About Us...

Our business has been wholly owned and run by one family for nearly 90 years and has been at Birtley for over 75 years. The community, the environment and biodiversity are integral parts of our ethos and plans.

Birtley Estate

The Birtley Estate has a long history going back 800 years. It now consists of 48 acres of woodland, parkland and gardens attached to the long-established Birtley House Nursing Home. The Estate hosts a variety of activities run by local artisans, for both adults and children, with strong community involvement alongside a variety of events and proudly home grown local sustainable produce.

For any information contact Birtley Estates Management Ltd, 7 Birtley Courtyard, Bramley, Surrey GU5 0LA

Birtley Estate Community

The Birtley Estate woodland is actively managed for nature. It also provides a site for a small community of local artisans presenting a range of courses and activities for both adults and children. These activities include lessons in several traditional craft skills such as woodworking, willow weaving, pyrography, and stone carving. In addition, there are regular courses in beekeeping, mindfulness in the woods including the Japanese art of Forest Bathing and outdoor yoga and hikes. Birtley Estate is also the home of the Surrey Hills Forest School, where pre-school children thrive and develop their skills in a natural outdoor environment through the school year and with holiday camps for slightly older children that are extremely popular. If that is not enough you can also try your hand at fly fishing on the lake where there is an abundance of trout.

The Birtley Estate gardens and grounds host events such as sculpture exhibitions with top artists displaying work in a wide range of styles and materials. Open Studio events by the Woodland community are also popular. All information on our events and produce can be found on the tabs above. We use local suppliers wherever possible and are keen to support innovation and independence in the community. All of which are core values for the Birtley Estate.

Birtley Brandy

Birtley Estate boasts its very own cider apple orchard with over 700 cider apple trees. 

The apples are fermented into cider and then distilled into a Calvados-style brandy known by the Old English name for Birtley, ‘Beorc Leah’ (meaning a clearing in the birch woods) at Silent Pool Distillery.

Click here to buy a bottle.

Birtley Kitchen Garden

In addition, the kitchen garden and fruit orchards team work closely with the halow project for young people with learning difficulties, to provide a range of produce which is incorporated both into the Birtley House Nursing Home menus and used to make a range of preserves and chutneys which can be purchased at Birtley House reception.


Birtley Bee-Keeping

We are fortunate to be the home of Guildford Beekeepers with their hives located on the Birtley Estate. In addition to their educational value, they generate a delicious yield of Birtley Honey each year (available to purchase at reception).

 

Local Firewood

Firewood, which is prepared and dried on-site, is also available to purchase.