Proud to Present: a stunning new brand for the Falconhurst Estate
Working with the Talbot family to reimagine the identity for Falconhurst Estate was a genuine joy from beginning to end. Home to the Talbots since the 1850’s, the family have been conscious custodians of the land for six generations. Their story is remarkable, and it’s a genuine privilege to share it with you, and to have played our part in bringing their story to life in the modern day.
Falconhurst Estate boasts a gorgeous farm shop, organic dairy farm, romantic gardens, characterful events space, and at the heart of it all, Falconhurst itself - a much loved family home. A perfect fit for what we do in every way, the challenge of the estate was to bring the various strands of the brand together to create a cohesive brand identity that’d help them grow their brand and business, relevant for a contemporary audience.
Falconhurst was built in 1852 by John Chetwynd Talbot - a brilliant barrister of aristocratic descent yet modest means, who made his fortune in London. Having fallen in love with this beautiful corner of the High Weald, he purchased 400 acres of land in the 1800’s with a view to creating a small country estate and village. Sadly, his life was cut short by tuberculosis and he died aged 46 before the project was complete. His wife, Caroline, saw his work through - which included the building of a church, a school and the main house. Since then, the Talbot family have lived at Falconhurst, each generation shaping the estate in their own way, and all loving it deeply.
Today, Falconhurst is a vibrant hub of activity. With the gorgeous farm shop open 6 days a week, a rich calendar of events (their supper clubs have proved to be incredibly popular), the gardens open two days a week and all sorts of other weddings and events happening in between, evermore people are flocking to the estate.
The task of the brand was to capture all of this, without losing the essence of heritage and sense of family which truly defines the estate.
Visually, we answered the brief with an aesthetic which celebrates the heritage and forward-thinking view of the family. Timeless typography offers a sense of maturity, whilst clean and minimal elements offer a modern influence. A warm colour palette introduces a sense of welcome - whilst retaining just the right amount of the sort of presence you’d associate with a classic English estate. Hand illustrations bring character, quirk and personality - a valuable addition to ensuring the brand doesn’t feel at all stuffy or unobtainable.
Their brand photography was brilliantly executed by Michael Jackson at Saltwick - a hugely talented photographer and all round good sport, who gamely climbed fences, navigated the parlour at milking time and worked his socks off (not to mention patiently accommodating my various insane requests) on shoot day. The results of the shoot are beautiful, and breathe richness and warmth into the identity. Credit should also be given to the family and their wonderful gardeners, who not only threw themselves so willingly into the process, but had worked extra hard to make sure that the gardens were in spectacular condition.
Following the branding exercise, we worked closely with the family to craft a fresh web presence, creating a Squarespace website that perfectly reflects their identity digitally. You can see the new website here; I hope you’ll enjoy it.
