NESTLED in a green valley, the Great Tew Estate is the very essence of peace and tranquillity in the Cotswolds. Until, that is, one very special weekend in July…

Cornbury Festival is unlike any other festival. Forget images of unkempt ‘yoofs’ falling about in the mud, and imagine instead the very essence of a summer garden party – but on a very grand scale, and with much louder music.

Indeed, the Festival is proud of its ‘Poshstock’ moniker, and there are few festivals that can cite Prime Minister David Cameron as a regular patron.

“The ‘Poshstock’ thing stems from a feature that appeared in a magazine called The Word, back in 2005,” says Cornbury’s founder and director, Hugh Phillimore.

“At first I was absolutely appalled, but I have got used to it now. After all, we might as well be an upmarket festival as any other kind – as it’s clean, safe and the grass is mowed!” laughs Hugh.

‘Upmarket’ is actually a pretty accurate description of Cornbury, and ‘Spot the Celebrity’ is a favourite game for visitors to Cornbury, with the likes Jeremy Clarkson, Rowan Atkinson and Alex James often seen mooching around in an environment which is both charming and ever so slightly ‘off the wall’.

The festival began in 2004 at Cornbury Park, near Charlbury (hence its name), but switched to the rolling Estate of Great Tew four years ago.

“We were incredibly lucky to get Great Tew. It has a magic: just 80 homes, a pub, a school. And Nick Johnston, the landlord, has a very ‘can do’ attitude, which helps,” says Hugh.

Yes, there is the usual variety of stalls selling world food, beer and wacky clothing, but many will choose to spend their pennies at the local school’s cake stall at the Festival that still, very firmly, has the community at its heart.

“For me, that’s the essence of it,” Hugh adds. “I’m as excited going to Chipping Norton School and doing battle of the bands as I am doing anything else. The winners get tickets and they get to bring their friends along, and it’s all very exciting. We are swamped by fundraising requests every year, but we have raised more than quarter of a million pounds since we started, which makes it worthwhile.

“But I don’t want to sound pious. People come every year – for some it’s a family reunion, for others it’s their annual family holiday. To be honest I’m dreading it this year because the weather was so glorious last year, it will be impossible to match.”

But that doesn’t mean the music suffers, as Hugh – who also manages singer Imelda May – knows exactly what musicians to book to keep the punters happy.

The Gypsy Kings have just been announced as the final headliner for Sunday night, and other big names on the bill include Sam Bailey, whose album is at No 1 this week, Simple Minds, Suzanne Vega and Jools Holland, as well as Arrested Development, to mix things up a bit.

“The Festival is still about 99% me,” says Hugh, “although my partners often suggest things but I usually ignore them. This year, however, we’ve got Tomoyasu Hotei from Japan. I had never heard of him but it turns out he supported The Rolling Stones and is absolutely huge in Japan! He wrote the theme for ‘Kill Bill’ you know…

“I look at the list and think ‘God, that’s great!’. I’m particularly excited about Kacey Musgraves, the country and western singer - she’s absolutely brilliant.”

And Hugh has a right to be excited, as with four stages to fill with great quality acts, including a whole stage devoted to some of the country’s top comedy talent, there’s a real buzz developing about this year’s event.

Cornbury Festival takes place at the Great Tew Estate, Oxfordshire, on the weekend of July 4 to 6, 2014. Tickets are available from www.bookingsdirect.com or call 0844 338 0000, or visit the Cornbury Festival website at www.cornburyfestival.com