West Horsley Place

What West Horsley Place does

West Horsley Place Trust is a UK registered charity (no. 1164840) that operates a Grade I listed 15th century Manor House and 400-acre historic estate in West Horsley, Surrey, transitioning the property from over 600 years of private ownership to community stewardship. The organisation generates revenue through a diversified portfolio of commercial activities: ticketed guided tours and living history festivals; exclusive venue hire for weddings (£5,000-£10,500 inclusive of VAT), corporate team building events (from £3,000+VAT), private celebrations, and memorial services; filming location fees for productions including BBC Ghosts, Netflix's Enola Holmes, and ITV; charitable donations including a tiered 'Buttoneer' programme tied to BBC Ghosts IP; and free public estate access for community wellbeing.

The business operates on a small scale with 1-10 employees and channels activities through direct enquiries (phone, website forms), an in-house online ticketing system with a £1 per-transaction booking fee, a third-party platform (buytickets.at), and a Stripe-powered donation system. Commercial activities are ringfenced in a wholly-owned trading subsidiary, West Horsley Place Ltd (Company No. 10315041). The estate's flagship partnership is with BBC Studios and Lionsgate for the 2026 feature film 'Ghosts: The Possession of Button House', which functions as both a revenue event and a brand amplifier for the charity's cultural programming.

Funding derives from operational revenue, charitable donations, and heritage grants including the National Lottery Heritage Fund. The organisation's competitive position rests on irreplaceable physical heritage assets, a unique entertainment brand association through BBC Ghosts, and a Surrey Hills AONB location that no competitor can replicate. All revenue is reinvested into conservation of the Grade I listed buildings, biodiversity protection, and public programming.

Name

West Horsley Place

Legal name

The West Horsley Place Trust

Website

https://westhorsleyplace.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2015

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

West Horsley Place Trust is a UK registered charity operating a Grade I listed 15th century Manor House and 400-acre estate in Surrey, serving visitors, wedding couples, corporate clients, film productions, and donors through cultural events, venue hire, filming location fees, and charitable programmes.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Heritage Venue Hire and Cultural Events

NAICS

Historical Sites (712120), Historical Sites (71212), Museums, Historical Sites, and Similar Institutions (712)

SIC

Services-Amusement & Recreation Services (7900)

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYTHAMAAAJ

Historic & Heritage Homes

Travel & Hospitality/Vacation Rentals & Short-Term Stays/Whole-Home Vacation Rentals

SECONDARYTHAMAAAM

Large Group & Event-Friendly Homes

Travel & Hospitality/Vacation Rentals & Short-Term Stays/Whole-Home Vacation Rentals

Keywords

• Heritage venue hire
• Historic wedding venue
• Living history festivals
• Film filming locations
• Cultural events venue

Headquarters

HQ city

West Horsley

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Operations, Infrastructure, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Event Tickets and Tours: Revenue from ticket sales for guided tours, living history festivals, family days, and special events including BBC Ghosts set tours. Tickets are sold online with a £1 booking fee per transaction.
2. Venue Hire - Weddings: Exclusive hire of the Grade I listed Manor House, barn, and gardens for wedding ceremonies and receptions. Pricing varies by season, ranging from £5,000 to £10,500 for 2027 rates including VAT.
3. Venue Hire - Corporate Events: Corporate team building days starting at £3,000 + VAT, including expert estate guides and campfire lunch. Also includes venue hire for meetings and away days.
4. Filming Location Fees: Revenue from film and TV productions filming at the estate. The site has been used for BBC Ghosts, Enola Holmes, and other productions.
5. Donations and Fundraising: Charitable donations through one-off and regular contributions, with specific amounts designated for conservation projects such as garden renewal, door repairs, and silk damask conservation.
6. Buttoneer Membership Program: A tiered donation program with perks tied to BBC Ghosts, including £10 'Butt Ho' recognition, £50 listing in visitor book, £100 for Thomas' love letter, and £500 for dolls' house placement.
7. Venue Hire - Celebrations and Memorials: Private event hire for birthday celebrations, anniversaries, naming ceremonies, retirement parties, and memorial services with recommended caterers and suppliers.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

West Horsley Place is a registered charity that operates a Grade I listed Manor House and 400-acre historic estate as a cultural events and venue hire destination. It sells ticketed public experiences (guided Manor House tours, BBC Ghosts set tours, four annual living history festivals), exclusive venue hire for weddings, celebrations, memorial services, corporate team building, and film/TV productions. All revenue supports Grade I conservation, with grants and tiered donations supplementing earned income.

