Eleven Merrithew reformers
The Studio runs on eleven Merrithew reformers, the same lineage as the Stott Pilates training every instructor here holds. You are on a machine, not waiting for one.
Reformer Pilates near Cirencester
Learn the reformer
without feeling out of your depth.
Jenny has taught here on the family farm since 2006, and the Studio has eleven Merrithew reformers, so there is a machine and an instructor waiting for you from your very first class.
Eleven Merrithew reformers
Graded Levels 1 to 3
No membership, no contract
Leafield Farm, Quenington, Cirencester GL7 5DG · About 8 miles from Cirencester
Book my first class£20 a class, no membership
07767 6404424.6 on Google
- 20 years
- teaching in the Barn
- 11
- Merrithew reformers
- 3
- Stott Pilates trained instructors, one a consultant rheumatologist
The studio is a beautiful converted barn on a farm, with modern equipment. I did three classes over a week while I was back home, and really felt the benefit of going. It's a lovely place with excellent instructors :)
Louise Nash
Google review
Twenty years in Quenington
What you get at the Barn
You are taught, not left to it
Three Stott Pilates trained instructors, available at all times to help you get the workout best suited to you, whether that is a class or a private session.
Start gently, at any age
Classes are graded from a gentle Level 1 introduction to the reformer upwards, everyone completes a health screen before their first class, and Level 1 is suitable for all ages.
New to this
What is reformer Pilates?
The short version, no jargon, for anyone who has never seen one.
The machine adjusts to you
A reformer is a sprung carriage that runs on rails. The springs either add resistance or take weight away, so the same exercise can be made harder or easier for the person on it.
Slow and controlled, about an hour
Controlled movement rather than repetitions at speed, low impact and whole body. Every class here lasts approximately one hour.
Graded Levels 1 to 3
You start on Level 1, a gentle introduction to the machine that Jenny teaches herself. Flick takes Level 2 upwards, and Jenny runs an advanced Level 3 class to music on Monday mornings.
Matwork is the same method without the machine
The Barn also runs matwork and small-equipment classes on the same floor, so the reformer is not the only way in.
Reformer or matwork: which should you start with?
The reformer supports you and gives you something to work against, which is why it suits people coming back from an injury or managing a stiff back, and it is what most of the Barn's classes use. Matwork and small equipment covers the same method on the floor. Tell Jenny what you are dealing with and she will put you in the right one.
Day and evening classes
Our classes
Three formats, all about an hour, all taught by Stott Pilates trained instructors.
Reformer Pilates, Levels 1 to 3
No experience needed for Level 1.
Machine-based Pilates on the Barn's eleven Merrithew reformers, graded so you start where you are. Level 1 is a gentle introduction to the machine that Jenny teaches, suitable for all ages. Flick takes Level 2 upwards, and there is an advanced Level 3 class to music on Monday mornings. Around an hour. £20.
Matwork and small equipment
The same method, on the floor.
The same method on the floor, using mats and small equipment rather than the machines, on the same studio floor under the oak trusses. Around an hour.
Bootcamp to music
Set to music.
The Barn's liveliest class, using either the reformers or matwork and small equipment depending on the session. Around an hour.
Classes run day and evening, and the course timetable changes each term. Level 1 currently runs on Wednesdays and the Level 3 class to music on Monday mornings. Contact Jenny for the current timetable.
Three instructors
Who teaches you
Jenny Iles
Owner and instructor
Set up the Studio on the family farm in 2006, twenty years teaching in the Barn
Jenny is qualified in all aspects of Stott Pilates, on every machine and every piece of equipment. She teaches the gentle Level 1 introductions to the reformer on Wednesdays and an advanced Level 3 class to music on Monday mornings, and she answers every enquiry herself.
Flick
Instructor, Level 2 upwards
Instructor examiner; taught most of her career in London studios
Flick teaches pure traditional Pilates with attention to individual needs. She is an experienced instructor examiner, which means she is one of the people who assesses other Pilates teachers.
Elizabeth
Instructor, all abilities
Former ballerina, now a practising consultant rheumatologist
Elizabeth trained as a ballerina and is now a consultant rheumatologist, so she brings real depth of understanding to how joints and backs actually behave. Her class is good for all abilities.
Leafield Farm, Quenington
The Studio
One large open room under the barn's original oak trusses, whitewashed walls with exposed Cotswold stone, a wood floor and a full-height mirrored wall down one side. Eleven Merrithew reformers, spine-corrector arcs, and mats and small equipment for the matwork classes.
In the room
Eleven Merrithew reformers
The same lineage as the Stott Pilates training every instructor here holds, so there is a machine for you from your first class.
Spine-corrector arcs
Used in the matwork and small-equipment classes for supported back extension and mobility work.
Full-height mirrored wall
Runs the length of one side of the room, so you can see what your body is actually doing.
Timetable on the noticeboard
Once you are on a course, the term's sessions go up on the noticeboard in the Barn and you tick off the ones you can make.
Location
The Pilates Barn
Leafield Farm
Quenington, Cirencester GL7 5DG
About 8 miles from Cirencester.
Get directionsOne to one
Private sessions
If you would rather have the machine to yourself the first time, or you are working around a specific injury, Jenny teaches one-to-one sessions in the Studio. The Barn recommends a one-to-one as a first session to get familiar with the reformer, though plenty of people start straight into the gentle Level 1 class instead.
- One-to-one Pilates session, £70 per hour
- Recommended as a first session to familiarise yourself with the machine
- Taught by Jenny, qualified in all aspects of Stott Pilates on every machine and piece of equipment
- Around an hour, on the reformer or with mats and small equipment
Mention it when you get in touch and Jenny will tell you which makes more sense for you.
No membership, no contract
Prices
Two published rates, and an honest gap where the course prices should be.
Most people start here
Reformer class
£20per hour
For most people, whether or not you have been on a reformer before.
- Machine-based Pilates on the Barn's eleven Merrithew reformers
- Graded Levels 1 to 3, start on Level 1
- Around an hour
- Booked and paid by the term as a set number of sessions
Matwork and small equipment
Ask us
For anyone who would rather not start on a machine.
- The same method on the floor, mats and small equipment
- Bootcamp classes to music also run in this format
- Around an hour
- Contact Jenny for the current course price
One-to-one session
£70per hour
For a first session on the machine, or if you are working around something specific.
- The Studio and the machine to yourself
- Recommended as a first session to familiarise yourself with the machine
- Taught by Jenny
- Good if you are working around a specific injury
No membership and no contract. Courses are booked and paid in advance by the term, as a set number of sessions, usually with a one to two week break between terms. Class fees are non-refundable and cannot be carried over to another term. Contact Jenny for current course dates and prices.
Before you come
Frequently asked questions
Straight answers. Anything else, ask Jenny and she will tell you.
Come and see
Book your first class at the Barn.
No experience needed.
Pick a day and a time that suits you and Jenny will come back to you to confirm your place and tell you which level to start in. She answers every enquiry herself.
- Suitable for all ages, all abilities
- Graded from a gentle Level 1, so you start where you are
- No membership and no contract
Pick a day and time
Course days and times change each term. Pick what suits you and Jenny will confirm what is running.
Choose a class
Upcoming Reformer Level 1 sessions
What happens on your first visit
- You will fill in a short health screen before your first class, so your instructor knows what to work around.
- An instructor will set the machine up for you and stay with you through it. Be guided by the safety advice, especially on the machines.
- Wear comfortable, fitted clothing you can move in. Grip socks are usual for reformer work.
- Classes last about an hour.
Prefer to talk to Jenny? Call or text 07767 640442, or send a message.