Ditchling Barn and Green …FAQ’s

Please refer to our Barn and Green FAQ’s (below) first.

Should you have more specific questions regarding the facilities or with respect to your event then please feel free to contact us.

Who can book the Village Barn & Green?

The Barn and Green are available for anyone to book (except 16th, 18th and 21st parties which would be Ditchling residents only). Marquee wedding bookings are generally only for those who live in Ditchling or nearby postcodes.

How much does hire cost?

The Barn can be hired for £10/hour + £20 booking/cleaning fee (minimum 3 hours). The hours of hire are from 8am to midnight (music must end at 23:00). You must specify your timing from first arrival on site to final departure, not just the event itself. Marquee bookings cost a fixed rate of £1200 for use of the barn and green over a five-day period (see below). Crockery (see below) can be hired for £50.

How many people does the Barn hold?

The Barn will hold approx. 80 people comfortably standing (with small dance area) or 60-70 seated. If you plan to have more than 70 people, you should also expect to hire portaloos. In excess of the numbers you may need a marquee.

How big is the main floor area?

The main floor area of the Barn is 12m long x 5m wide (39′ x 16′), excluding the counter/serving area. The two toilets are in a further extension beyond the counter.

Parking

The best place to park is the free car park on Keymer Road, just west of Lodge Hill Lane. Please ask your guests to park there, rather than on Lodge Hill Lane, which is not suited to parking anywhere except by the fence adjacent to the pond. It is a dead end with no turning or parking beyond the pond. Inconsiderate parking frequently makes the road inaccessible to the emergency services and blocks resident access. Other than that, there is also the free Village Hall car park, to the east of the roundabout in the centre of Ditchling.

How many tables and chairs?

8 x 6ft trestle tables, 6 x 5ft round tables, and 80 silver framed, navy fabric padded banquet chairs.

What other facilities does the Barn have?

Large outside green space (this is a shared public space and should not be cordoned off).
Exclusive use of the smaller garden area (10×8.5m grassed area with a gravel border from 1m to over 2m all round).
2 toilets (one for disabled).
A 6ft commercial fridge and a 6ft 70/30 fridge-freezer.
Range cooker with 2 ovens, grill and 5-ring hob.
Kitchen area with 1.5 sink and drainer (please provide your own drying-up cloths), work surface, basic cooking utensils.
Tea and Coffee making facilities for 70 people including cups, saucers and side plates, a hot water urn, large milk jugs, sugar bowls, thermos serving jugs (please provide tea, coffee, milk, sugar and drying-up cloths).
Dinner Plates, Dinner Knives, Dinner Forks, Side Knives, Side Forks, Dessert Spoons, Dessert Forks, Soup Spoons, Dessert/Soup Bowls, Beer, Wine, Champagne and Water glasses for 70 people can be hired at an additional charge.
Electric wall heaters.
13A power sockets.
Outside Lewden 2P+ 230V 63A electrical socket.

Is there a dishwasher?

No. If you need to wash up (our hired crockery or your own), you need to bring the necessary washing-up equipment and drying-up cloths.

Is the Barn licensed for alcohol and/or music performance?

The Barn is not licensed, so if you are going to sell alcohol, or include alcohol or music in a ticket’s price you may need a

Do you charge corkage?

No.

Can we have a wedding in the Barn or on the Green?

We are not registered/licenced for weddings in the barn or on the green. However, this does not prevent you having a post-wedding party.

Can we have a marquee?

We do not provide a marquee. We generally only allow marquees on a limited selection of dates in the spring and summer. This is to protect the grass for the benefit of all other users of this public space. It is your responsibility to arrange the marquee hire once we’ve given you permission. Hire for a marquee is a 5-day hire of the barn and green to allow, for example, erect on Thursday (assuming Saturday event), decorate on Friday, event on Saturday and removal of marquee on Monday (next working day).

Can we use external caterers?

You can bring in external caterers for an event. It is your responsibility to arrange this.

Can we put up a bouncy castle?

You must ask our permission. It is your responsibility to check that suitable insurance (including 3rd-party) is in place, possibly covered by the bouncy castle hirer.

Do you have a sound system?

No, we provide only the venue and the facilities listed above. There are 13A sockets for equipment. You may require a licence for the performance of music.

How late can we play music?

Music must end at 23:00, out of respect for our neighbours. There are residents with young children very close by, so you must be considerate about the volume. If you have a marquee, you must be particularly careful to ensure that speakers are placed facing toward the church and that sound levels are kept under strict control or you will be told to turn it down. Music in the barn should also be kept to a reasonable volume, but being more enclosed, there is less risk. We may do sound level checks during parties to ensure that reasonable volume levels are adhered to.

Is there Wifi and/or Mobile Signal?

There is no wifi in the barn. There is also only very limited mobile phone signal available in much of Ditchling, including in the barn.

INSURANCE

The Friends of Ditchling have Public Liability Insurance to cover us.

If you are a Commercial Hirer you must have your own Public Liability Insurance to an adequate level.

Please ensure that you are adequately insured for any items stored in the barn during your booking period – this is at your own risk.

If you have a Marquee on the Green you must provide fully comprehensive insurance to cover the structure and contents and it should include any items left overnight in the Barn, you should also consider employing security services to guard the marquee, barn and their contents.

The Friends of Ditchling will not be held responsible for any loss or damage to any personal or third party items/equipment under any circumstances.