Product overview

West Horsley Place operates as a single-site cultural events venue offering a unified portfolio of visitor experiences, venue hire services, and charitable programmes. The core venue encompasses a Grade I listed 15th century Manor House with formal gardens, Place Farm Barn, and 400 acres of accessible estate. Visitor experiences include Manor House guided tours, Ghosts Set Tours (the site served as Button House for BBC Ghosts), and Living History Festivals. Venue hire spans weddings, celebrations, memorials, corporate events, and filming locations. Wellbeing spaces and free estate access complement paid programming. The charity also runs donation programmes including the Buttoneer initiative and general conservation donations.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Manor House Tours Guided public tours of the Grade I listed 15th century Manor House, allowing visitors to explore more than 600 years of history including rooms used in BBC Ghosts filming.
• BBC Ghosts Set Tours Guided tours around the Manor House and estate for BBC Ghosts fans, showing all rooms used in the sitcom and offering Family and Fans Days with activities such as line dancing and archery.
• Living History Festivals 2026 Series of four immersive historical festivals at the Manor House in 2026: Regency Revels (April), Hosting Henry VIII (July), Saxon Saga (October), and Crewe's Christmas (November). The Living History Pass covers all four festivals.
• Wedding Venue Hire Exclusive hire of the Grade I listed Manor House, formal gardens, orchards, and barns for wedding ceremonies and receptions, with the Manor House and Place Farm Barn licensed for ceremonies. Pricing varies by season, ranging from £5,000 to £10,500+VAT for 2027 rates.
• Private Celebrations Hire Venue hire of the Manor House, barn, and gardens for milestone birthdays, anniversaries, retirement parties, naming ceremonies, and family reunions.
• Memorial Services Venue Hire Calm, accessible setting for memorial services, celebration-of-life gatherings, memorial lunches, receptions, and outdoor ceremonies for families and funeral directors.
• Corporate and Team Building Events Full-day corporate team building, executive away days, and meetings featuring estate-based activities such as coppicing, wildflower meadow planting, hedge laying, and orienteering, starting at £3,000+VAT with expert guides and campfire lunch.
• Filming Location Hire Film and TV location hire featuring a 15th century Manor House, five acres of walled gardens, 18th-century farm buildings, and 400 acres of parkland, with established use by BBC Ghosts, Netflix Enola Holmes, and ITV.
• Living History Pass 2026 Annual subscription pass granting entry to all four 2026 living history festivals: £40 adult, £20 child.
• Buttoneer Donation Programme Tiered donation programme referencing BBC Ghosts, with perks including £10 'Be a Butt Ho', £50 'For King and Country' visitor book listing, £100 'Damn Your Eyes' with Thomas love letter, and £500 'Go 5 Potatoes High' with dolls' house placement.

Named customers8 records

Segments7 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered flagship and minor.

• BBC Ghosts / BBC StudiosflagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe estate serves as the primary filming location for BBC Ghosts comedy series and the feature film 'Ghosts: The Possession of Button House'. This partnership drives significant visitor interest and revenue through filming tours and fan events.
• LionsgateflagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-producer of Ghosts: The Possession of Button House feature film. The film's production at West Horsley Place creates unique fundraising opportunities through exclusive set tour prize draws.
• Surrey HillsminorGTM or Marketing PartnerOfficial partnership with Surrey Hills Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty organization. Allows use of Surrey Hills branding and marketing support.
• Historic HousesminorGTM or Marketing PartnerMembership organization for historic private houses open to the public. Provides marketing support and cross-promotion with member properties.
• Tiger Lily Coffee VanminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorPop-up café partner operating in the barn courtyard. Provides catering for visitors without requiring separate event tickets. Supports visitor experience across regular opening hours.
• De Vere Horsley EstateminorOthersNearby hotel accommodation option recommended to corporate clients and wedding guests. Located near West Horsley Place for out-of-town visitors.
• Grange Park OperaminorOthersNearby performing arts venue with 700-seat auditorium. Available for corporate client events and referenced in venue hire materials as an additional space option.
• Surrey County Council RegistrarsminorOthersRequired partnership for legally binding wedding ceremonies. Couples must book registrars separately through Surrey County Council for civil marriage services.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• National Trust: UK's largest heritage and conservation charity operating historic houses, gardens, and estates. Directly competes for heritage visitors and venue hire clients in the same region.
• English Heritage: Major UK heritage charity managing historic properties, monuments, and events. Overlaps with West Horsley Place in heritage tourism, venue hire, and educational programming.
• Historic Royal Palaces: Independent charity operating unoccupied royal palaces. Comparable heritage venue model with wedding hire, events, and public access, but at much larger scale.

Direct peers

• Loseley Park: Nearby Surrey Grade I listed historic estate offering wedding venue hire, corporate events, and public tours. Directly comparable geographically and operationally to West Horsley Place.
• Leeds Castle: Historic castle and estate in Kent offering weddings, corporate events, hospitality, and public tours. Operates at greater scale but follows same heritage venue hire and tourism model.
• Cliveden House: Grade I listed historic mansion operating as luxury hotel, wedding venue, and venue for hire. Comparable in operating a historic estate for premium events and accommodation.
• Hampton Court Palace: Historic royal palace operated by Historic Royal Palaces offering tours, events, and venue hire. Shares Tudor-era heritage and visitor programming model with West Horsley Place.
• Blenheim Palace: UNESCO World Heritage Site operating as a historic house, events venue, and filming location. Comparable to West Horsley Place in serving weddings, corporate events, and public tours at a Grade I listed historic estate.
• Penshurst Place: Grade I listed medieval manor house in Kent operating as heritage attraction with weddings, events, and educational programming. Similar model of operating a historic estate for public visits and venue hire.

Others

• Surrey Hills Enterprises: Partnership organization for Surrey Hills AONB. Existing partner of West Horsley Place; adjacent in the local heritage and visitor economy ecosystem.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/WHorsleyPlace
• Facebookfacebook.com/WestHorsleyPlace
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/westhorsleyplace

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about West Horsley Place