Introducing The Stables

We wanted to create a space that could bring people together throughout the seasons, no matter the weather, while still feeling completely immersed in the wildness of the Reserve.

Sitting on the site of the old stables at Kingshill Farm, the idea was to create somewhere that felt completely at home here - contemporary in its design, while sitting comfortably alongside the historic farm buildings, complementing their character and opening up new possibilities for gatherings and celebrating at Elmley.

We've been dreaming and planning this building for many years, and it really has been a labour of love. So after all that time, one of the loveliest things has been watching it come to life over the summer.

We've seen couples marry here with the marsh stretching out behind them (and, on more than one occasion, been very grateful for those huge windows when the long-awaited rain arrived!). We've gathered around the tables for lunches and dinners, welcomed groups here to meet and spend time together, rolled out yoga mats and watched the room change again as evening draws in. And in September, we were incredibly proud to welcome authors, illustrators, publishers and judges to Elmley for the 2026 Wainwright Prize Winners Ceremony - a particularly special gathering celebrating nature and conservation writing, here on the Reserve.

And this is really what we hoped The Stables would be. A beautiful, simple space that could become something different each time people gather here.

The Stables sits alongside buildings that have been part of Kingshill Farm for generations, so it was important that something new felt at home amongst them without trying to imitate what was already here.

It's warm, understated interiors welcome you in, bringing together textured clay plaster and whitewashed timber, while the fully glazed end opens the room towards the huge skies and marsh beyond. So even when you're indoors, you're never far from the wonderful wildlife of the Reserve. Through the seasons, you can gaze out across the marsh and watch everything from brown hares and swans to owls and marsh harriers, with so much more to discover as the landscape changes throughout the year.

Outside, the adjoining gardens and heritage grass courtyard connect the space naturally with the rest of Kingshill Farm, bringing old and new together in a way that feels distinctly Elmley.

Of course, a space only really begins to feel alive once people start using it.

Over its first summer, The Stables has already held some very special moments - ceremonies overlooking the Reserve, long tables laid for dinner, drinks as the sun drops across the marsh and people simply spending time together.

We have loved seeing the room take on a different feeling each time, shaped by the people gathering within it and the landscape just beyond the windows.

The Stables has given us a beautiful new space to gather, but what is most exciting is everything that can happen around it.

Meetings and away days can spill out onto the Reserve for walks and wildlife experiences. Retreats can bring together yoga, meditation and sound baths with good food, time outdoors and an overnight stay. Weddings and private celebrations have another space to make their own at such a special time.

The Stables becomes part of a bigger experience - with the landscape, food, accommodation and 3,300 acres of nature reserve around it all, to shape the time you spend here.