Set amidst the dramatic Yorkshire Dales scenery of Malham moor, the inspirational meeting rooms and grounds of High Trenhouse have been graced by some of the most influential corporate brains in the country for their creative thinking. As the owners celebrate the 25th anniversary in its current incarnation, we look back at the journey from a deserted farmhouse, through development programs for disadvantaged groups, to a ground-breaking corporate retreat.
When John Varney bought High Trenhouse at auction in 1976 he had no idea of the scope or scale of the project that would emerge. This remote property in stunning and isolated countryside required a massive amount of work to make it habitable, let alone fit for purpose, and he certainly never dreamt of turning it into the immaculate peaceful venue his corporate clients have come to know and love today.
Arriving with his then wife and children plus a tent to live on-site while they began renovating the property, it was a huge leap from his life as an architect with his own practice in Kingston-upon-Thames. Following the dream of the Good Life – Tom and Barbara Good writ large – the family embarked on the transformation project with intrepid enthusiasm.
Starting out as a working community, the vision was to establish a centre for educational and disadvantaged groups to learn directly from experience. A far cry from the higher echelons of management that generally frequent the place today, in some sense the premise was the same. Take people away from the pressures of their daily environment into an alternative universe where, close to nature, there is time to think, reflect and find the inner resources and positive energy for creativity.
Self-sufficiency was the name of the game in those early days. John and the family had a herd of 6 cattle with two milking cows from which they started a small dairy business producing Malhamdale cheese, cheesecake and Jersey ice-cream which they sold widely to great acclaim. A diverse cross section of people including dysfunctional adolescents learned through ‘reciprocal maintenance’ at High Trenhouse during these years; they had to work together in order to help each other to live.
While working with these low budget groups was rewarding and successful, they did not provide sufficient income to be sustainable, and so, subtly, the emphasis of High Trenhouse began to change. Money is not the be-all or end-all in the mind of John Varney, but blue-sky thinking is. It became apparent to him that the values driving the ethos of their enterprise could themselves be better served by working to ‘influence the influencers’. And so began the shift to attracting management groups, helping them to meet the challenges of change.
In 1990 John founded the Centre for Management Creativity with the aid of long term friend and new partner, Dutch born Bernadette Schutte. High Trenhouse and the Centre for Management Creativity have co-existed alongside each other ever since in a symbiotic relationship as the venue has evolved.
John developed Logo Visual Thinking (LVT), now internationally recognised as a technique for brainstorming ideas, using hexagonal shapes to illustrate connections and flow of thought between team members. John champions LVT at home and away, publishing books and other papers, as well as leading seminars on engagement and strategy. Meanwhile, High Trenhouse provides a superb venue for companies to bring their own facilitators to escape the everyday working environment and gain space for fresh and inspirational development.
The premises have developed to suit the clientele. From the cow-sheds and dormitories of the early days to today’s comfortable en-suite bedrooms and conference facilities, the buildings have been transformed. No longer are guests invited to help with milking cows, gardening or building work, but instead they can focus on their creative thinking in comfort. When they are not busy in the meeting rooms, groups can unwind in the sauna, relax in the colourful gardens and enjoy a standard of cuisine way above the average corporate hotel.
Unique is a well-worn word, but when it comes to High Trenhouse, it’s pretty much on the mark. You won’t find High Trenhouse on many booking agency sites, because they don’t have a box to put it in. This is not a hotel. There is a bar, but there’s no Sky Sports. There’s no wedding going on in the other half of the venue. Instead, a client coming to High Trenhouse really does have exclusive use. A discreet hospitality team is on hand to provide exemplary service. There may not be a swimming pool or golf course, but the stunning Yorkshire Dales are the playground outside, with High Trenhouse literally on the Pennine Way, overlooking Malham Tarn and perched above the iconic Malham Cove.
Clients come back time after time. Facilitators bring their clients, directors bring their managers, managers bring their teams, that’s how it works. One client, Recess College books every year for a ten day stay. When it’s not booked up by companies as diverse as TNT and Network Rail, it’s booked by recreational leisure groups; photographers, artists and even quilters. The common denominator is the leader who wants a spot away from the madding crowd for achieving exceptional outcomes from their group members. And that, in a nutshell, is what High Trenhouse has and always will provide, from its humble beginnings to tomorrow’s visionary futures.
Manifest Marketing Ltd., 18 Chapel Street, Skipton, BD23 5BE. t: 01756 751975 e:jane@manifestmarketing.co.uk w: www.manifestmarketing.co.uk