The Vyne Group Booking Information 2016

Follow in the footsteps of King Henry VIII, Catherine of Aragon, Jane Austen and Anne Boleyn. Visit the restored walled garden now a working kitchen garden providing delicious fresh and seasonal produce to our Tudor tea-room. Simply relax by our ornamental shimmering lake and take in the views. Discover the history and experience this wonderfully charming and tranquil Tudor mansion and gardens for yourself. We take bookings during the week and encourage you to avoid school holidays. Unfortunately we are unable to take bookings on bank holidays or at weekends. The gardens are at their best between April and September so we recommend that you come then.

The Vyne, Vyne Road, Sherborne St John, Hampshire RG24 9HL Telephone: 01256 883858 Email: thevyne@nationaltrust.org.uk

The Vyne and the roof project (late 2016- 2018) The Vyne's roof is leaking and causing serious damage to the building and the many unique treasures it holds. During the project we will the re-tile the roof, rebuild the chimneys and improve the guttering so that rainwater no longer gets into the house during heavy rain. We are still taking group bookings during this time however things around the house will be very different. Please read on to find out how the work will affect your visit. Scaffolding The exterior of the house will be encased in scaffolding throughout the project. From August 2016 work will begin to put up the structure, this should take around 3 months. Once this is complete we will install a walkway around the roof for visitors to use and get a unique view of the work being carried out. House The upstairs will be closed for the duration of the project. Downstairs there will be a few showrooms for you to look around, including the Chapel with its newly restored windows. The remainder of the downstairs will be displayed as open stores; this will give you a chance to see the conservation team’s work. Entrance to the house is via timed tickets which are bookable in advance of your visit. Unfortunately we will be unable to offer tours of the house during this time. Grounds Access to the grounds will remain relatively normal; however there may be limited access to areas around the outside of the house. Tea-room will be unaffected. Time scale- all dates are estimated and are subject to change Late August to November- scaffolding to be erected around the house. December 2016 to December 2017- the roof will be repaired and visitors will be able to access the roof via a walkway. January 2018 to March 2018- scaffolding to be taken down.

The Vyne, Vyne Road, Sherborne St John, Hampshire RG24 9HL Telephone: 01256 883858 Email: thevyne@nationaltrust.org.uk

How to plan your visit to The Vyne

Booking All groups must be pre-booked. When you contact us we will need the following information:

- Name of the group - Name of the group contact - Visit date - Arrival time - Departure time - Approximate group size - Contact details ( address, phone number and email if available)

Please not that due to the nature of the site we are limited to one coach a day on weekdays only. We suggest that you provisionally book your group in as early as possible to ensure you get your chosen date.

Booking can be done by: Email: thevyne@nationaltrust.org.uk

Phone: 01256 883858 Post: The Vyne National Trust

Vyne Road Sherborne St John Basingstoke Hampshire

RG24 9HL

In order to confirm your booking you must fill in and return The Vyne booking form.

The Vyne, Vyne Road, Sherborne St John, Hampshire RG24 9HL Telephone: 01256 883858 Email: thevyne@nationaltrust.org.uk

What to expect from your visit to The Vyne

Arrival Your coach will park in our coach park which can be found in the main car park on the left.

On arrival a member of the Visitor Reception team will meet you on the coach. We ask that the group remains on the coach until this person arrives. The member of staff will need to know:

- The total number in your group - How many are National Trust members and how many you will be paying for.

The member of staff will welcome the group, scan any membership cards, give out maps and timed tickets to the group. If they are on their own they may ask for some help from the group organiser.

Once this is completed the group are free to go. The member of staff will take the group organiser into the Visitor Reception to take payment. Please note:

- Payment for the group must be in one single transaction. - In order to qualify for the group rate the group must consist of 15 or more people. - Timed tickets into the house will be agreed before your visit. If the group want to

change the time on the day it is subject to availability. - We must see all National Trust membership cards to allow free entry to members.

Please have them ready for scanning.

