Woodhall Estate is home to a vibrant community of more than a thousand people who live, work and learn here, with many thousands more visiting every year. We are committed to sharing the benefits of the Estate as widely as possible through our community partnerships, learning programmes and charity initiatives.
Our intention is to build meaningful connections between our communities and the Estate’s extraordinary natural and historic environment.
Charity and Fundraising Events
Woodhall Estate has proudly hosted events that support both local and national charities, including: British Red Cross, Essex & Herts Air Ambulance, Help for Heroes, Isabel Hospice.
In 2023, we opened the private Walled Gardens at Woodhall Park to the public through the National Garden Scheme, raising funds for charitable causes.
Churches
The Estate has long supported the churches within our benefice, both financially and practically.
The Abel Smith family restored Watton Church, Stapleford Church and Sacombe Church around 1860, and also enlarged Bramfield Church at a similar time. We continue to help today, particularly with upkeep and event parking, ensuring these timeless buildings remain at the centre of local life.
Schools & Scouts
We are proud to support local education and youth development.
• Schools
The Estate supports our local schools, such as Stapleford School, whose main building has been provided rent free for many years. We also welcome students to the Estate for Discovery Days to learn outdoors.
You can find out more about the Forest School and local schools in the Learn & Inspire section.
• Hertfordshire Scouts
Woodhall’s connection with the scouting community dates back to Lt Col Abel H. Smith, founding Chairman of the Hertford District Scout Association. Today, we continue to support local scouts by providing the Watton-at-Stone Scout Hut site for £1 per year and regularly hosting camps and activities across the Estate.
Space & Recreation
We welcome local residents to enjoy our carefully managed countryside and historic landscapes. These include:
• Jubilee Community Wood, Watton-at-Stone
A 60-acre woodland, planted with over 25,000 trees to celebrate the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee in 2012, which is open for public enjoyment.
• Miles of Footpaths and Bridleways
We maintain extensive public and permissive routes designed to create circular walks and connect local 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.
For more details, click the link below.
Supporting Hertfordshire Police
We are proud to support Hertfordshire Constabulary in their work protecting both rural and urban communities. The Estate provides specialist training spaces for police dogs and officers who respond across Hertfordshire, Bedfordshire and Cambridgeshire, and help safeguard London Luton Airport. We have also supported with a police rehabilitation programme.
You may occasionally see Police 4×4 vehicles driving on the Estate, demonstrating our shared commitment to reducing rural crime.
