GUEST GUIDELINES

Community life at Braziers Park

Braziers Park is home to one of the oldest secular intentional communities in Europe. We love having visitors to share our home, but it is important that guests understand that they are visiting a residential working community and not a hotel. This means that residents will also share the building spaces for their work and leisure activities, except for a big private room for visiting retreats.

We are around 30 people living and working in this beautiful, Grade II* listed Strawberry Hill Gothic mansion house. There are 55 acres of lawns, meadows, and woodland, with a large eco campsite. We are close to the Ridgeway, the Chilterns, and the Thames.

The community is engaged in integrative social research, group process, organic farming, and working towards sustainability. We host a wide variety of external courses and events, which are listed on our website, as well as our own in-house courses and events. Braziers Park is a Community Benefit Society with charitable status. We are a not-for-profit organisation run by members, residents, and volunteers, with limited hierarchy. You may like to find out about becoming an associate or volunteer. Our research publications can be found on our website at www.braziers.org.uk and in our library.

Code of Conduct

Our code of conduct is displayed on the noticeboard in the red-tiled corridor. Our community does not accept abusive, discriminatory, or aggressive behaviour, drug-taking, or excessive alcohol consumption. We have a duty of care to all our community, including elders and children. If you feel uncomfortable about any person’s conduct during your stay, it is essential to mention it to us immediately, to help us create a safe space for all.

Joining in

Guests are welcome to share our home with us. Please do introduce yourself to residents and volunteers you meet during your stay. You are asked to do all your own washing-up and drying-up in the house and keep the place tidy.

Talks, workshops & tours

We can sometimes offer visiting groups short talks and tours to fit in with the schedule on subjects such as community living, working towards sustainability, organic gardening, beekeeping, our wood-pellet district heating system, organic livestock rearing, house history tours, water harvesting, composting toilets, and workshops such as preserves and bread making. Ranging from 20 minutes to 90 minutes, these sessions usually need to be arranged before your visit. Most talks are free, but donations are welcome.

Things to do

There is a grand piano, guitars, and various musical instruments. We have internet access and WiFi. There are two pubs nearby: the Black Horse is a unique family-run pub approximately a 40-minute walk away through the woods; and the King William, with lovely views and serving food, is about a 20-minute walk away. The village shop and post office are a 10-minute walk away, and the River Thames is about 40 minutes away.

There is no bar, but you are welcome to bring your own alcohol and drink responsibly. Illegal drugs are not permissible anywhere on site. There is a smoking area outside, but please be considerate and don’t leave cigarette litter anywhere on the estate, even if it is out of sight. There is a bonfire site for evening get-togethers.

Environmental Policy

We are working towards sustainability and endeavouring to reduce our CO₂ levels. We ask all our guests to help by recycling and re-using wherever possible (recycling bins are in the pantry), taking short showers (to ensure hot water for everyone), turning off lights and heaters whenever possible, using eco-friendly toiletries (available to buy), and using public transport (bus stop 5 minutes away), bikes, or car sharing where possible.

A highly efficient wood-fired central heating and hot water system keeps the house cosy in cold weather, but you may also need warm clothing. We have composting toilets and wood-burning showers on the campsite. We buy renewable electricity and use ethical suppliers where possible.

House-keeping & Kitchen

All cooking, cleaning, hosting, gardening, maintenance, and administration is done by residents and employees, with help from volunteers from around the world, including WWOOFers (Worldwide Workers on Organic Farms), who volunteer in exchange for keep.

We provide self-service, mostly vegetarian meals – local, seasonal, organic, and Fair Trade as much as is feasible within the prices we charge. Special diets and allergies can be catered for with notice, but we cannot cater for severe allergies or individual preferences.

Please note that as our kitchens are used for the preparation of the following products, we cannot guarantee that severe allergy sufferers won’t be affected: celery; cereals containing gluten (including wheat, rye, barley, and oats); crustaceans; eggs; fish; lupin; milk; molluscs (such as mussels and oysters); mustard; tree nuts (including almonds, hazelnuts, walnuts, Brazil nuts, cashews, pecans, pistachios, and macadamia nuts); peanuts; sesame seeds; soybeans; sulphur dioxide and sulphites.

Hot drinks, toast, and fruit are always available outside meal or refreshment breaks for a donation in the box. There is a kitchenette opposite Room 11 on the first floor with a kettle.