If your group is running late or early please phone the Estate Office on 01256 883858

The Vyne, Vyne Road, Sherborne St John, Hampshire RG24 9HL Telephone: 01256 883858 Email: thevyne@nationaltrust.org.uk

House

Entry to the house is via timed ticket only as during the project we will be unable to offer guided tours of the house.

Timed Ticket

From 12:00 the house is open to the public via timed ticket. Each ticket allows a half hour window for entrance. The first ticket is entrance between 1200 and 1230, the next 1230 and 1300 etc with the last entry at 1600. The tickets do not limit the amount of time you have inside the house. We would recommend at least half an hour inside to see everything. As you go around the room guides will be happy to share their wealth of knowledge with you. Please also be aware that at times during the roof project only parts of the downstairs of the house will be open.

Please choose which time you would like to visit the house when booking. Your timed tickets will be given to you on your arrival.

The Vyne, Vyne Road, Sherborne St John, Hampshire RG24 9HL Telephone: 01256 883858 Email: thevyne@nationaltrust.org.uk

Garden

The Vyne estate is made up of over 1000 acres which consists of formal grounds with

an ornamental lake, woodlands, parkland and farmland. On your visit discover our

walled garden which dates back to the 18 Century where our fruit and vegetable beds

provide the tea-room with season produce. Or why not enjoy the Summerhouse and

relax in its garden. This beautiful domed garden building is possibly the oldest in

England dating back to the 1600s.

There is no timed entry for the garden so the groups can enjoy the garden from

when they arrive.

Brewhouse Tea-room

The self-service tea-room is open from 10:00 until 16:30. We usually serve

sandwiches, soup, salads and sausage rolls from 11:00-16:00 whilst cakes and drinks

are available all day.

Due to the nature of the Tudor building the tea-rooms are in, we ask for large groups to split themselves up into smaller groups when in the tea-room, this allows us to provide quicker service. Please state on the booking whether your group will be using the tea-rooms during their visit when you fill in the booking form.

Shop The Coach House shop, once a store for Wigget Chute’s exquisite horse drawn carriages now offers a range of locally sourced treats and gifts. A visit to The Vyne is never complete with a visit to the shop.

The Vyne, Vyne Road, Sherborne St John, Hampshire RG24 9HL Telephone: 01256 883858 Email: thevyne@nationaltrust.org.uk

Access at The Vyne

Parking The coach park is located in the main car park near Visitor Reception. There are several disabled car parking bays in the car park should you arrive in separate cars. The walk from the coach park to the house, tea-room and shop is around 1/3 of a mile through our attractive grounds on flat well marked paths

Buggy Service

The buggy service operates from 10:30-17:00. This takes visitors from reception to near the house and tea-room. The buggy can take up to 5 people per trip and operates from March to October. Please advise us on the booking form whether or not your group would like to use the buggy and we can have it ready on your arrival.

Please note that the buggy is run by a team of volunteers and although we try to provide this service every day there may be days when it is not running.

Wheelchairs - Grounds A small number of manual wheel chairs are available to borrow from Visitor Reception. Please advise us when you book and we can reserve you a chair.

Wheelchairs- House A small number of wheelchairs are available to borrow at the entrance of the house. These wheelchairs are for inside the house only to ensure their wheels are kept clean.

Grounds The paths throughout the grounds are well marked and relatively flat.

House The downstairs of the house is fully accessible with wide doorways and no steps.

Brewhouse Tea-room The downstairs including the server is fully accessible. The upstairs with additional seating is accessed by a staircase with hand rails.

Shop Fully accessible

Toilets Disabled toilets are located near the Visitor Reception and the tea-rooms.

The Vyne, Vyne Road, Sherborne St John, Hampshire RG24 9HL Telephone: 01256 883858 Email: thevyne@nationaltrust.org.uk

Opening times

Grounds 10:00-17:00 House via timed ticket 12:00-16:00 Shop 11:00- 17:00 Tea-room 10:00-16:30 Buggy service from entrance to near the house (subject to availability)

10:30-17:00

Please note that from the end of October to mid-February closing times vary due to low light levels in these winter months.

