We welcome enquiries from outside organisations or individuals wishing to hire Braziers as a venue for day or residential events or courses.
Your course participants will be welcomed in to our home and share meals with residents.
Teaching Rooms
The Drawing Room at around 500 sq ft will accommodate approx 45 if used as a lecture hall or 25 if used for group work, up to 15 for yoga or t’ai chi. The doors open onto a large level terrace that leads on to grass.
The Study at around 200 sq ft will accommodate up to 12 if used for group work or 8 for yoga.
The Library at around 250 sq ft will accommodate around 10 -12 if used for group work and is not suitable for yoga.
The Dining Room at around 500 sq ft can seat up to 35 people for self service meals and is also used for serving organic teas and coffee. Donations are requested for extra drinks.
The Inner Hall is a comfortable informal area for relaxation with a big log fire when it’s cold, the Grand Piano and doors to the terrace.
The study seats up to 14 and opens onto the terrace.
Courses requiring more space than the drawing room provides can use Ipsden Village Hall. This is about ten minutes walk down hill from the College through beautiful local scenery. The Village Hall was recently refurbished and is well heated with tea and coffee making facilities and a piano. The floor is wooden and is suitable for yoga and dance courses. Courses using the Village Hall can have tea and coffee there, rather than coming back to the College. All meals, however, are taken at Braziers.
Accommodation Overnight
There are 15 bedrooms available, but Braziers can sleep up to 27 if people are prepared to share rooms. Nearly all rooms have wash-handbasins and one is en-suite (supplement applies). There are two baths, three showers and two toilets on the first floor. There are two toilets on the ground floor. Breakfast is served in the Dining Room. We use only environmentally friendly cleaning products and soap and ask our visitors to use environmentally friendly soaps and shampoos which are also available for sale.
Food and Alcohol
We pride ourselves on a high standard of mostly organic home-cooked food. A good deal of the produce for the table is grown on Braziers’ estate or bought from local organic farms and wholesalers. As far as possible, our food is GM free and seasonal. Most special diets can be catered for if one week’s notice is given and vegetarian meals are the usual. Home-reared organic meat (pork or lamb) meals can be ordered in advance for an extra charge of £5 per head.
We do not have a bar but moderate drinkers are very welcome to bring their own alcohol on site.
Meal-times are normally as follows:
Breakfast : 08.30 – 09.00
Coffee : 11.00 – 11.30
Lunch : 13.00 – 14.00
Tea : 16.00 – 16.30
Dinner : 18.30 – 19.00
Organic, Fairtrade tea, herbal teas (some from our garden) and fresh ground organic, Fairtrade coffee can be obtained in the Dining Room at any time (for a donation in the pot – min 50p). There is also a tea-making room on the first floor.
Camping
We have a very large, beautiful, sheltered 15-acre campsite. Rates are £10 per adult per night.It is possible either to be wholly self-supporting or to camp but take meals in the house. If you think this might be suitable for your group, or for some members of your course, please mention it when you contact us. There are composting toilets and outdoor woodburning showers in the camp fields.
Outbuildings
We have a beautiful ancient Barn (80-150 people) and heated Granary (20 people) available for hire for weekend, day or session which can accommodate events such as barn dances, wedding parties, music gigs, celebrations, arts and crafts workshops, exhibitions and performances. There is also a large bonfire area behind the barns. The terrace and lawns are available for outdoor events such as picnics and barbecues.
Costs
The cost per head will depend on the size of the group, how long the course is going to be and the catering, services and accommodation you want. Pricing for a group (minimum 10 people) in the main house from Friday supper to Sunday lunch is £146 per person for shared accommodation including a teaching space, overnight accommodation, all meals, refreshment breaks (2 on Saturday, 1 on Sunday). Single occupancy is £170 for the full weekend.
We may be in the process of updating and adding information here, please e-mail or phone 01491 680221 for up-to-date rates.
Flip charts are included in the hire charge. A CD player, TV, data projector and DVD player may be available – please check.
We shall be pleased to give you a quote on the type of course you would like to run at Braziers. Please contact us by phone 01491 680221 or by e-mail.
Weddings
We currently accept a maximum of 6 weddings or hand fastings per year, for up to 100 guests – we prefer to offer wedding parties to people with a link to or interest in Braziers and its philosophies. The cost is in the region of £5,000, which includes the use of the site but not catering which is charged separately. We have availability in 2013, as we have just increased our acceptance of wedding bookings per year, and bookings for 2014 are also being taken. We can consider weddings with more than 100 guests, but this has to be negotiated by separate agreement.
Conditions of Hire
We ask for a non-returnable deposit of 10% to secure the booking, a second payment of 15% is due 3 months before the course/event (if booked less than 3 months ahead 25% is due on booking). We also ask that the balance is paid before the start date. If some delegates on the course fail to attend and give less than a week’s notice, they will be charged for as if they had attended. Payment is by cheque or bank transfer only.
Your organisation will be held responsible for any breakages or damage caused by tutors or delegates and a charge may be made.
Course members are very welcome to explore Braziers’ estate, but do so at their own risk. Some pathways may be uneven and visitors should take particular care when walking in areas outside the main house. Please observe the Country Code. Our ‘Guest Information’ must be provided by organisers to all participants.
Over the past few years the following organisations have used Braziers for their events:
The Conspiracy Group
Ethical Properties Company
Food ethics Council
Forest School Camps
Greenspirit
Holy Brook School (Reading)
The Institute for Development of Human Potential
International Association for Religious Freedom
Mountain RiverTai Chi
Playback Theatre
Reading Buddhist Centre
Re-Vitalise tai chi & Yoga Retreats
Reading LETS (Local exchange trading system)
Sacred Arts Camp
Singing for Larks
Spirit Release Foundation
Thames Valley University
Transition Towns Network
Tribal Earth
The Working Company (teaching the Work of Byron Katie)
Wood Festival