It is a large house, and warm clothing will be needed in cooler weather. Hot water bottles and extra blankets are available if needed. The shared bathrooms are checked regularly. Please leave them clean and tidy for the next person, and let us know of any problems you can’t deal with. You will need your own shower toiletries (organic/biodegradable). We will supply one towel for each house guest.

Our sewerage system is a septic tank, which works well if the bacterial balance is maintained by not using the chemicals found in most detergents and toiletries. The house is refurbished and maintained as economically and ecologically as possible. Please do let us know of any problems or suggestions.

Exploring

Guests are welcome to explore the 55-acre estate’s meadows and woodland, but are asked to bear in mind that this is a rural, farmed property and that there may be hazards not found in urban public spaces, including electric fences. Please don’t stray onto neighbouring farmland except on footpaths – a map of the estate is in the entrance hall.

Please close gates and take care not to disturb farm animals, wildlife, or other visitors. Please don’t leave litter and ensure waste is recycled in the appropriate bins. You may need a torch at night and boots for much of the year.

There are compost toilets in the orchard and on the camping field, which are pleasant to use. Bonfires can be arranged in specific areas only; firewood must never be foraged from the estate. Our woodlands are sustainably managed; fallen branches are usually left lying to play their part in the ecosystem.

The Chilterns and the Ridgeway are areas of outstanding natural beauty if you have time to explore further afield.

Wildlife

We have many kinds of wildlife, including red kites, buzzards, owls (50 species of birds are recorded), bats, slow worms, newts, frogs, deer, rabbits, badgers, moles, foxes, hares, and many species of bees, butterflies, and moths. Much of our grassland is left to flower and seed and is spectacular in spring and summer.

There is a lovely woodland walk from West Park through ancient woodland down to the Orchard (30-45 minutes), where you should be able to spot our 400-year-old oak with ancient ivy and an unusual embracing of an oak and a yew. Please let us know if you find anything interesting, and don’t damage, disturb, remove, or pick anything without asking – although we would be grateful if you pick up any litter spotted.

Dogs

Dogs are not allowed without specific prior permission. We have pets, livestock, ground-nesting birds, and wildlife that are very sensitive to the presence of dogs. Registered assistance dogs are allowed on site, but please inform us in advance.

Children

Children remain the responsibility of their parents or guardians and must be supervised at all times. There is a baby-changing area in the downstairs cloakroom and a woodland play area just beyond West Park. There are several unfenced ponds and a water garden, so small children must be accompanied at all times. You will need to bring your own cot and high chair if required.

Special Needs

We will try to provide facilities for guests with mobility difficulties. However, the house is a listed property, and we are restricted in the alterations we are able to make. Early notification of requirements will assist us in the provision of facilities. There are two ground-floor toilets with handrails, and all bedrooms are upstairs.

Transport

There is limited parking at the front of the house. Cars and contents are left at the owner’s risk.

There is an excellent bus service between Reading and Oxford every half hour, with the bus stop approximately an 8-minute walk away. We are on National Cycle Route 5, and bicycles can be stored under cover at the owner’s risk.

Health & Safety

Everyone is responsible for health and safety. If you see something that could be a danger, please report it and take action to remove the danger. Ensure you know where the fire escapes are, and if you hear the alarm, leave immediately via the nearest fire escape. Do not stop to collect belongings. Assemble in the front car park and ensure you give your name before leaving the site.

Do not leave candles or incense burning unattended, or smoke anywhere in the house. Never cover electric heaters (wet clothing can be dried in a warm cellar), and always turn off heaters when leaving a room. The terracotta tiles on the terrace and outside the back door are extremely slippery when wet or damp, so please take great care in these areas, which have warning signs. First Aid kits are in the main kitchen and the office. Some residents are qualified first aiders.

Other things

Bedrooms have locks on the inside, but there are no room keys.

Please check with the office or housekeeper what time you need to vacate your room.

There is a lost-property box in the office, and unclaimed items will be disposed of after two weeks.

Please respect the privacy of residents when exploring the grounds – outbuildings may be homes.

Voices carry, especially from the terrace to bedrooms above.

Amplified music is by agreement only.

Damage and breakages should be paid for in the donation box.

Midnight is quiet-down time – sound carries through the house.

Please leave your details in the office if you wish to receive information about volunteering or our events. You can also sign-up to our monthly newsletter by visiting our website: www.braziers.org.uk

Donations help us maintain Braziers. Please ask for a Gift Aid form if you pay UK tax, to increase the donation by 25%.

We reserve the right to require any visitor to leave if their behaviour seems inappropriate to us.

––

These Guest Guidelines were last updated on 27.01.2026.