Southend Barns

About the venue

Family-run, exclusive-use barn venue three miles from Chichester, open since 2012 on a 500-acre regenerative farm. A 260-year-old Threshing Barn hosts the meal and party. Vows happen in the Dairy Barn or the Secret Garden, and resident alpacas graze beside the gardens.

The flour in the bread at Southend Barns comes from wheat grown on the farm outside. The whole 500-acre farm has recently converted to a regenerative system, and Wildfarmed mills its wheat into the flour the Roots kitchen uses for its focaccia.

The family-run venue opened in June 2012 in restored farm buildings three miles from Chichester. Couples get exclusive use of the barns, gardens and on-site rooms, and the car park holds up to 80 cars.

The 260-year-old Threshing Barn is the centrepiece. Its rustic beams and wrought-iron chandeliers hang over polished concrete floors, and big windows face the landscaped gardens. It handles the wedding breakfast, speeches and dancing in one room.

Ceremonies take place in the Dairy Barn, which has a sweeping aisle, exposed beams and a neutral palette, or outside in the Secret Garden. That garden sits between the alpaca field and the Dairy Barn's flint walls, with a 50-foot aisle leading to a sheltered pagoda.

The Collecting Yard links the spaces. It is an all-weather courtyard with a terrace bar, covered seating and a fire pit, and the gardens are lit after dark.

Roots, the in-house catering team, cooks with vegetables and herbs from the kitchen garden, eggs from the hens in the kitchen garden. Plant-based menus and sharing feasts sit alongside classic three-course meals.

The couple stay in the Milking Parlour, a bridal suite in its own rose courtyard with a log burner and a breakfast hamper the next morning. Mama Lou, a restored shepherd's hut, has a festoon-lit path through the alpaca field, and bell tents go up for guests between April and September.

Parties and corporate events use the same barns, including milestone birthdays, award evenings and brand launches. Music stops at 11:30pm, and all areas are wheelchair accessible with reserved parking.

Family-run, exclusive-use barns near Chichester, open since 2012

260-year-old Threshing Barn for dining and dancing

Licensed Dairy Barn and Secret Garden pagoda ceremonies

Collecting Yard with terrace bar and fire pit

In-house Roots catering using produce from the farm

Milking Parlour bridal suite and Mama Lou shepherd's hut

Bell tents for guests from April to September

Private parties and corporate events from £100 per person