FAQs/Terms & Conditions
We can guarantee that if you choose Great Betley for your event or wedding, you will have exclusive use of the facilities, the grounds and the accommodation on offer. We won’t book anything else in for the time that you choose, so that we can be completely dedicated to your day. We have lovely farmhouse accommodation for you and your nearest and dearest, including a bridal suite that is the perfect place to retire to after your festivities.
We welcome you to come and see what we are all about, and spend time in the area devoted your marquee’s potential pitch. It’s a lovely piece if countryside, in which you would feel free to party as perfectly as you want, surrounded by your friends and family.
Your celebration can be as small or large as you like as we can cater for up to 350 people.
A Temporary Event Notice must be obtained from Horsham District Council by the person responsible for the supply/sale of alcohol for your event, and must include suitable entertainment cover.
If you are having a celebrant ceremony here you can do the legal ceremony at your local registry office prior to your day here.
We work with a handful of top planners and co-ordinators who have the expertise, knowledge and contacts to make sure that your day goes with out a hitch, and of course we have been in the industry for many years ourselves. If we don’t know the answer to one of your questions, we will know someone who does. And the truly great thing about Great Betley Farmhouse is that anything is possible and absolutely nothing phases us – we have seen it all! Our focus is making sure that you have a relaxed, fun and enjoyable day; that you all do, and if you are happy, we are too. Generally, Kim Stewart will be on hand on the day to ensure the smooth co-ordination of your chosen suppliers. If for any reason she is not available there will be someone else with wedding experience to step in.
We advise all of our couples that they take out insurance before they book their venue. Not because we are worried about the future, but there are some things that none of us can control. We also ask that all your suppliers have current business cover including Public Liability Insurance of at least £1M. This is for the protection of everyone and gives total peace of mind.
As we are situated in a farming area we only allow silent or quiet fireworks. This is for the comfort of any livestock in the area. Sparklers are permitted but MUST be disposed of/collected in a bucket containing water or sand. Failure to do so will result in forfeiture of some or all of the damages deposit.
We regret that no Chinese lanterns are permitted to be released from Great Betley. This is for the safety of any livestock in the area and to prevent crop fires should they come down in dry conditions into arable fields.
We try to be as environmentally responsible as possible here at Great Betley, so we ask that you and your guests only use natural petal biodegradable confetti. We recommend Shropshire Petals who grow their own flowers to create the perfect natural confetti. Please do not use paper confetti even though it is marked as bio-degradable as it takes a long time to degrade and makes it impossible to clear up before the next wedding. Please ask us for a sample of confetti from Shropshire Petals.
We are unable to accommodate dogs in the house. If any dogs are brought to weddings or events in the fields we ask that they are kept on leads and under their owners control at all times as there is livestock in the area. All mess is to be cleared up immediately, failure to do so will result in forfeiture of some or all of the damages deposit.
We love children! The more the merrier if you choose to have them at your event! Obviously we are in the countryside and this is a working farm so children need to be supervised at all times, especially around the pond and buildings. We cannot accept any liability whatsoever in the event of an accident due to children playing or running around. We respectfully ask that guardians ensure their children are fully supervised by an identifiable responsible adult(s) always.
Yes! Why not encourage your guests to pitch up their own tent in our field close to the marquee. This way they have a low-cost overnight option, and you can have a BBQ breakfast the next day….. Or if you prefer we have companies that we work with who supply beautiful Bell Tents for a glamping option.
These need to be organised at the time of booking your marquee. Our preferred supplier of marquees is Tents n Events (link to http://www.tentsnevents.co.uk/)
Access for set up is from 12 noon the day before your event until 12 noon the day after your event for the decor and the erection/dismantling of the marquee/tipi will be co-ordinated by myself and the supplier. This may be flexible by prior arrangement depending on other events prior to or following your own.
As a Grade II listed building there is little we can do to change it’s physical features, but access to the ground floor is fairly easy. There is a small step up from the gravel driveway onto the front path and another small step up to the front porch. The first floor is accessed via a reasonably wide staircase with a balustrade on one side.
The fields are accessed via a gateway at one end of the field and this has hard standing on the approach. The fields are grazed by sheep outside the wedding season. During the wedding season the fields are mown regularly.
We are situated on a farm and whilst we take every care to keep the track as maintained as possible it can be a little bumpy in places.
We are totally non-smoking and non-vaping in the house.
There is a mobile phone mast on the farm however it may not cover all providers. Wifi in the house is available but can be patchy, generally better reception/connection is at the front of the house.
This privacy policy sets out how Great Betley Farmhouse uses and protects any information that you give Great Betley Farmhouse when you use this website. Great Betley Farmhouse is committed to ensuring that your privacy is protected. Should we ask you to provide certain information by which you can be identified when using this website, then you can be assured that it will only be used in accordance with this privacy statement. Great Betley Farmhouse may change this policy from time to time by updating this page. You should check this page from time to time to ensure that you are happy with any changes. This policy is effective from September 2019.
