Bricket Wood coven

The Bricket Wood coven is a Gardnerian witch group founded in the 1940s by Gerald Gardner in the village of Bricket Wood, Hertfordshire. It began after Gardner bought a small plot at the Fiveacres Country Club, a naturist club with wooded grounds. The coven’s first meetings took place there, using a 16th-century cottage Gardner reassembled on the site. It became the first coven in the Gardnerian line, though its claimed roots go back to an earlier New Forest coven. The group played a key role in shaping Wicca as a modern pagan religion. Many influential Wiccans were once members, including Dafo, who served as High Priestess alongside Gardner. Later, Doreen Valiente rose to the same role before leaving in 1957 over disagreements about secrecy and publicity. Other notable figures like Fred Lamond and Lois Bourne also joined, with Bourne taking over as High Priestess after Dayonis moved away. The coven’s history remained largely unknown until the 1970s, though it remains active today. Visitors to the site would find the Fiveacres Country Club grounds, where the coven once met. The small cottage Gardner restored stands within these wooded surroundings, decorated with magical symbols inside. The club itself was a naturist retreat, and the coven’s rituals took place among its trees. Though the cottage is private, the area still reflects the place where modern Wicca’s early practices took shape. The secrecy of the coven means little remains publicly visible, but the location carries quiet significance for those who know its history.