Launched seven years ago, National Gardening Week springs into life from 30 April until 6 May. Whether you have a passionate love affair with your garden or an on off relationship leaning more towards off, it’s that time of the year when the enticing smell of freshly cut grass gets everyone thinking about barbecues, garden parties and summer weddings.
Our Findmeaconference reservations team have been receiving enquires for summer venue hire and outdoor team-building events since the beginning of the year so to celebrate National Gardening Week we asked the team to share their top three favourite UK hire venues with outstanding gardens.
1.Breadsall Priory, a Marriott Hotel & Country Club
It’s love at first sight when you arrive at this stunning Derbyshire hotel. The mile long driveway teases with shots of manicured lawns, extensive gardens and two championship golf courses. If you’re flying in and making use of the hotel’s own helipad, the aerial views are just as impressive.
With the beautiful Breadsall Priory creating a dramatic background, garden parties and corporate celebrations on the lawn or outdoor terrace have more than a touch of glamour and pizzazz. Tennis courts and a croquet lawn, a driving range and pitch and putt area as well as the two 18-hole courses make this venue hire perfect for entertaining clients as well as team-building events and competition.
Costs for Breadsall Priory
Day rates start from £25 with 24 hour rates available from £135. The venue has a maximum capacity of 120 delegates.
2.Eynsham Hall
All the style and grace of Downton without any of the dramas! Eynsham Hall is the centre piece in a 3000 acre estate overflowing with character, charisma and charm. Just 12 miles from Oxford, if you’re not arriving by helicopter, the Grade II Jacobean mansion house is approached via a sweeping driveway and is surrounded by landscaped gardens, sunny terraces, fountains and rolling parkland.
During World War II, Eynsham Hall was used as maternity ward for mothers escaping the London Blitz. It also had a period as a police academy before it opened its doors for conferencing and meetings for the corporate world.
With stunning surroundings, the venue is very popular for weddings and civil partnerships in Oxfordshire. The gardens are equally in style for garden parties and receptions and with prior planning, marquees can be arranged within the grounds as a wet weather alternative.
Costs for Eynsham Hall
Day rates start from £39.50 with 24 hour rates available from £135. This hire venue has a maximum capacity of 200 delegates.
3. Orchardleigh House
With its own runway and helipad you don’t need to arrive via the M4! Charter a private flight from London and 40 minutes later you’ll be flying over the sprawling Orchardleigh Estate in Somerset. With 500 acres of private parkland, lakes and landscaped gardens, grandeur and sophistication set the scene for an event which is everything but ordinary.
Corporate conferences, meetings and client entertainment have been held at the venue for over 15 years. Abseiling and 4×4 off-road driving are popular team-building events along with fishing and clay pigeon shooting, horse riding and golf.
The Italian Walled Garden is a beautiful area for civil ceremonies and company celebrations catering for up to 400 guests. Hidden away from the main house, it can be hired for exclusive use and if the English summer doesn’t deliver the rays, the area can be covered at short notice.
At over 800 years, the estate has been carefully restored, including the 19th century greenhouses in the Octagon Garden and the Victorian rockwork garden. Today, the gardens and pleasure grounds are listed as Grade II on the Register of Historic Parks and Gardens of special historic interest in England.
Costs for Orchardleigh House
Day rates start from £45 with 24 hour rates starting from £145. The hire venue has a capacity for up to 600 guests or delegates.
Want more garden inspiration?
Let the team track down your next hire venue with a garden! They’ll weed out the good from the bad and find the perfect location for a summer party, team-building event, garden reception or al fresco dining.