Welcome
Wildly peaceful, set atop its eponymous hill, Ravenshill is reached by a mile of unpaved track and sheltered on three sides by ancient broadleaf woodland. In front of the seventeenth-century farmhouse, a wide sweep of valley and ever-changing skies frame unmatched views of the Malverns. Since 2019, it has been the setting for Ravenshill Flower Farm.
Join us
The Ravenshill Project invites writers to share this quiet place, knowing the possibilities its rare beauty holds for creative work. We offer secluded, self-guided retreats in a self-contained apartment, with use of the grounds and a library.
We are now taking bookings from May 2026. To book a retreat, click here.
Artful mentoring
Drawing on years of professional writing, hosting and teaching experience, The Ravenshill Project has crafted a bespoke mentoring service to enhance your retreat with online manuscript feedback and tutorials. You can choose from our panel of passionate, experienced mentors to find someone perfectly suited to your project.
The Ravenshill Project awards
At the core of The Ravenshill Project is the belief that the gift of time and space should be shared. That’s why four weeks of our calendar are awarded annually to writers who face barriers to their practice. The awards include travel expenses and a stipend.
For more information and to apply, click here. You can also check our FAQ or Contact us.
“Loneliness is the poverty of self; solitude is the richness of self.”
– May Sarton
Where you’ll stay
The retreat annexe at Ravenshill is a self-contained, secluded and private L-shaped apartment, created from outbuildings that frame the front garden with its shapely hazel, apple, quince and magnolia trees. You can access the annexe from there, or from a private entrance to the rear. Inside, the fully equipped kitchen gives on to a generously proportioned shower room, double bedroom, and a living room/study area.
Facilities include:
Wi-fi
Underfloor heating in bedroom and bathroom
Wood burning stove in the kitchen (starter supply of wood included)
Fridge and freezer
Oven and microwave
Induction hob
Dishwasher
Secondary bathroom with washing machine
Separate study area with desk, library, and writing prompts
Dog friendly (please check FAQs)
The annexe is self-catering, but a welcome hamper for your first night and breakfast will be provided. We can also supply groceries during your stay for an additional fee. Please note, hot water comes from an electric shower and a small electric tank to the kitchen sink. There is cold water only to the bathroom sink.
Everything at Ravenshill is designed to support you, and the site also offers an exceptionally enchanting choice of spaces in which to write, read and dream. On fine days, you can wander the gardens and work looking out over that extraordinary view of the Malverns. Another option is to work in the south-facing sitting room of the main farmhouse, shared with your hosts, their dog, an open fire and plenty more books.
About Ravenshill
Ravenshill was built in the 1600s, its bricks fired from the local clay that gives buildings in this region their characteristic gentle, reddish hue. The surrounding land was farmed from here for over three hundred years, with the house only changing use in the 1960s. When Anne and Henry Hardy bought it in 1985, the farmhouse was encircled by a cattle yard owned by a neighbour. Land was gradually added to the plot, establishing the gently landscaped gardens that their son Michael has maintained since 2019 as Ravenshill Flower Farm.
Access to the farm has changed over the centuries, as it pre-dates the village church at Cliffords Mesne by at least 150 years. Today an unpaved, single width farm track winds down from the village, so that arriving at Ravenshill always comes with a sense of total seclusion. Despite this, amenities are readily available – the small market town of Newent is a 10-minute drive, with Ross-on-Wye just 20 minutes away. Gloucester, Hereford, Malvern, the Forest of Dean and the iconic literary towns of Ledbury and Hay-on-Wye are all within easy reach.
Your host
Formerly Manager at the national writing centres of Scotland (Moniack Mhor) and Wales (Tŷ Newydd), Ellen Hardy has also worked as an Associate Tutor at the University of East Anglia’s renowned School of Literature, Drama and Creative Writing. She is passionate about the creative retreat experience, about widening creative participation, and about welcoming people to Ravenshill.
With an MA and PhD in Creative-Critical Writing and a professional background as a writer and editor, Ellen has taught creative writing with The Restoration Trust and The Crito Project and works with The Reader, supporting care-experienced children aged 2-15 years to improve their confidence and spark a love of reading for pleasure. She has been a first reader for the Emerging Writer Award and Representing Wales,
The farm and its landscape have profoundly shaped her understanding of the world – she has returned here again and again to work on creative projects, and has dreamed of sharing it with other writers for more than a decade. With The Ravenshill Project, Ellen has come home.
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The Ravenshill Project is supported by Tom, Ellen’s partner and a traditional wooden boatbuilder, and Michael, Ellen’s brother and founder of Ravenshill Flower Farm.