Getting here

Our address is Oxen Park Farm, Exeter, EX6 7QW.
When arriving, please use main entrance, not the farmhouse entrance.
Clear directions can be found here.

Parking

We have parking on hardstanding for around 50 cars, and plenty more on grass/soft ground unless the ground is absolutely soddened from recent rain. We do strongly encourage carsharing as part of our ethos here at the farm.

You will be warmly met by one of our team who will direct car parking, your car is then left at your own risk. Parking is around 200metres from the main yard and Cob Barn area. If you have access needs you will be directed to park on the farm track, closest to the Cob Barn and yard. 

Accessibility

Oxen Park Farm is by its very nature, a farm, and the access & tracks are farm tracks - in very wet conditions they can become muddy and therefore very difficult for wheelchair users. The farm is on a hill, and access down to the wildlife ponds, up to the Circle Garden and the Hot Tub, orchards and beyond are steep, and the ways are guided rather than marked with proper tracks.  The access to the Cob Barn and Dining Barns is relatively flat and accessible. We will have staff on-hand to assist if you make us aware of your needs ahead of your visit and upon arrival.

There is an accessible toilet onsite, but it is further away from the venue than is ideal. We are in the process of fundraising for a new accessible toilet closer to our Cob Barn & Dining Barn.

Please do get in touch to discuss your needs. 

The Cob Barn

A MAXIMUM of 180 people is allowed in the Cob Barn at any time. This is due to our fire risk assessment, and we cannot exceed this number under any circumstances. 

The Cob Barn is a Bare Feet area. Guests can bring slippers to wear in this area, but strictly no outdoor shoes. 

No sleeping in the Cob Barn (we are not insured for this)
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Under all circumstances any damages or breakages should be reported immediately to a member of staff and via email to oxenparkfarmbookings@gmail.com.  Breakages will be paid for by the hirer.

Making the space yours

We understand that you may want to personalise the spaces for your event.

Please do not fix or tape anything to the floor, walls or ceilings, or pierce anything in any way. It is possible to tie up bunting or strings of lights.

No plastic / foil confetti or glitter is to be used inside or outside. Undyed dried flower confetti and undyed rice is permitted outdoors.

Equipment tripods, C-stands, and dolly tracks must have felt or rubber feet to prevent floor damage. We are happy to supply temporary felt feet for equipment that presents a risk to our floor. Please ask ahead of your event.

Lighting: In short, you can bring external & internal lights as long as they are new, or have been recently P.A.T tested. It is the Hirers responsibility that all electrical equipment brought onto the premises complies with current safety standards, i.e. P.A.T. tested. 

The use of naked flames, smoke machines, power tools or machinery is forbidden unless written permission is sought and granted.

PA & Mic: There is a Behringer PA available, with mics at an additional hire charge starting at £100 per day/night. Please speak to one of the team about this. 

Flowers: We provide a basic level of flowers for decorating the space, using whatever flowers we have growing at that time of year. If you want a more abundant display of flowers, during our sunflower season (usually June-October, but this of course varies year to year), you can buy 250 stems of sunflowers for £100. Other flowers may be available at other times of the year – please do talk to us. We encourage people to celebrate what is from the land. Please consider buying your flowers from us rather than bringing flowers grown in heated glass houses.

Music & Noise

We must respect our neighbours and the community who live here. Strictly no music outdoors past 23.00, and no amplified music indoors after 23.00. The Cob barn is fitted with a remote noise monitor.
Fireworks are not allowed. 

Alcohol

If you are providing alcohol and giving (not selling) it to your guests you do not need a license. You are responsible for the consumption of any alcohol onsite.

If you are selling alcohol to the public you will need to hire the Dock & Thistle - our bar which we will license.  If you have hired our bar, we are responsible for the alcohol for your event, and no other alcohol can be supplied during your event.

Dry Bar Hire - you provide the drinks, and we provide the bar itself & the staff to give to your guests.

Wet Bar Hire - we provide the drinks, bar, equipment & staff for your guests to buy drinks from. More info here.

