Retreat Venue Hire

Host your own retreat, course or awayday at Moat Hall, a seven bedroom country house with a library, teaching room, events barn and over 4 acres of land including a moat and a heated swimming pool. The property is designed to host residential retreats, with each beautiful room adaptable to your individual requirements. Scroll down the page for sample retreats and price points.

TYPES OF RETREATS

Moat Hall is suitable for a wide range of boutique residential retreats, including, yoga, art, nature, music, reading, writing, walking, academic and historical retreats.

COMMUNAL ROOMS

Kitchen/diner seating up to 14
Snug – a cosy sitting room at the heart of the house with an open hearth Inglenook fireplace and bookshelves
Drawing room with a wood burning stove, piano, sofa and armchairs
Library/ teaching room – lined with bookshelves, this room has a central table that seats 8
Barn – a heated studio suitable for yoga, chamber music and events
Boot and laundry rooms – a large boot room/pantry provides ample storage for provisions, coats and shoes. The laundry room has 2 washers, a dryers and an extra sink

OUTSIDE

Pool – the 10 metre heated swimming pool with loungers can be used in season (May to mid September) for relaxing or as an integral part of your retreat
Grounds – Moat Hall has over 4 acres of land including a brick walled garden, orchard, moat with a wooden bridge and a wild meadow

Accommodation

The property has six double bedrooms and a single bedroom, all with a reading chair and writing desk. Four of the double bedrooms can also be set up as twins. There is also a sofa bed in the study.

The bedrooms are made up of:

2 ensuite double bedrooms on the first floor – one is deluxe with a huge bathroom including a roll top bath and walk-in shower (can be set up as twins).
2 double bedrooms with a bathroom shared between them on the second, attic floor (can be set up as twins).
1 king double bedroom on the second floor with a shared bathroom.
1 single bedroom on the first floor (the bed is a small double) with shared bathroom access on the second floor.
1 ensuite double bedroom in the pool house, separate from the main house.
1 sofa bed accessed by a private staircase, with shared bathroom 2 floors up (reserved for retreat staff due to restricted bathroom access).

Retreat venue hire at Moat Hall includes a consultation in advance on how the house should be set up for your retreat. The retreat host will need to arrange an in person house tour prior to booking if you have not hosted a retreat here before. This can be scheduled on the first day of your retreat prior to your guests arriving, or further in advance.

You can either build your own retreat from the lists below or go off menu for a fully bespoke experience. Just let us know what you want and we’ll do our best to make it happen.

The options listed below are designed for retreat leaders to be run by the person booking the retreat, though we can provide an onsite retreat manager or a chef if required. If you’re interested in any of these retreats but aren’t confident about running one yourself, then sometimes our onsite house manager can fulfil this role, or otherwise we are happy to discuss your needs and to try and find you retreat leader if one is required.

The Group	Private – bring your own group of people	Public – advertise a retreat for members of the public
Retreat Management	No onsite manager (maximum 12 people)	Onsite retreat manager (maximum 11 people)
Number of people	Up to 6 (all single occupancy rooms)	Up to 12 (room sharing required)
Food	Self-catered	Semi-catered (food provided but not cooked)	Catered (on-site chef preparing all meals)
Type of retreat	Yoga retreat or other wellness retreats Artistic retreat Chamber music groups Birdwatching retreats Walking and/or reading retreats Writing retreats Academic writing retreats Coaching courses Historical breaks Many other retreats or events
Activities	Hold workshops in the Moat Hall Library (seats up to 8 around the table) Hold sessions in the Events Barn, a large space that accommodates yoga, chamber music, art classes and other events After dinner talks Onsite masseuse Fordham Hall Estate – walk around the 500 acres of Woodland Trust land accessible on foot from Moat Hall Shoulder of Mutton – this licensed tea room serves lunch and drinks looking out at the Fordham Hall Estate and you can explore their 3 floors of antiques, vintage and collectable items including jewelry, vinyl records, furniture and original artworks Horse Riding at Fletchers Farm – book a private lesson or join a group ride at this local Riding School just minutes from Moat Hall Three Horseshoes Village Pub and Restaurant – enjoy a meal at this award winning restaurant within walking distance of Moat Hall, including the possibility of booking it for a private function Hillhouse Wood – explore this 33 acre wood within walking distance of Moat Hall and end up at the Medieval village of West Bergholt, with its 12th-century century church Local food – visit Layer Marney Meats along with Fiveways Fruit Farm – or McLauchlans Farm, where you can pick your own fruit in season, or check out Poplar Food Hall for locally sourced produce Historical Colchester, Britain’s oldest town – visit its many ancient sites including Colchester Castle, Hollytrees Museum, The Dutch Quarter, St John’s Abbey Gate, Roman Ruins and Layer Marney Tower Gainsborough’s House – head to Sudbury to visit the largest and most comprehensive collections of artwork by Thomas Gainsborough, as well as art by John Constable (born nearby) and Cedric Morris Coggeshall village – one of the most loved villages in Essex with nearly 300 listed historic buildings, including the National Trust-owned Paycockes House and Grange Barn Beth Chatto’s Gardens – Beth Chatto was a pioneering English plantswoman, garden designer, and author who transformed poor, drought-prone land in Essex into this world-renowned Gardens Local vineyard tour – Essex vineyards are flourishing and we can plan visits in season to any of the local vineyards Dedham Vale Natural Landscape – this Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty has numerous picturesque villages and walking options
Fully Bespoke	Want to do your own thing that’s not on the menu? That’s not a problem – just get in touch and we’re happy to discuss your requirements for staying at Moat Hall.
Sample Retreats	Yoga Retreat 3 nights, 6-8 people Private group, fully catered with onsite chef Onsite retreat manager Daily yoga sessions in the Events Barn Onsite masseuse for one afternoon Guided walk around the Fordham Hall Estate Dedham Vale Natural Landscape walk of your choice Cost of Retreat: £4,800 Academic Writing Retreat 3 nights, up to 10 people Self catered, private group No organised group activities, local guide book provided Cost of Retreat: £2,200 Birdwatching Retreat 2 nights, 6 people Led by you, and open to the public to book (including being listed on Moat Hall Retreats website if desired) Semi – catered, no onsite chef or retreat manager Workshop session in the library Fordham Hall Estate walk Hillhouse Wood walk with a local guide Beth Chatto’s Gardens visit Dedham Vale Natural Landscape walk Cost of Retreat: £1,800 Walking and Reading Retreat 4 nights, 6-8 people Private group, catered with onsite chef Onsite retreat manager After dinner author talk Onsite masseuse for one morning Fordham Hall Estate walk led by onsite manager Local food – visit Layer Marney Meats, Fiveways Fruit Farm and Poplar Food Hall Dedham Vale – visit Flatford Mill in Dedham Local vineyard tour Cost of Retreat: £5,000 Historical Retreat 5 nights, 6-8 people Led by you, and open to the public to book (including being listed on Moat Hall Retreats website if desired) Semi-catered (food provided but no chef) with a retreat manager 1 or 2 days in Colchester to visit your choice of historical sites Trip to Sudbury, including visiting Gainsborough’s house Visit to Coggeshall village, including Paycockes House National Trust property Local walks of your choice Beth Chatto’s Gardens visit to explore the horticultural history of Essex Talk given by a local historian Cost of Retreat: £4,500

Enquiry form

Name

Surname

What type of retreat would you like to run?

What dates are you considering?

Will you need any specialist equipment?

How many retreat guests are you expecting (if known)?

Is this your first booking with Moat Hall Retreats?

Are there any other questions you would like to ask?