The Estate

In 1997 the original Ramsbury Estate was some 3,000 acres and in the succeeding years many old traditional neighbouring estates were acquired, including Littlecote, Hungerford Park, and part of the Aylesbury Estate.

Our Estate comprises of 19,000 acres of which we farm in hand approximately 7,000 acres and in the early 2000’s the estate started to diversify into other rural and business ventures. We built our brewery in 2004, the distillery in 2014, and an oil press in 2015. These operations work well together, in that they intertwine within the estate, either by producing complimentary products or providing the raw materials used to create them.”

The Farm

Where in the past a typical Wiltshire scene may have been sheep and cattle a plenty, now our farming centres around arable crops, mainly wheat and barley, alongside a small herd of Aberdeen Angus and South Devon cattle. The spent brewers grains from brewing and distilling, alongside the by-products from the rapeseed is put back into the farm where they are then used to supplement our cattle’s diet.

We try to do as much as we can within the estate itself so that we have complete traceability and get the very most out of the process as we can whilst reducing the impact on the environment surrounding us.

Our Ethos

Nothing goes to waste at Ramsbury, which is something we are hugely proud of. In addition to making use of our spent grain, waste water is filtered through our reed bed system  to sustain a lake for wildfowl and wildlife, wood from our commercial woodland  that isn’t used for furniture is chipped and used to heat our bio-mass boiler to produce hot water and steam.

Most recently we have installed solar panels so we can produce our own energy on our mission to become more sustainable and reduce our carbon footprint.

From Oct 21 you can now refill your Ramsbury Gin Bottles here at the brewery, all in aid of lowering our carbon footprint and encouraging you to reuse your bottles. We also have our beer growlers where you can refill with beer!

Solar Energy

Sustainability is at the heart of Ramsbury Estate, and we have always looked for ways to reduce our reliance on non-renewable energy sources.  It is with this in mind that we decided to install a 106kwh solar panel installation to the roof area of our Brewery and Distillery.

In its first month of production, our solar panel installation produced six Megawatts of energy. This meant that almost half of the energy consumed by the Brewery and Distillery for the entire month of September was from a renewable source. In terms of efficiency, 80% of the energy produced by the solar panels was self-consumed by the Brewery and Distillery and the other 20% was returned to national grid to provide the nation with renewable energy.

Since installing the solar panels less than three months ago, we have saved 3,500kg of CO2 emissions which is the equivalent to planting 161 trees.

The Woodland

Over 2,500 acres of woodland and forestry, made up of a mix of a commercial and amenity woodland, generates huge environmental benefit, as well as contributing to the local community.
The commercial forestry, which is in blocks of 3 acres up to 350 acres, consist of Norway Spruce, Japanese Larch, Corsican Pine and Douglas Fir, interspersed with beech plantings. This forestry creates a haven for wildlife, and during the late winter and spring many members of staff go tree planting to ensure that we are giving back to the land as much as we take from it, if not more so.

The Fishing

The Kennet river is a classic chalk stream, rising twelve miles west of Axford, near the historic area of Avebury. It is fed by springs from the underlying chalk aquifer and its purity is second to none. It is home to a variety of British wildlife such as otters, water voles, grey herons and brown trout. The Kennet is abundant with trout and throughout the summer makes an excellent fishing location, whereby a bright sunny day you can sit and fish in approved locations on the Ramsbury estate.

If you are interested in fishing on the Ramsbury estate, we are able to offer private fishing opportunities where you will be guided to the very best spots on the river running through our countryside. Please contact rachel@ramsbury.com for more information.

The Landscape

Open country and large rolling fields are the main feature of this area, interspersed with beech woods and thorn hedges. Made up of solid chalk, these rolling hills support a fantastic variety of flora and fauna as they rise to 250 metres above sea level. The tops of the ridges are heavy clay with flints as the dominant feature.
Steep chalk land escarpments traditionally grazed by sheep produce a profusion of high pH loving plants and flowers.

The estate covers open land, and over 2,500 acres of woodland and forestry. Made up of a mix of commercial and amenity woodland, this resource is of huge environmental benefit and contributes in lots of ways to the local economy.

Education

Sustainability is also about supporting the next generation and on this occasion it was hospitality students. What an absolute privilege it was to welcome these enthusiastic students.

Here at Ramsbury Estates we also organise and deliver free educational visits. Please contact us for more information. We set aside a small budget to fund transport for schools and colleges that are unable to access the countryside due to transport barriers.