Admission Prices 2016

Admission Type Price Group Rate*- House and Grounds £9.80 House and Grounds £11.75 Grounds only £7.20 House and Grounds child £5.90 Grounds only child £3.60 National Trust Member Free Coach Driver ( non-transferable) Free entry plus refreshment voucher Parking Free

*In order to qualify for group rate, payment must be made in one single transaction and groups must consist of 15 or more people (inclusive of NT members).

The Vyne, Vyne Road, Sherborne St John, Hampshire RG24 9HL Telephone: 01256 883858 Email: thevyne@nationaltrust.org.uk

Tours and talks at The Vyne

Introductory Talk This talk introduces The Vyne and gives a brief history of the property. Note: does not include the inside of the house. No seating or indoor option is available for this talk so dress for the weather.

Duration

15 minutes

Location On the portico outside the house where scaffolding restraints allow, alternative location is on the North Lawn.

Cost Free

Numbers A maximum of one coach party per talk.

Availability Weekdays during open hours.

Garden Tours

We offer two types of garden tours. All of which must be pre booked and are subject to volunteer availability.

General Garden Tour

A tour of the gardens which highlights the different plants and trees which can be found at The Vyne

Duration

45 minutes

Cost

£25 per 15 people.

Numbers

A maximum of 15 people per talk

Availability

Tours normally run in the afternoon and start between 12 and 2pm

Hidden History Tour

Discover how The Vyne has changed over the centuries by looking at historic documents and pictures. Study the archaeology of the grounds to learn how The Vyne once looked.

Duration

45minutes

Cost

£25 per 15 people

Numbers

A maximum of 15 people per tour.

Availability

Tours normally run in the afternoon and start between 12 and 2pm

The Vyne, Vyne Road, Sherborne St John, Hampshire RG24 9HL Telephone: 01256 883858 Email: thevyne@nationaltrust.org.uk

Things you need to know if you would like to make a booking: If you would like to book a visit to The Vyne please either email on thevyne@nationaltrust.org.uk or call on 01256 883858- Monday to Friday 9am-5pm. If emailing please fill in and attach the below booking form to your email. Please contact us with plenty of notice of your planned visit date. We often take bookings for over a year in advance so dates during the spring and summer months can get booked up quickly. The minimum amount of notice we require is 2 weeks. Always check that the date is available before booking a coach and advertising to your group. Most importantly remember that we cannot take bookings on weekends or bank holidays. Dates may be limited during school holidays and the winter months. We look forward to hearing from you and we thank you in advance for deciding to visit us.

The Vyne, Vyne Road, Sherborne St John, Hampshire RG24 9HL Telephone: 01256 883858 Email: thevyne@nationaltrust.org.uk

Sign: Date:

Please return this booking form to: thevyne@nationaltrust.org.uk or Estate Office The Vyne, National Trust, Vyne Road, Sherborne St John, Basingstoke, Hampshire, RG24 9HL

Group Name Date of Visit Contact details Name: Address Email Telephone: Group leader

mobile:

Coach company name

Arrival time Departure time Group Size

Non Members NT members

Time of entrance to the house (please tick)

12:00-12:30 1230-1300 13:00-13:30 13:30-14:00 14:00-14:30

14:30-15:00 15:00-15:30 Groups of over 30 people need to split into two groups to go in the house at different times.

Catering Morning Refreshments Lunch Afternoon Refreshments

Mobility Requirements

We run a buggy service from the entrance to near the house and tea-room. It carries 5 people and runs 10:30-17:00 everyday March- October, please let us know if you would like to use it. We also have a few manual wheelchairs which you can pre-book.

The Vyne Group Booking Form

The Vyne, Vyne Road, Sherborne St John, Hampshire RG24 9HL Telephone: 01256 883858 Email: thevyne@nationaltrust.org.uk