All About Kingfisher Barn
Kingfisher Barn offers a range of stunning Holiday Cottages in Abingdon, Oxfordshire...Kingfisher Barn Staff
The staff team is small and made up predominantly of local ladies both in the office as well as house keeping, so if you need any ideas of what to do or where to eat everyone will be able to help. We do have a handyman on site who will be able to take care of any small issues quickly and efficiently.
All the staff at Kingfisher Barn are dedicated to making your stay as comfortable and as problem free as possible. The office is open from 7am to 7pm during the week and 8am to midday at the weekend. If you have any questions then do pop in and we will be delighted to help.
For our guests who may need the reassurance, there is also a 24 hour on-call phone number for out-of-hours emergencies.
The staff are trained by the Tourist Board as well as local council and do a great job of running and maintaining the site of Kingfisher Barn, Abingdon. We are sure that you will agree and you will find them all very helpful.
Quality Assessment
The whole site at Kingfisher Barn is registered 4 Star with the Tourist Board so that guests know that a standard has been reached and is maintained. The site is regularly inspected to ensure that it meets the strict criteria that they use for their assessments (More Details).
The site has also received a Bronze Rating in Green Tourism and is looking to improve on this in the next 12 months. It is hoped that eventually the site will reach the Gold Medal status and it is something that we are all heavily committed to.
Facilities
On your arrival you will be met by a member of staff who will show you to your lodge/cottage.- Your accommodation will be prepared and all the beds will be made up with professionally laundered linen and a full towel set provided for each guest.
- There will a welcome basket in your self-catering accommodation with a few essentials for your stay.
- A list of useful phone numbers such as Doctors, Dentists and Vets.
- Bed linen, Bath towels, hand towels and bath mats are all provided and are all laundered for you by a specialist company.
- A full selection of toiletries are provided in case you forget your own.
- If you are staying in the self-catering accommodation you will have use of the private indoor heated swimming pool, which has wheelchair access and hoist.
- Children are welcome, high chairs and travelling cots are available free on request.
- Payphone in reception.
- 24hr emergency on-call staff.
Pets are welcome with prior arrangement. There are countryside walks close by and The Thames Path is just minutes away. Pets Terms & Conditions- Our office staff can book any taxis you may need during your stay.
- There is a security safe for any valuables in the main office.
- Large off road car park for guests.
- WISPA ceiling tracking, hoists, cot sides, shower chairs and commode are all available, on request.
- All cottages and lodges have their own garden/patio area. BBQ's are available to purchase or you are welcome to bring your own.
- All Bed and Breakfast rooms have a small fridge and a microwave as well as fully stocked hot drinks tray to make tea, coffee and hot chocolate.
Charity Links
Originally Kingfisher Barn was set up to work with national charities and organisations and it is very pleased that many of these still stay every year.The company makes a contribution of 10% of the annual profit to charities. This may be to a global or local organisation. In 2009 Kingfisher Barn supported The Smile Train, an amazing charity that does remedial cleft pallet work for children in situations of poverty. Visit for the Smile Train website to find out more.
In 2010 the owners of Kingfisher Barn, Mr and Mrs Wenman also fundraised for the Smile Train by taking part in a rally from Peking to Paris. This is 14500km of very tough terrain often without any roads and includes China, Mongolia, crossing sections of the Gobi dessert, Russia, many Stans, Iran, Greece, Italy, France and finishing in Paris.
It was a trip of a lifetime and made more exciting in the fact that the vehicle was made of wood and iron and started life as a fire tender in 1919! The trip was very successful and many Smiles were raised. Click here to make a donation
The History of Kingfisher Barn
All the accommodation at Kingfisher Barn has been created from converting old farm buildings. These are made of red brick and tile for the smaller cottages and stone and hand made tiles for the large lodges. The buildings that date back as far as the 17th century became redundant for farming practices in the 1970's. As the machinery got larger they were unable to enter the buildings and the farmer built new, much larger modern buildings over the hill.In 1994 the buildings, starting with the main stone barn, were converted to provide a holiday base for national groups and organisations to come and use. The local community also used the main stone barn for a range of purposes including a weekly timetabled creative art space, and for musical events, indoor bowling as well as a very popular wedding reception venue.
The next set of buildings to be renovated were the old cow biers around the courtyard next to the main barn. These were turned into 10 en-suit Bedrooms and proved a great success with many groups from all over the UK who hired the whole site for weeks at a time. Many of these groups had a range of special needs and the accommodation was adapted for this right from the start.
After the courtyard came the adjacent yard that now houses three self catering cottages. Stable, Hazel and Granary Cottage as well as the heated indoor pool. These were converted from the old bull pens and cart sheds. Stable Cottage still retains its very high ceilings and was in fact originally indoor stables for 3 giant shire horses that would have been responsible for the heavy farm work when the farm was not mechanised.In 2000 it was agreed that the main barn that was used for events and functions would be turned into more self catering accommodation and this is when the two large lodges, Kyte and Kestrel, were constructed, as well as the Nest and Studio loft apartments. The lodges are fabulous spaces for family reunions and group get-togethers and are always booked for the holidays including Christmas many months, and sometimes years, in advance.
The site has been running as Self Catering and Bed and Breakfast since this time and it still has a large number of visiting groups who have special needs but who may only need one cottage at a time.
