure the main sets are happening in before anybody quotes you.
How the evening runs
Evenings generally run to around midnight, which gives you the full shape of a night: first dance, two sets, an encore, and time afterwards for people to find their coats without being hurried out. Because nobody is staying on site, transport matters more here than it does at a hotel — book taxis for shortly after the music ends rather than on the hour, and tell the band what time they need to be clear of the barn. Parking is on site and load-in is level.
Bands available in Buckinghamshire and perfectly at home in a venue like this.
More live music in Buckinghamshire.
- Wedding Bands in Buckinghamshire
- Events Bands in Buckinghamshire
- Buckinghamshire Tribute Acts
- Buckinghamshire Wedding DJs
- Buckinghamshire Corporate Entertainment
Worth reading before you book: Sound Limiters Explained. More questions answered on our England & Wales FAQs.