What exactly does the new Play Barn entail?
Our new Play Barn is a HUGE new space, with a giant soft play frame, a separate baby area and separate toddler area. The main playframe is large enough for around 200 children to play in there and the building has plenty of seating for grown-ups and a café serving hot and cold food, drinks and snacks.
What is in the baby and toddler areas?
Our baby area has been designed with the smallest of our visitors in mind, along with tired parents/carers who need a hassle-free visit. We have left plenty of open, but comfy floor space so babies can be supervised while they watch, touch and see some of the play panels and sensory items we’ve carefully picked for this age range. This area is suitable for babies until they start to show signs of crawling confidently and wanting to walk by coasting or taking their first steps. Our Toddler area is a graduation from the baby area, where you’ll find some small slides, a ball pool and some climbing obstacles, this area will be restricted to 4 years and under so the little ones can free roam safely.
What is going up on the mezzanine level?
The Play Barn will soon have a small set up on the mezzanine, to allow visitors to spread out on busy days. It’s likely the final fitout in the space will be aimed towards our younger visitors and we are discussing ideas for further baby and toddler play items and some role play. We have also allowed for a coffee bar up there which will open in the future to help make it even better for the grown-ups! It’s also on the mezzanine level where you will find a bridge exit out to the adventure playground or to head down onto the farm trail.
What are the facilities in there?
There are toilets and baby changes on both levels of the Play Barn with additional handwashing facilities on entering the building. We have a changing places toilet which is fully accredited with www.changing-places.org. We have plenty of seating to enjoy food and drink from our café. A lift enables those with restricted mobility to move between the ground and upper level, but we also have access to the outside from both floors along with a large staircase for easy access.
What has the farm done to improve accessibility and inclusion as part of these investments?
Godstone Farm is committed to ensuring that a day out is safe and fun for all. We have installed a changing places toilet in the new Play Barn and have worked hard to ensure a high specification. This is fully accredited with www.changing-places.org. We are also working on the design and creation of some new pathways around our buildings enabling smooth access for those with limited mobility or in a wheelchair to travel better between the new shop/entrance, the Play Barn and the animal barn. Following feedback, we will shortly be adding an accessibility page to our website to help our customers plan before visiting us and we are committed to continuing to improve facilities in some older areas of the farm. We would like to remind customers that we are in the Surrey Hills and must contend with being in a green belt area with a hilly natural lay of the land but that said we are creative and innovative with our thinking. In addition, we are planning some SEND and quieter sessions soon and will be offering these on an ongoing basis. As always, we are open to feedback that helps us improve.
What food and drink does the café serve?
We are confident we have something for everyone. Along with good coffee, cold drinks and snacks we are introducing a full grab and go range and some seasonal fresh hot & cold dishes. You can grab a pizza twist, a toastie, a panini, choose from a range of sandwiches or pick from the hot or cold dish of the day such as pulled pork, vegan meatballs or Mediterranean chicken served with nachos, flatbread or chips. A kids menu is available with all their usual favourites and we will have tasty treats for those special occasions.
What age range is the new Play Barn aimed at?
We got it all covered! Our baby area suits infants until they start walking, they can then graduate into our toddler area and take advantage of the slides and ball pool. Our main playframe is suitable for children from approximately age 4 years and upwards.
What’s different to other soft plays?
Well aside from the pure scale of this new building there are a few touches that we’ve thought long and hard about which we think you will love. We have worked with the designers to make sure the soft play is exciting and challenging, from its look and feel to the many different routes and obstacles we’ve included. We have also made sure the baby and toddler areas are separate as we feel that each of these age ranges need their own space. There are also the amazing views from the mezzanine level, the addition of a changing places toilet and careful thought about the décor that makes this soft play one of a kind.
What safety inspections have taken place before the new Play Barn opened?
We have worked with a market leader who have designed and installed our main soft play frame. They are a founding member of the Association of Play Industries (API) and their products and designs comply with the following, as do the baby and toddler areas:
RoSPA (Safety)
BS EN1176 (Indoor Play Equipment Safety Standard)
BS EN1177 (Playground Equipment Standard – specifically impact absorbency)
API (Play)
EN71 (Non-Toxicity)
BSAIF (Sports)
Upon completion of the installation an independent safety inspection has been carried out before opening to the public. Independent safety inspections then will continue as per the manufacturer’s guidelines along with the farm’s own daily, weekly and monthly inspections.
How do you keep such a big building clean?
