Welcome to our blog, please feel free to write anything on this page about your visit to one of our houses
The Big House Co. team
About Us
- The Big House Company
- Wellington, Somerset, United Kingdom
- The team at Big House brings jointly more than thirty years of experience in business management and hospitality. Peter has bought 20 years hospitality and catering experience from London, most of this time was spent running Richard Branson's Roof Gardens in Kensington. Ben as co-founder of the Big House also has over 20 years experience in the catering and tourism trade - 15 of those based with London firms. Claire Bendall joined the team early in 2005 and has expert knowledge in the planning and running of weddings, which is now a major part of our business. Beverley Netley has worked with the Big House Co for eleven years administrating successful events for new and existing customers. We have spent the last eleven years listening carefully to what our guests have to say about their expectations and experience of our houses.
17 comments:
Hi, our blog was born today!! It's like having a new baby..at the moment I am just watching it to see what happens...nothing yet.
I would love to hear from anyone who has a views on The Big House Co. Also if you have stayed at one of houses what did you think? Perhaps you could let me know what you got up to - I like to be nosey. Peter
December 16th 2008
Thank you for a wonderful Christmas party venue!!! We had an amazing time in an amazing home!
xxx
South Kensington Estates (London)
Hi! We have just confirmed our booking today for February - so I am starting this early - but the whole group of us are very excited about the prospect of spending a week on the blowy cliffs of North Devon - last year we were all on the Isle of Bute where we experienced unseasonably brilliant weather so here's hoping we are lucky for year 2! mandy
Mandy, glad that you are excited about coming to Berry House. I can't promise good weather but I know you will be warm and cosy in the house especially infront of the log fires. Looking forward to your visit. Kind regards
Peter
Hi
I stayed at Tone Dale House last year; it was to celebrate a friend’s 50th, what a treat! we felt like we were staying in someone's private residence, the memorabilia and history of the Fox family who made putties during the war is amazing, just to have their private documents and photo albums laying around for guests to view was very special.
The bedrooms are very comfortable with quality linen and although not all are ensuite there are plenty of ‘family’ bathrooms and masses of hot water, the girls invariably had a favourite and made it their own.
The formal dinner was fabulous - I am sure the elderly lady who waited on table must have been an old family retainer, she certainly new the house as she kept popping up behind you with a tray of champagne in a disconcerting way!
We enjoyed our selves so much that we are going stay with friends at Berry House this spring for my husbands 60th, there seems to be something ‘Father Ted’ about the look of the house from the outside,will that influence our conduct - its sure to be a very boozy weekend lets hope no one falls over the cliff……….
regards Carole
Carole
Craggy Island - know what you mean!! However, you won't find Father Jack asleep in the chair - can't speak for the rest of you, though.
The cliff walk is fab, did it last summer with my family, and there is a pub halfway round - always a bonus!
Sadly back after a fantastic 5 nights at berry house- nothing of the father ted about it - just lovely capacious beds and towels. Yet again we were really lucky and had days filled with sunshine, blue skies and the most amazing night sky , full if stars you never see in a city! Thoroughly recommend all the coast path walks- we did hartland point, the quay, blegberry beach, branshaw to windburry hill, clovelley and more! Rode at croyde, golf at westward ho and food from the farm shop in hartland! All great and the house us just a delight - happy daze! Mandy
Mandy, glad it all worked out for you. I spoke to Marion today and she said you all had a fab time.
You must be blessed to get the good weather, it is pretty windy at the moment!!
Hope to have you back in the future.
Peter
The strangest things happen.
On Friday a client came for a show around and left her sun glasses behind but we then discovered she knew a guest coming to a wedding at Tone Dale House..this very weekend! and she could be given the glasses to return - wow what a small world!!
Our local MP, Jeremy Brown, came to see us at the Big House Co. on Friday. He had a tour around Tone Dale House with Peter & Ben then met the other partners; Caroline & Victoria and manager Claire, for coffee, a little chat and some rather delicious home made brownies!
Mr Brown was most amazed with the house, the services we offer and how the well the business was developing. All of us were very impressed with Mr Brown and found him interested and extremely friendly and easy company and he appeared to delight in the brownies.
Tone Dale Hosue is very nice, but please watch out for your deposit deductiosn after your event. We were charged for items that we did not damage on the basis that we had not checked the house beforehand and they take the approach that therefore it is your Group who damaged the hosue or lost soemthing. I would suggest that you take pictures or video of each room, and report any current damage or missing items immediately, as their deduction policy and approach afterwards is very uncompromising. This unfortunately marred what had been a pleasant stay which cost thousands of pounds, and means that we will not be booking again. You shoudl also make thems how you round each room and point out to you any current damage or issues.
Dear McClune
Sorry you are upset about paying for damages - we only charge clients when absolutely necessary and we let an awful lot go by as 'fair wear and tear'. It would be unrealistic of us to charge for every piece of damage - the hire cost of the house covers an element of this as you would expect and we accept that accidents do happen!!
We do however charge when we think something was avoidable. The antique table in your room is a highly polished piece of furniture and the three round marks left after your stay had taken the finish back down to the bare wood - no mean feat for a 150 year old table. My french polisher thought perhaps a chemical was involved as they were not like ring stains left by a glass (which we would not have charged for - although we do provide coasters on this table) but more like something had eaten into the wood!! Anyway, after a week of polishing and hardening he has brought it back to the standard it was before so future guests can enjoy it too.
I accept we may not see eye to eye on this matter but I did solicit the best artisan to carry out the work and achieved the best price possible. We take a lot of pride and care in our house and want to offer it in the best condition possible - for this reason we make clients aware of our policy regarding damages but the reality is we rarely make deductions from deposits, unfortunately yours was an instance when we did.
Peter
Hi, we're just starting to think about what we're going to do at the beginning of December when we come back to Tone Dale for my 40th.
We're very much looking forward to spending a long weekend in the Big House just 4 years after we got married there.
We enjoyed our stay immeasurably and we're going to try to get a group together to come back: all of our guests loved the place. We particularly enjoyed the attention to detail: the logs pre-stacked in the fireplace, the pool balls all ready to go, the well-stocked kitchen (with an incredible array of potato peelers), the board games and garden games, the trail maps, the fish-and-chip recommendations. Thank you all!
We're delighted to advise that at www.luxurybreaks.com we had the pleasure of sending our clients to "the Big House" team to be looked after on our behalf.
We nor our clients were let down!
Thanks again
Fred Governo
www.luxurybreaks.com
We now have a new games room at Widcombe Grange in the converted Coach House. It has table tennis, snooker and table football.
We have also licenced it for Civil Wedding Ceremonies. Please see our facebook page for photos
I would like to thank you and your staff for the wonderful welcome we had at Widcombe Grange. It was beautifully clean and warm (too warm for the woodburner). The table was laid. The lovely apple juice and goodies, the sweeties around the place etc etc.
It was just right for our very mixed family from 9 months to 90years. The 90 year old birthday girl was absolutely delighted.
The games room was well used and the grounds well walked. We were lucky to have the two dry days in December!
I would certainly recommend it to anyone I know who needs to celebrate en mass.
The kitchen was obviously designed by someone who knows.It was a dream to use.
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