Registered Charity · 1200105 · Cottisford, Oxfordshire
Old Manor Farm, formerly "The Manor" of Cottisford, is one of England's oldest historic dwellings, and before being gifted to a charitable trust, it was believed to have been the oldest continuously inhabited house in Oxfordshire.
Our Mission
Built by Sir Roger de Cotesford in the late 13th century, Old Manor Farm has stood for over 800 years. Built on the site of a Benedictine Order monastic dwelling, dating back to the 12th or possibly even the 11th century, Old Manor Farm, in the village of Cottisford, Oxfordshire is listed on the National Heritage List for England as a Grade I Listed Building (List Entry Number: 1046440).
When the property in the estate of the previous owner, John Winnington-Ingram, passed to his sons, Nick and Gerald, rather than sell it they resolved to gift it to the charitable trust, Old Manor Farm Preservation Trust. They established the charity so that the historic property could be used for the greater good, thereby creating a legacy, not just for their father and for future generations of their family, but so that it could be restored to the Christian roots of its monastic origin, as a place for peaceful spiritual growth, learning, and communal fellowship.
Your donation goes directly towards the restoration and preservation of the historic Old Manor Farm, and in helping Old Manor Farm Preservation Trust to make good on its Five Pillars of Purpose.
What We Stand For
Everything the Old Manor Farm Preservation Trust (OMFPT) does comes back to five core commitments: faith, learning, heritage, community and the natural world.
Old Manor Farm provides an ideal sanctuary for spiritual growth, mindfulness and Christian faith. Welcoming all believers and Theist faith seekers alike, with a particular focus on members of the Anglican clergy, due to the Winnington-Ingram ecclesiastical legacy.
Faith, consciousness and spiritual growth explored through ecclesiastical, philosophical and scientific sources. Retreats, courses and programmes delivered at Old Manor Farm and online in collaboration with our licensed content and publishing partners, and other "Friends of OMFPT".
Restoring a Grade I listed building with its distinctive architectural features and its local agrarian heritage, as immortalised in Flora Thompson's acclaimed classic literary work "Lark Rise to Candleford", in which Old Manor Farm is central to the agrarian life depicted.
Historically Old Manor Farm was at the heart of the local community of Cottisford and Juniper Hill. Once again it will serve as a place for village gatherings, fellowship and community life.
As a former working farm practising traditional husbandry, and now through promoting environmental stewardship through education, conservation and with a deeper understanding of our spiritual relationship with the natural world.
Education & Events
OMFPT delivers educational retreats, courses and workshops rooted in the belief that for many people seeking faith and spiritual growth, that is best understood not through religiosity and its correlated dogmatism, but through personal reflection, mindfulness and philosophical open enquiry. Programmes draw on the enlightened and inspirational content of celebrated as well as less well-known sources, in addition to that of our licensed partners, with distinctively different, if not also unique, yet particularly apt and called for, perspectives.
Support the Trust
Old Manor Farm has stood for over eight centuries. Its next chapter, as the physical focal point of the OMFPT registered charity, now depends upon, and is given over to, anyone who wishes to support and benefit from OMFPT's Five Pillars of Purpose. Every contribution goes towards restoration, conservation and the spiritually meaningful and educational programmes, as well as the commitment to the local community.
Memberships & Partnerships