About Us

1980s

Tim and Carolyn have now joined Tim’s father, Roger, in the business. The revamped farm, an agricultural contracting business and a reasonably large flock of sheep are their main focus.

In the late 1980s, Wadswick’s first product line becomes homegrown potatoes, planted and harvested by all members of Tim and Carolyn’s young family and sold by way of a wired up old car horn to attract attention. If no one was available to take the money, then an honesty box prevailed.

Customers began to ask for the odd bag of oats for their horses and mixed corn for their chickens and before long a fledgling feed business emerged selling homegrown crops. When a small local equestrian shop closed down, Carolyn decided to buy the stock and expand the offering at Wadswick. Wadswick Country Store was officially born! It was initially run from a small barn and many of our customers still tell us that they have fond memories of shopping in the original Wadswick.

1990s/2000s

The business grows steadily, moving from one barn to the next biggest available when new space is needed until, finally, Tim constructed a purpose-built building in 2000.

We win successive BETA Retailer of the Year awards cementing us as part of the industry and allowing us to further expand our offering with more and more equestrian and country brands arriving in store.

Towards the end of the decade, Tim and Carolyn’s children, Jo and Alex, both return to the farm and join the business.

2010s

The business, now run by two generations of the Barton family, continues to grow.

In 2015, we open our Gunroom and this is complemented in 2017 by a state-of-the-art Shooting Simulator.

A new shop extension enhances the shop entrance and exterior of the building and we open our cafe/restaurant, Forage, in 2019.

To reflect the changes made to the exterior and interior of the shop, we redesign a more contemporary logo and rebrand to reflect the shop’s current offerings.

2020s

Now with an expanded footprint, a shooting simulator and a large restaurant on site, Wadswick becomes more of a destination to visit. Our equestrian, country clothing and feed business is still large and we continue to offer expertise in these areas. We also now sell a large range of fashion for both adults and children, as well as homeware and gifts, and have a pet department for feed and accessories.

In 2020, we win the Diversified Farm award at the South West Rural Business Awards and are national finalists. In the same year, Tim is the runner up at the British Farming Awards for Diversification Innovator of the Year.

In 2023, we open our second store! Our store in Bath focuses on our fashion ranges as well as pet accessories.

Why equestrian?

The move into the equestrian industry was a natural step for Tim & Carolyn to take when they set up Wadswick Country Store. Horses had always been a huge part of their lives. Carolyn was brought up trundling around the country in the back of a horse lorry with her parents showing horses. Her father, Gordon Giddings, built a large and successful stud with some renowned sires including Master Spiritus, who produced many successful event horses. Tim’s father, Roger, was also a keen amateur jockey and racehorse breeder when he wasn’t farming and Tim rode the occasional point to point, not bad for someone who is nearly 6ft3!

We’ve always stayed true to our equestrian heritage and nearly all of our staff are passionate equestrians!

THE FARM & going green

Wadswick Country Store is situated within 450 acres of arable farmland. We grow a range of crops as well as grass for hay and Miscanthus which we use to make our own horse bedding and as a biomass energy source. We also operate a grain storage and processing facility. In 2015, we built our own 5 mega-watt solar park which generates energy for the farm and the national grid. We’re very pleased to say that with solar and biomass, the entire heating for the farm is run using renewable energy. Tim has a passion for “green” farming and was shortlisted for the Farmer’s Weekly Green Energy Farmer of the Year in 2012.

OUR GREEN CREDENTIALS

“The “Stella Artois” of outdoor life. Great selection of everything outdoors from socks to wood chippings. Knowledgeable staff. Always the place to go for quality.”

S. Wilson / Google

“Great place. Plus amazing cafe.”

R. Anderson / Google

“Great place lots of buying options and friendly staff willing to help.”

B. Smith / Google

OUR RUNWAY

Our farm strip runway is adjacent to the shop and if you’re making a visit to the store you are likely to see some light aircraft flying in, especially during the summer. All landing fees we receive are entirely donated to charities such as Wiltshire Air Ambulance.

Flying in? Fill in our form and find out more info here.