Fancy holding your event in a 15th century barn?

A performance in the Great Barn and, below, an outside view of the barn which will be hired out for corporate events to raise funds for its upkeep

Last year Fareham Borough Council refused to grant Titchfield Festival Theatre permission to double the number of weddings it holds at the barn in 2017.

Volunteers had been banking on the extra income they would have generated to pay for the maintenance of the Great Barn, in Mill Lane, which was built in the early 1400s in the grounds of Titchfield Abbey.

Adam Feeley, venue manager at Titchfield Festival Theatre, said: ‘Increasing running costs, site repairs, lack of grant funding from national and local bodies, plus the plans to upgrade the barn with educational exhibitions, has meant that more funds need to be raised and this new initiative will help make up the financial shortfall.

The Great Barn, run by Titchfield Festival Theatre

‘A barn of such magnitude requires volunteers to maintain the venue as well as funds to ensure constant maintenance work can be carried out.’

Titchfield Festival Theatre will need to hold around 50 additional corporate events at the barn a year to make up for the small number of weddings that were denied.

Mr Feeley added: ‘There are no restrictions on corporate events at the Great Barn and so bookings are now open for 2017, 2018 and beyond.

‘With reasonable rates, an on-site bar, room for 150 seated guests, an in-house sound system and secure parking, The Great Barn makes an ideal venue for corporate events, and at the same time your company will be helping to keep a much-loved piece of rural England in tip top condition.’

Titchfield Festival Theatre also runs an old warehouse theatre in St Margaret’s Lane. The extra funds will additionally ensure the Great Barn can open for more free educational visits and also support other local charities.

The Great Barn is reputed to be the third largest medieval barn in Europe. The solid oak beams were cut from local forests, on the orders of Henry Beaufort, the Bishop of Winchester and uncle to Henry V.

Go to titchfieldfestivaltheatre.com.