Historic Timeline

Bretforton is granted to Evesham Abbey by King Kenred of Mercia and King Offa of Essex to support the activities of the monks and visiting abbots.

Abbot Roger Norrey holds an annual debauchery festival on the site known at this time as “Sexton’s Farm”.

The East block of the Grange is constructed, including the rib-vaulted Undercroft which remains the oldest surviving part of the building today.

Following the dissolution of the monasteries, Bretforton Grange is passed to the Crown.  
Queen Elizabeth I grants it to the Earl of Leicester and it becomes a private house.

The Grange is used as a private residence by wealthy families.

The Grange is now known as “Manor Farm” and functions primarily as a farmhouse to the manor house in the village.

In 1975 it is purchased by James Wellman, a former RAF serviceman and David Swift, an Escoffier chef, to be their home. they convert the beamed hall at the top of the house into a performance space called "Theatreroom"

The opening performance at Theatreroom is given by Dame Peggy Ashcroft.

James & David acquire the medieval barns adjoining the Grange and transform them into “Theatrebarn” and a restaurant.

The Charity operates in the model James & David established, until its forced closure due to the COVID pandemic.

Dafydd Rogers, theatre producer is appointed as Director. With the Trustees, a new cultural vision for the whole estate is born.

The Charity is raising the funds to be able to extend this timeline for the next millennia.