Oxleaze Barn is part of a working organic family farm near Lechlade, in the corner where Gloucestershire, Wiltshire and Oxfordshire meet and the villages start arriving with names like Eastleach, Filkins and Southrop. The buildings date back to the 1700s — there are beams in the Milling Barn dated 1702 — and what you get is two original adjoining Cotswold stone barns opening onto a mature landscaped courtyard, with a fire pit in the middle and festoon lights strung overhead.
The farm itself is a genuine part of the appeal rather than a backdrop. It’s run on regenerative, organic principles, and the sense of a place that does something for a living — rather than existing solely to host weddings — gives the day a grounded, unpolished quality that a lot of couples are specifically looking for. The courtyard, the pond and the surrounding fields all do their share of the work, and there’s a Wedshed out in a wooded meadow for outdoor ceremonies or for the part of the evening that wants to be somewhere else.
The barns are yours exclusively, with access from the morning of the wedding right through to 10am the following day, which takes the panic out of both setting up and clearing away. There’s a licensed bar — The Watering Hole — and cottage and lodge accommodation on site for the immediate family, with plenty more in Lechlade and the villages around. Catering can be arranged either through the venue or, if you’d rather build the day yourself, on a dry-hire basis.
Where the band plays
The Main Barn is the larger of the two and the natural home for a band, taking around 110 for a ceremony or a seated dinner and up to 150 once the evening crowd is in, with the smaller Milling Barn alongside it for a more intimate gathering of around 80. Live music and discos are both part of the picture here and there’s a dancefloor in place, so you’re not starting from scratch. Old stone and 300-year-old beams give a band warmth and lift, and the courtyard just outside means people can step out for air without leaving the party behind — which is exactly what keeps a dancefloor full across two sets.
How the evening runs
Access to the barns starts late morning, ceremonies begin from the early afternoon, and the day unfolds from there: drinks in the courtyard, dinner in the barn, and dancing once the tables are cleared. Evenings run to around midnight, when guests head off or back to their rooms, so a band’s final set lands while the room is still full rather than trailing away. If you’re taking the venue on dry hire it’s worth settling the music finish time and any noise arrangements early, so the band can build the running order around them.
Bands available in Gloucestershire and perfectly at home in a venue like this.
More live music in Gloucestershire.
- Gloucestershire Wedding Bands
- Gloucestershire Events Bands
- Tribute Acts in Gloucestershire
- Wedding DJs in Gloucestershire
- Corporate Entertainment in Gloucestershire
Worth reading before you book: Sound Limiters Explained. More questions answered on our England & Wales FAQs.