Can you visit Soho Farmhouse without being a member?

No. Soho Farmhouse is members only. A day visit requires full Soho House membership, and even staying overnight requires at least the cheaper Soho Friends membership. There is no public, non-member booking.

Where is Soho Farmhouse?

On a farm estate near Great Tew, close to Chipping Norton in north Oxfordshire, in the northern Cotswolds.

When did Soho Farmhouse open?

In 2015, as the rural outpost of the Soho House members' clubs.

Is Soho Farmhouse the same as the older private Cotswolds?

No, and that is rather the point. It is exclusive in the modern, joinable sense, with a membership and a waiting list. The older Cotswold privacy is not sold or joined at all; you are simply within it or you are not.

Visiting Soho Farmhouse: Membership, Access & How to Visit

Soho Farmhouse is the Soho House clubs' rural estate near Great Tew, where the Cotswolds set come out from London. Here is the honest answer on whether you can visit, what is there, and the older privacy it has nothing to do with.

At a glance

How to visit: Members only. Both day visits and overnight stays need a Soho House or Soho Friends membership; there is no public booking.
Where: Great Tew, near Chipping Norton, Oxfordshire, in the north of the Cotswolds.
Best time to visit: Open the year round to members.
How long to spend: A short break or overnight, for those who can get in.
Parking: On-site for members.
Getting there: Nearest stations Charlbury and Banbury, both around an hour and a quarter from London, then a taxi. By car, off the A44 near Chipping Norton.
Dog friendly: Dogs are allowed in limited areas for members, not in the restaurants.
Family friendly: Yes for members; there are family cabins and a children's club for those staying.

Visiting Soho Farmhouse: parking, getting there, when to go

Soho Farmhouse opened in 2015 on a hundred-acre farm estate near Great Tew, a scatter of cabins and cottages around lakes and barns, with restaurants, the Cowshed spa and a cookery school. The thing to know is that it is members only. A day visit needs full Soho House membership; even an overnight stay needs at least the cheaper Soho Friends tier. There is no way to simply book in as a member of the public, which is the question most people arrive with.

For those who can get in, the nearest stations are Charlbury and Banbury, each around an hour and a quarter from London, then a taxi; by road it is off the A44 near Chipping Norton.

Soho Farmhouse questions, answered

Can you visit Soho Farmhouse without being a member?: No. Soho Farmhouse is members only. A day visit requires full Soho House membership, and even staying overnight requires at least the cheaper Soho Friends membership. There is no public, non-member booking.
Where is Soho Farmhouse?: On a farm estate near Great Tew, close to Chipping Norton in north Oxfordshire, in the northern Cotswolds.
When did Soho Farmhouse open?: In 2015, as the rural outpost of the Soho House members' clubs.
Is Soho Farmhouse the same as the older private Cotswolds?: No, and that is rather the point. It is exclusive in the modern, joinable sense, with a membership and a waiting list. The older Cotswold privacy is not sold or joined at all; you are simply within it or you are not.

It is exclusive in the way the word now means, which is to say you can join it. Membership is reviewed, the waiting list is real, and the gate is watched.

The Cotswolds has another kind, older and harder to find, that is not sold and not joined. It keeps no farm shop and takes no bookings. You are simply, one day, within it, or you spend your life a field away and never learn it was there.

The story moves through this world. Begin Chapter One →