Tiny Tours are now the way to visit Markenfield Hall. Read on to find out more.
Tiny by name. Tiny by number. But definitely big in content. In 2020 we introduced a series of Tiny Tours that would allow small numbers of visitors to return to the Hall. and they were so popular they’re staying.
Tickets are £18 per person, including tea and cake. Please see below for further details, including how to book.
Rather than only opening in May and June, Tiny Tours will allow the Hall to open on selected days between April and October. Dates will go onto the website when they are available and can be booked on our Tickets page.
Markenfield will be opening for Historic Houses members on selected Wednesdays between April and October this year – but, you must book in advance. We are still working out the details, and more information on how to book will be available nearer the time.
We are delighted to be opening the doors once more, and welcoming visitors back to the Hall. If you’ve visited the Hall before, you will notice some of the changes we have made to ensure your visit keeps you and us as safe as possible.
We have carried out a COVID-19 risk assessment and put carefully planned Social Distancing and safety measures in place. We are pleased to confirm that we have been awarded “Good to Go” status by Visit England, but please read the information below so that you know what to expect when you visit us. You can also find information in the following video…
Yes you do – all visits to Markenfield this year need to be pre-booked.
The Hall is a historic building made up of a number of small rooms (and a larger one!). To facilitate Social Distancing we will be selling tickets for guided tours, and limiting the number of people per tour to 10. This allows us to ensure a 2m distance between households when seated.
Yes please. For the continued safety of our staff and visitors, we ask that face coverings are worn at all times, except by those who are exempt from doing so. Visitors are welcome to bring their own mask, but disposable ones will be available at the door. Staff and Guides will be wearing face shields when they are not working behind a screen.
There will be hand sanitiser at the entrance to the Hall, and throughout. Visitors are asked to use it before entering the building, and during their visit.
Our online booking system will support the NHS Track & Trace service by collecting the name and contact details of the lead person in your party. However, in accordance with the last sensible guidance, we will be asking for the contact details of each person over the age of 16 that visits the Hall.
Once you have booked your tour, you will receive a confirmation email. Please reply to this, stating how many Households or Bubbles are in your party – or indeed simply whether you are happy to sit with those you have booked tickets for. We will also ask you for the contact details of each person you have booked for.
This information will only be used to help stop the spread of the Virus, and will be handled in accordance with GDPR and our own privacy policy (a link to this can be found in the footer of this website).
We certainly do – and will continue to do so too – in fact there are some days when we seem to do nothing but clean! As we only carry out one tour each day, we clean once our visitors have left ready for the next day. The majority of our surfaces are wooden – handrails, chairs and doors – and having taken advice from Historic Houses, we clean these with an 80% alcohol cleaner that kills 99.99% of all known germs.
Surfaces will be cleaned after each tour, but we ask that you refrain from touching anything you do not need to – to keep the Owners and the staff safe.
We do – but not in the main house. The Undercroft loo will be available in emergencies, but the facilities in the Gatehouse are much better equipped. We cannot provide you with antibacterial hand soap (the perils of having a septic tank!) but there will be soap, hot water, paper towels and more hand sanitiser in there.
Click the button below to go to our Tickets page – all our Tiny Tours will be listed on there when available.
If you’d like to bring your friends and family on a private tour, please do give us a call to see if we have any dates available. We can seat up to 18 people un-distanced, or up to 10 distanced. Tours are not strictly child friendly, as they are historical in nature, but do let us know if you would like to bring a younger group and we will see what we can do. Please telephone or email to discuss dates and options. £18 per person (minimum charge £60).
Hooray – the return of cake!
We are delighted to be serving tea and cake once more – life is rather sad without it (although we’re all just that little bit thinner!).
We will be serving tea and cake in the Great Hall before morning tours, and after afternoon tours. Tables will be spaced 2m apart and the tea and cake will have been prepared by staff wearing a mask, a disposable apron and gloves.
We regret that our Cake Lady’s Public Liability Insurance does not allow her to cater for food allergies, but she can cater for gluten intolerance if you let us know in advance.
