The Great Barn

Titchfield Festival Theatre took on the barn in 2011 as a much needed venue for our Shakespeare Season that still takes place during the summer months to date.

After a couple of very successful years, after more and more patrons had been attending the productions, a handful of enquiries came through about the hire for events and so Titchfield Festival Theatre began hiring the venue to charities, companies and of course, individuals for their weddings.

History of The Great Barn

Commonly, the Great Barn at Titchfield has been referred to as the Tithe Barn.

A leading expert on wooden framed buildings in Hampshire, Edward Roberts, is unequivocal that it is a monastic Manorial Barn, and the term ‘Tithe’ is a misnomer, a view supported by Aston in his 1993 book, Monasteries. There does not seem to be much difference, practically or technically, between ‘Manorial’ and’ Tithe’, with reference to barns, as they both refer to the storage of food provisions, usually quoted as corn, acquired from local land.

In the instance of the barn of Titchfield Abbey, the corn would come from both manorial demesnes and tenants. In consequence, for this monograph, the term ‘Great Barn’ is used.

Events & Fundraising with The Great Barn

The Great Barn is owned and operated by Titchfield Festival Theatre Charity. Proceeds raised by the hiring of this beautiful venue go directly into the maintenance and upkeep of this historical venue but also into the ongoing project and build of TFT’s main theatre on St Margarets Lane which is providing one of the most prolific amateur theatres in Europe to the local community.

The Great Barn is now looked after by our dedicated Venue Manager, Adam Feeley, who will not only take you round the Great Barn on your first viewing and describe how your big day can look within the beautiful setting of the Great Barn.

He will also be on hand throughout your entire planning process to help guide you through the process of ensuring you have the most perfect day you can imagine.