Glass Hire

We are a working farm and we have a no-glass policy on-site.  If you would like to serve wine or champagne at a certain time (meal or toast), you can hire in glasses for use in the Dining Barn only. We ask that these are washed and packed away after use, and before 8.30pm.

Public Events

If you are inviting members of the public to your event, you will need your own Public Liability Insurance, Risk Assessments and policies to cover your event. We will ask you to provide copies of these at the time of booking. If you are holding a private party, you do not need Public Liability insurance, but it is recommended that you have it.

Food for Gatherings

We would love to provide food for your gathering or event. You can pay for your guests' food, or ask them to pay in cash at the event. More information can be found on our website here. 

You can also have the option of hiring our kitchen for the duration of your booking with us. Instead of charging a kitchen hire fee, we ask you to cater for the small community of people who live here and would otherwise be using the kitchen to prepare their own food. We will be in touch to let you know how many that will be; usually 10-15 in the busy season. We are unable to offer a hybrid of self-catered and catered during your booking due to fridge and food storage availability. 

Smoking

The Cob Barn & Dining Barn are non-smoking buildings, this includes e-cigarettes. The only smoking area is outside the Dock & Thistle Bar. Please dispose of cigarette ends responsibly in the containers provided.

Toilets

We have 4 compost toilets on site and 2 straw-bale urinals for those standing up to pee. For bigger camping events we will dig 2 toilet tents with holes dug – no toilet seat provided. You are welcome to hire more toilets if you think you need them.

Showers

Here at the farm we have 2 showers that are outdoor gas-powered showers. Our drainage is very sensitive to the wildlife – please only use products without SLS, and as non-damaging as you can find. Please also consider water usage in the drier months as we often have droughts which means we cannot water our crops which must be our priority. You are welcome to hire more showers if you think you need them.

Kitchen Hire

In hiring our kitchen, you are agreeing to provide food for our small community living here who would otherwise be using the kitchen to prepare their own food. We will let you know how many people will be onsite for your booking closer to your event - this agreement is in lieu of a hiring charge for our facilities. 

If you are hiring the kitchen, you will be given a handover document and you will be asked to hand it back to us with a checklist that will be completed with a member of our team.

As an outdoor kitchen, we work really hard to keep the kitchen spotless overnight for this reason, and we will ask you to do the same.

Seating

We have space for 75 people to sit and eat comfortably in the Dining Barn, 90 if they're wiling to get cosy. There are also 8 picnic benches in the yard for eating under the open skies. We have 30 small black benches for casual seating for up to 90 people in the Cob Barn or out in the garden.

Timings of Hire

Full day hire includes evening hire of the Cob Barn & Mongolian Yurt until 11pm, and part-day hire includes either the evening before (from 4pm) or morning after (until 11am) your full day/s booking.

Booking Details

How do I secure my booking?

• Fill out the online Enquiry Form & Price Calculator.
• We will contact you to discuss details and offer you available dates.
• You then pay a non-refundable deposit to secure your booking. 

Cancellation Policy:

• From the date the deposit is paid, there is a 7-day cooling-off period. After this, the deposit paid is non-refundable under any circumstances. There can be no exceptions.
• Any request to cancel shall be notified immediately by email to OxenParkFarmBookings@gmail.com
• From 10 weeks before your event start date, we are unable to refund you the full amount. Within 1 week of your event start dates, event extras will likely be refunded.
• All completed bookings are subject to review. If we feel the booking would risk any licence we hold or the terms of our own insurance, we reserve the right to cancel the booking and refund your money immediately.

When do I pay the balance?

• 10 weeks prior to your booking, we will ask for your commitment to numbers and event extras. 
• You can then increase your booking numbers, but not decrease (we will be securing staff and planning our stock of food, drinks and other direct costs). 
• You will receive a revised invoice for the remaining balance of your booking, to be paid in full.

How do I pay for Event Extras?

• Event Extras Belltents & Bushcraft Shelter will be invoiced separately (as these are hired from On the Hill CIC).