Catering
| Do you have kitchen facilities? | No, we do not have kitchen facilities available on site. |
| Can we have alcohol? | Yes, we cannot sell alcohol on the premises but you can bring in your own drinks to toast your event. |
| Do you have a fridge? | Yes. If you hire the large IRC Glasshouse then we can provide a fridge in there for you. |
| Do you have a freezer? | No, there is no access to a freezer available. |
| Can we bring in our own catering? | Yes, you can bring in your own catering if we cannot provide what you are looking for. We ask that your caterer sets up and clears away in your booked time and take their own crockery and cutlery with them. |
| Are we allowed food trucks or is it just the in-house catering? | Yes, you can take in your own food trucks or external catering if we cannot provide the catering you require. We do not charge for this at the moment. They would need to bring in their own equipment and crockery and be set up and tidied away in the hire time. They can come into our yard via our back delivery gate. |
| Are we allowed bar trailers? | Unfortunately, we do not have a licence to sell alcohol on site so you would not be able to take in a bar, you would need to bring in your own drinks and glasses, we can provided a fridge in the large IRC glasshouse for drinks if you would like. |
| Can we hire plates from you? | No, at this time we can only provide crockery and cutlery for our in-house catering. External catering would need to provide their own. |
| Can we hire glasses from you? | No, at this time we cannot provide glasses but you are welcome to bring in your own to toast your event. |
Equipment/ decoration
| Do you provide tables and chairs? | Yes, tables and chairs are included in the price. Yes, have 6ft x 2.5ft rectangular tables and foldable chairs. We can show you the ones we have. You are also welcome to hire in your own if you wish. This would need to be factored into your hire time though. |
| Do you provide tablecloths? | Yes, we can provide white wipeable tablecloths or you can bring in your own ones if you’d prefer cloth ones. |
| Can we decorate the area? | Yes, you can decorate the area as you wish, we’d just ask that you leave the hired area as you found it when you leave. You'd need to include any decoration time in your hire time. You can hire the area the day before if you wish to start your decorating. |
| Do we need to have everything away by the end of the hire? | Yes, we ask that you leave the hired area as you found it. You can book the area for the following day for a tidy up so you do not have to do it at the end of the evening? |
| Do you have a sound system? | No, you would need to take in your own speakers or music. There are sockets in the glasshouses and we can provide extension cables for outside areas. |
| Can we have a band or DJ? | Yes, you can arrange any music you’d prefer. We just ask that it is all set up and packed away within your hire time. |
| Can we have candles? | LED lighting candles only, no naked flames. |
| Can we have confetti? | We do not allow confetti in the gardens but other wedding customers have used blowing bubbles instead. |
| Do you have fans available? | We have 2 small table top fans that we can provide in the IRC or Cafe glasshouses. |
| Do you have a projector and screen? | No unfortunately you would need to provide this. A screen is sometimes not very easy to see in the glasshouse due to the high light levels there. |
Facilities/ accessibility
| Where are the toilet facilities for guests? | The café toilets would remain open for your guests. |
| Is smoking allowed on site? | No smoking or vaping is allowed on site. Guests need to go off site to smoke as per company policy. |
| What is the lighting situation with it getting darker? | We have fairy lights in the IRC and Café Glasshouse which will be on in the evening providing a dimly lit glasshouse, there is security lighting to the entrance of the glasshouse and toilets also. The main gardens would not be accessible as it is not lit. |
| Can we go elsewhere in the gardens for photographs? | Yes, you can use anywhere in the gardens to take your photographs. Only the area you have chosen to hire for your event will be closed to the public though. |
| Can we reduce the temperature in the Tropical House? | No, the tropical house needs a certain temperature and humidity for the plants so this cannot be altered. |
| Can we walk in the gardens in the evening? | Yes, you can use the gardens for photos or fresh air until dusk. The gardens are not lit so after sunset they would not be accessible. |
| Is your garden wheelchair accessible? | Most of our garden areas and glasshouses are accessible. There are some uneven paths which might make some areas less accessible, and the cactus house and café glasshouse would only be accessible from the Tropical House. |
| Do you have heating? | The IRC and café glasshouses are heated and have electricity. The Ed Shed does not have heating or electricity. |
| What happens with rubbish on site? | We have waste and recycling facilities on site and encourage customers to separate their waste at their event to help us. |
| Are kids allowed to come? | Yes, you are able to take any guests but children would remain the responsibility of their parent/guardian and should be supervised at all times. |
| Do you allow dogs? | Pets are not allowed. Only assistance dogs. |
Hire/ charges/ payment
| Is there a discount for HLH or HC employees? | No, unfortunately not. |
| Is there a discount for charities? | Yes, we offer a 50% reduction in hire for charities booking event spaces. There is no discount on catering. |
| Do we have to pay it all at once? | Yes, we do ask for full payment at time of booking to secure it. If this is not something you are able to do then I can put you in touch with the debtors department to arrange a payment plan to help. |
| What time can we hire until? | We can hire until 10pm in the evening. There is an out of hours charge for this of £100. Everyone would need to be packed up and away by 10pm. |
