Communities and charities

Over a thousand people live, work or learn at Woodhall, with many thousands more who live in the estate’s vicinity and benefit from the countryside that we work hard to manage. However, we go much further to actively promote the interaction of our local communities with the estate’s natural and built heritage.

Schools and Scouts

The estate supports our local schools, such as Stapleford School, whose main building has been provided rent free for many years. By tradition the school presents a summer rose to the Abel Smith family every June. We also offer support to schools through Discovery Days run on the estate by our partners at Countryside Learning, a charity that brings children to the countryside to learn about food and nature. Recently the estate was pleased to donate iPads for learning to Tonwell School.

The estate has a long record of supporting Hertfordshire scouts. Lt Col Abel H Smith was the founding Chairman of the Hertford District Scout Association and this forged a long-standing link between Woodhall and the scouts. We provide the Scout Hut site in Watton-at-Stone for £1 a year and regularly host scout camps and activities on the estate.

Churches

The estate has supported the churches in the estate’s benefice for many years, both financially and practically. The Abel Smith family restored Watton Church in circa 1860, likewise Stapleford Church and Sacombe Church. Bramfield Church was also enlarged by the family at around the same time. More recently the estate contributed to a new heating system at Watton Church. We continue to lend our support where possible, particularly in relation to upkeep and church event parking.

Fundraising events

Over the years, Woodhall has supported a number of local and national charities though hosting public events here. Beneficiaries have included the Essex & Herts Air Ambulance, Help for Heroes, the British Red Cross and Isabel Hospice. In 2023, we opened the private Walled Gardens at Woodhall Park to the public through the National Garden Scheme, to raise funds for charity.

Police support

We are proud of the work Hertfordshire Constabulary does to protect urban and rural communities in Hertfordshire, and are pleased to support the force by providing training spaces for police dogs and their specialist officers. They respond to dangerous situations across Hertfordshire, Cambridgeshire and Bedfordshire, as well as provide security at London Luton Airport. Learn more about this here. You will often see Police 4x4s drive across the estate, demonstrating our joint resolve to reduce rural crime.

Open space and recreation

We encourage everyone within our community to make the most of the estate’s beautiful countryside that we work hard to manage. The estate has assigned entire areas for community enjoyment, the highlight being Jubilee Community Wood at Watton-at-Stone – a 60-acre area adjacent to the village planted with over 25,000 trees in 2012 to mark the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee.

Furthermore, we manage many miles of footpaths and bridleways that traverse the estate, including permissive paths voluntarily designated for public enjoyment. These paths are often designed to create circular routes and better connect villages. Our right-of-way network as a whole connects the villages of Watton-at-Stone, Bramfield, Datchworth, Stapleford, Sacombe, Tonwell and Whempstead – a combined community of tens of thousands of people.

Please read more about public access at Woodhall Estate in Walk, Run, Ride. A huge amount of effort goes into maintaining all of the rights-of-way and recreation areas. Whilst we do all we can to make them safe, anyone visiting the estate does so entirely at their own risk.

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