Keswick Hunt Club is a private foxhunting and sporting club with over 200 members located in central Virginia’s horse and hunt country, founded in 1896 and recognized as one of the oldest and most prestigious hunt clubs in the United States. The club blends traditional mounted foxhunting with hunter paces, social events, and community activities, and needed a website that reflected both its heritage and its active, modern membership.
The club’s previous Joomla-based website had an outdated look, was difficult to update, and did not support modern expectations like mobile responsiveness, online membership features, or streamlined event sign-ups. Leadership wanted a platform that made it easy for members to renew, register for events, and access member-only content, while staff needed a simpler way to keep information accurate without relying on a developer for every change.
The project strategy centered on migrating the site from Joomla to WordPress to gain a flexible, user-friendly CMS and then rebuilding the front-end to match the aesthetic and history of the club. The WoW! team focused on restructuring content around core journeys (foxhunting information, membership, events, and venue rental) while optimizing copy and layout for search engines and local “hunt club” and “equestrian events” queries.
Integrated Membership Management
A key upgrade was integrating third-party membership management software, giving the club a secure, centralized system for renewals, new memberships, member-only events, and private resources behind a login. This integration turned the site from a static brochure into a functional member portal that reduces administrative friction and supports ongoing engagement.
Calendar, Complex Forms, Custom Blog, Document Library, Free Events, Mega Menu, Memberships, Payment Integration, People Library
The design language draws directly from Keswick’s existing branding, using club colors, logos, and newly curated photography to showcase hounds, riders, countryside, and the historic clubhouse. Clean page templates, clear calls to action, and updated imagery transformed the site into a polished, mobile-friendly experience that feels current while honoring the club’s long history.
Rave Review
The new WordPress site gives Keswick Hunt Club staff the ability to manage events, edit copy, and make routine updates in-house, supported by an ongoing Care Plan to keep plugins, security, and content current. Members can now interact with the club online (renewing, registering, and accessing information more easily) while the public-facing side of the site better promotes events and the club’s unique heritage, supporting search visibility and conversions from prospective members and event clients.
This long-term client relationship demonstrates how modern platforms and thoughtful design can revitalize a heritage organization’s digital presence without sacrificing tradition. Seeing the impact of a new layout, fresh imagery, and integrated membership tools on Keswick Hunt Club’s day-to-day operations has created a repeatable blueprint for other hunt clubs and equestrian organizations ready to upgrade from legacy systems.
If you have questions about our custom website design services, we’ve got answers! Feel free to get in touch if you can’t find what you’re looking for, our web design team is happy to help.
How long will it take to upgrade our hunt club’s website?
Building a custom website usually takes about 12-16 weeks, depending on the project scope and complexity. This includes time for planning, design, development, revisions, and testing to make sure everything is just right.
What is our involvement in the process?
We believe in collaboration! While we handle all the heavy lifting—design, development, and technical stuff—we’ll need your input along the way. Your feedback on design drafts, providing content, and sharing your vision helps us create a website that truly represents your club. Working together ensures the final site is something you’ll love and that perfectly meets your members' needs.
Do you support event sign-ups, payments, or photo galleries?
Yes. These features are available as add-ons to our base package and can be tailored to the way your hunt operates.
What support do we get after launch?
Our Website Care Plan includes regular maintenance, security updates, backups, and performance monitoring. We're always here to help with any issues or updates you need, ensuring your website stays secure, updated, and high-performing.
Can our secretary or masters post updates easily?
Yes. We build everything in WordPress with Elementor, so posting updates is simple and intuitive. We also provide training so your team feels confident managing day-to-day edits.
Can you integrate our fixture card or meet schedule?
Absolutely. We can build a dynamic public or password-protected fixture schedule that’s easy for your team to update throughout the season.
Can the site handle private member-only content?
Yes. We can set up a secure members’ area for fixture directions, fixture cards, announcements, documents, and photo albums that shouldn’t be public.
Can you migrate our old website content?
Yes. We can bring over your existing pages, photos, and archives so nothing gets lost.
Can you help with website accessibility?
Yes. We design with accessibility best practices to ensure your site is readable, navigable, and compliant.
Let us help you preserve your heritage and grow your community online, today and for generations to come.
