Braziers Park School of Integrative Social Research

About us:
Braziers Park is a Grade II* country house and estate on the edge of Ipsden – a small village near Wallingford, Oxfordshire, England – housing a secular intentional community and the School of Integrative Social Research. This unique community runs the venue s an education and events centre and offers its own courses and events. Providing catered accommodation and camping for group retreats, festivals, professional conferences and symposia, as well as a unique setting for weddings. Braziers Park is also used as a film location for large- and small-budget films.

Braziers Park comprises 57 acres of land, including the main house and several outbuildings. The history of these building spans over 300 years, and a stone in the cellar carries the date 1688. The main building, originally a farmhouse, was remodelled in Strawberry Hill Gothic style in the late 18th and early 19th century, and has been a Grade II* listed building since 1985. Our land remains farmland, mainly used as pasture with enclosing woodland, in sharp contrast to the large areas of open arable land around it. The underlying geology is chalk, with superficial deposits of clay-with-flints in places. The Braziers' estate is now being managed so the wide diversity of habitats can be preserved and enhanced. These include meadows containing some rare grassland species. Braziers Park has its own organic kitchen garden, orchard, water garden, amenity gardens, and a woodland walk, which offers visitors an opportunity to experience some of the wildlife beauties of the estate.

In 2001, Braziers Park successfully applied to join the Government’s Countryside Stewardship Scheme which provides funding for managing land for conservation purposes. The scheme has completed ten years and covers hedge planting and maintenance, tree planting, both for landscape enhancement and to provide woodland for coppicing, and meadow management. Much of the work involved so far has been undertaken by volunteers. We try to maintain the buildings and land as ecologically as possible and to reduce our carbon footprint wherever we can. Electricity is supplied by Octopus and heating and hot water from a highly efficient woodchip boiler system.  In the coming years we have plans for greater water harvesting and renovation of our ancient barn, dairy and granary - we are always grateful for volunteers  and expertise to help us with these projects.