Blackstock Country Estate takes meetings, training days and conferences for 10 to 150 people, and weddings for up to 120 guests, in two restored barns on a family-run working farm at Hellingly in East Sussex. The estate covers more than 70 acres of meadows, woodland, gardens and lakes, with views over the Cuckmere valley.
Seminars and company events
The meetings offer covers conferences, training courses, product launches and team building. Layouts run from a boardroom for 10 to a theatre for 150. Day delegate packages, for a minimum of 10 people, include the use of either the Granary or the Tudor Barn, still and sparkling water, coffee or tea on arrival, in mid-morning and in the afternoon, and a hot or cold lunch. Free WiFi and a screen are provided, along with accessible facilities. The grounds give room for outdoor team activities. The estate also hosts Christmas parties, private parties, proms, celebrations of life, and film, TV and photo shoots.
Weddings and receptions
Weddings and civil ceremonies take up to 120 guests. Couples can book a full day or a twilight wedding, and the estate states that it welcomes LGBTQ couples. The ceremony wing is air-conditioned, and welcome drinks and canapés are served in the courtyard or on the terrace. A reception-only package includes an open bar and access to both barns and the grounds. Viewings and tastings are offered before booking.
Rooms and capacities
The Tudor Barn is a restored Sussex barn about 500 years old. Oak timbers arch over one open space used for dining, dancing and entertainment, with a minstrels' gallery above a long oak bar and chandeliers made from antique cartwheels. The Granary is a converted barn with a sandstone floor, a vaulted beamed ceiling, a mezzanine, and floor-to-ceiling glazed windows onto a landscaped courtyard. It seats up to 120 for a wedding breakfast. A patio serves outdoor drinks, and the barns have licensed bars and space for live music.
Accommodation
Rooms on the estate are offered to wedding parties and to short-break guests, subject to availability. The options named on the site are Flint Cottage, the Tudor Cottage, a farmhouse room and a bridal suite. Eight pitches for caravans, motorhomes and campervans, each with fresh water, an electric hook-up and a waste point, are kept for wedding guests.
Catering
Food is prepared by the in-house caterers, who build menus around the event and the budget. A catering brochure is available from the events team.
Getting there
The estate is on Grove Hill, Hellingly, roughly central between Tunbridge Wells, Eastbourne and Brighton. A railway station is about 10 minutes away, and free parking takes up to 150 cars. As a working farm, the estate does not admit pets other than assistance dogs.