Daily there is a team running the Play Bbarn who have adequate time for cleaning at both the start and the end of the day. They are tasked with keeping on top of things during the day too such as cleaning toilets and clearing tables. We have also been talking to specialist companies to organise regular deep cleans, especially at high level where its often hard to reach. After such a huge investment we are committed to keeping this area clean for everyone to enjoy.
What are the new Play Barn opening hours?
The Play Barn is currently open from 10:00, except on the first Saturday of each month when it will host a SEND session and will open to general visitors at 10:30. Closing times vary seasonally, but are normally 16:45, except when special after school hours are running. As this is such a large scale venture we will review the demand and possibly make changes throughout the year.
How much are tickets?
Currently tickets to the farm are £14.95 for an adult or child over 2, a child aged 1 to under 2 years is £7.50. These prices are available when booking in advance online, an additional charge will occur when purchasing tickets at the entrance on the day of your visit. Farm entry tickets include access to the Play Barn at your leisure but the time you can spend inside may be restricted on busy days. School group visits do not include access to the Play Barn and if you are visiting with a nursery group we may ask you to split into smaller groups and liaise with your contact on the farm to arrange a suitable time.
Do I have to book a timeslot to go into the new Play Barn?
At this time we aren’t allocating timeslots for the new Play Barn. During busy times you may have a limited amount of time in the Play Barn but you will be welcome to visit as many times as you like throughout the day and at times that suit you. If the Play Barn is especially busy there may be a wait to enter or for a table but due to the size of the building, we are expecting this to be rare.
Will the price of the farm entrance increase now the new Play Barn is open?
Despite the huge investment in the new Play Barn we have held our prices for the remainder or 2023. Our prices will be subject to a usual annual review and will depend on a variety of factors, this review normally occurs in January or April. Prices for different events and additional activities may be subject to a price review on a case-by-case basis.
Can I come just for the Play Barn and not use the whole farm?
Currently a ticket is for full access to the farm, including the farm trail, animal interactions, The World of Dinosaur Roar Discovery Trail, the Play Barn, Wiglets Play Village and our Gift Shop and Courtyard Kitchen Restaurant.
Can I have my birthday party in the new Play Barn?
Yes, we are offering after hours parties in our new new Play Barn. Please check the Birthday Party section of the website for more details.
Can I book private hire of the new PlayBarn and what will it include?
The new Play Barn is available for after-hours private hire. Please check the Private Hire section of the website for more details.
What will happen to the old play barn?
We are really excited that now the new Play Barn is up and running we will have a great indoor space, with café and toilets to use for events. We have lots of ideas for indoor entertainment but will also be considering private hire of the space for parties or corporate events so if you have a requirement, please do get in touch with us.
What else is going on at Godstone Farm this year?
We have our usual calendar of events running this year with additional activities running during all school holiday periods. Our website has details of all these events. We are delighted that the Winter Warmer pass will be returning this winter with sales live now, plus our big events are already available to buy tickets for – Low Bangs Fireworks & Father Christmas visits. All of this along with our exciting new animal barn and shop/entrance it’s going to be a very exciting place to visit in 2023 and beyond.
Tell me more about the Animal Barn and new Gift Shop…..
Our beautiful new animal barn sits towards the top of the farm, on the way up to the new Play Barn and adventure playground. We have designed this barn to house all your favourite ruminant animals, so in here you will be able to see Sheep, Goats, Cows, Alpacas and Llamas on rotation. The barn has specifically designed with a raised walkway around 3 sides to make viewing easy and allow us to increase the educational content we can provide for school trips or during events. The gift shop extends to an entrance building with 3 ticketing windows, and the gift shop itself is a lovely new space with a rustic feel and will be home to all your usual souvenirs, toys and essentials.
Will we be able to touch the animals in the new barn?
As the new barn is a ruminant barn, meaning the animals pose a higher risk of carrying diseases this barn will be a no contact area, a look and see barn. There will still be plenty of experiences to be involved in such as animal feeding and talks or displays. Our lambing event will take place in here each year which is a firm favourite on the calendar and its likely you will see baby animals for much of the year round. Moving the ruminant animals to this new barn allows us to do exciting things with our current main animal barn in the centre of the farm trail.
What is going to happen to your current “main barn”?
Our main barn will soon become an extension of our animal interaction area where we will provide increased opportunities to interact with our animals both large and small. Hopefully you will have already seen some changes in action in the animal interaction area. We have moved our friendly reptiles into the space and created some enrichment and fun for our resident rats, which is great fun to watch. More experiences like this are on the way when our main barn can open up and allow visitors to get closer to some of our animals.