We may collect the following information:
- name
- contact information including email address
- demographic information such as postcode
- preferences and wedding plans
- other information relevant to customer surveys and/or offers
We require this information to understand your needs and provide you with a better service, and in particular for the following reasons: Internal record keeping. We may also use this information to improve our products and services. We may periodically send promotional emails about the services you have enquired about, special offers or other information which we think you may find interesting using the email address which you have provided. From time to time, we may also use your information to contact you for market research purposes. We may contact you by email, phone, fax or mail. We may use the information to customise the website according to your interests.
To complete your wedding or event booking we require an initial £500.00 holding fee to save the date which is held for a maximum period of 7 days whilst your contract is agreed, signed and returned. After this time your holding fee and any payments made on account are non-refundable. In addition to your holding fee, full payment of the wedding or event is required in stages with the final payment being due not less than 3 months before your wedding or event. We also require an additional £250 returnable damages deposit when the contract is signed and returned, which will cover any additional cleaning or rubbish clearance required after the event. If the cost exceeds the damages payment, the hirer will be liable and invoiced accordingly. Full payment for your wedding or event is required 3 months prior to the event date, with instalments usually arranged as followed:
Holding Fee £500.00 On reserving dates
Damages Deposit £250.00 On return of signed contract
25% of remaining amount outstanding due each quarter of the remaining time prior to event with the full payment being due no later than 3 months prior to the event date.
Payments to be made to: Kim Stewart
Sort Code: 40-15-16
Account Number: 41604163
Penalties – Payments not received on schedule will be charged at 1% of the total bill per day.
Contractual Changes – Any contractual changes will incur a £50 administration charge.
Cancellation Charges – all cancellations must be made in writing by the person(s) who signed the booking contract. A cancellation charge will be made in relation to the total invoice value using the following scale:
Notice Period
- 0-3 Calendar months prior to the confirmed date: 100% of the total
- 4-6 Calendar months prior to the confirmed date: 75% of the total
- 7-12 Calendar months prior to the confirmed date: 50% of the total
- 13-24 Calendar months prior to the confirmed date: 25% of the total
- On booking and confirming date: £500.00 deposit non-refundable with the £250.00 damages deposit being refundable
We strongly advise you to take out wedding insurance to cover any unforeseen circumstances.
Any photos taken during the wedding may be used by Great Betley Farmhouse for marketing purposes.
Great Betley Farmhouse reserves the right to make alternative arrangements regarding any agreed details. Great Betley Farmhouse will take all reasonable steps to fulfil the reservation to the best of its ability and in accordance with the details provided.
Entertainment such as amplified music is to be kept at an acceptable volume in accordance with local licencing authority’s guidelines, and must end at 11pm.
The management reserves the right to open or close certain aspects of the venue at various times of the wedding/event day if necessary. At the absolute and unfettered discretion of the house any function may be cancelled by Great Betley Farmhouse even if paid in full, if there are reasonable grounds for believing that the holding of such function would prejudice the reputation, good name, or standing of the venue. Great Betley Farmhouse reserves the right to judge acceptable levels of noise or behaviour of clients, guests or representatives and the client must take all necessary action to correct. In the event of failure to comply with management requests, Great Betley Farmhouse reserves the right to terminate the contract and stop the event without being liable for any refund or compensation.
No illegal substances may be brought into the house or grounds by the client or guests for consumption on the premises. Great Betley Farmhouse reserves the right to evict any person attending a function who behaves abusively, unreasonably, or illegally. If at any time any illegal substances are suspected to be in use by, or in the possession of any client or guest on the premises the wedding or event will be immediately stopped.
All service providers must provide their own PAT tested equipment and Public Liability insurance and provide you with a certificate for each before working onsite. Suppliers vehicles must be removed 30 minutes prior to guests arriving.
Access to the bedrooms is strictly for residents only. The only exception to this is for pre-wedding dressing and preparations of the direct bridal party. Great Betley Farmhouse is not responsible for tidying any rooms used for pre-wedding dressing/preparations. Once the wedding/event has commenced bedrooms will be locked for security reasons until needed after the event.
Check out from the bedrooms is 10.00am as we may have to prepare the venue for the next wedding or guests. If we have no bookings immediately after yours we may be able to be a little more flexible.
There is plenty of parking space available in the fields for guests. Being in a rural area we strongly recommend booking taxis well in advance as the local firm gets very busy.
On booking and paying your holding fee of £500.00 the person(s) signing the contract are agreeing to these terms and conditions with Great Betley Farmhouse as herewith outlined. We reserve the right to amend or add to these terms and conditions from time to time.