An innovative approach to bringing high-speed internet to the sprawling Bowood country estate by Westbury-based IT provider Priority has saved it thousands of pounds.
The 4,000-acre Bowood Estate near Chippenham already had a high-speed service for its hotel, spa & golf resort but needed to extend it to the estate side of the business – which includes Bowood House and Gardens – which had a separate, slower internet connection.
The estate’s previous IT supplier had told it that a 1.5km trench to carry a cable was needed to take the high-speed service from one site to the other. The cost and inconvenience meant the Bowood management team had delayed the project.
But thanks to Priority IT, which became Bowood’s IT provider last summer, a far more cost-effective solution was installed which beams the high-speed, focused wi-fi signal from the hotel to the estate between antennas.
Priority IT managing director Kieran Thomas, pictured, said: “When we started working with Bowood we asked if a wireless bridge between the two sites had ever been suggested, and it hadn’t.
“It’s a solution we have used for other clients and is very successful and reliable. It was also much, much less expensive and time-consuming than laying a cable. Bowood asked for proof of concept, and so we set up a test between both sites to prove the speed and reliability. 
“The scope of the project was quickly extended, to include all areas of the house and gardens. Now there is not only high-speed internet throughout these areas, but there is a further benefit that, for the first time, all tills are connected. The project was completed within about four days.”
Now that both elements of the business operate on the same system, operations can be streamlined. Having one wi-fi service for the whole operation means estate staff now have superfast internet.
Bowood finance director Nick Hemmings said: “Priority IT has provided a practical and cost-effective IT solution to Bowood, implemented in a professional manner. It has significantly improved our ability to perform day to day business, which will result in a sound return on the investment.”
Kieran added: “Now the line is in place, it will be far easier for all parts of the business to work more closely together, as well as represent a huge cost saving.”
