Hospitality

hilfieldssf@franciscans.org.uk

01300 341345

We welcome people to come and stay with us – for prayer and retreat, for study, for a break away from their usual routine and to share something of our Franciscan life together. We can offer either full-board accommodation in Leo House, the Friary Guest House, eating with us in the refectory, or self-catering accommodation in Bernard or Juniper Houses. All guests are welcome to join us for services in the chapel but no-one should feel under pressure to do so. We invite those who wish to join us in some of the basic tasks around the Friary e.g. helping with the washing up! A member of the community is often available to talk to if you are seeking advice or friendship. We don’t run the place as a hotel business and we make no fixed charge for staying, but we do make a suggestion about the level of donation that we need to cover our costs for your stay and we ask you to recompense us financially if you are able to. If you can’t then please speak with Suzi in the office who will try to help. See below for details.

We also welcome group and individual day guests (see further down this page).

If you travel here by car please use the Friary car park opposite the Friary grounds. Please note that normally we are open from Tuesday to Sunday afternoon.

Safeguarding of Children: Children should be supervised at all times either by parents of guardian, a Community member or the Guardian (if the child is visiting alone such as part of a college placement), with written permission from the parents or guardian.

Please click the ‘Booking Form’ Button below to complete an online form for individual or group retreats ONLY. For residential or day courses please visit the 2021 Programme page.

Please note that during Covid Restrictions – we have to limit or cancel many bookings as required by the regulations.

The Accommodation

We have two kinds of accommodation: Leo House, the Friary Guest House where we offer full- board accommodation. The other type of accommodation we offer is in two self-catering houses: Bernard House and Juniper House.

Enquires and bookings for all three houses can be made via the Friary office on 01300 341741 or use download the booking form on this page. Always contact the Guest Coordinator before sending a booking form to discuss room availability. We welcome guests from Tuesdays to Sunday afternoons but not overnight on Sundays or Mondays as they are the Community day off.

Click on the images below to find out more about the houses.

Leo Guest House

Bernard House

Juniper House

Day Guests

We welcome day guests to use our space at Hilfield Friary, walk in our beautiful grounds, pray in the chapel or find peace and solitude in our Hermatige.

Please call us on 01300 341345 or email hilfieldssf@franciscans.org.uk to let us know.

DOWNLOAD BOOKING FORM

HILFIELD GROUP BOOKING CANCELLATION POLICY

Accessibility

We have a room for disabled guests on the ground floor in Francis House. There are two rooms on the ground floor in Leo Guest House. There is also one ground floor room in Bernard House and one in Juniper House but these can be harder to book because groups who book these houses often take them.

The bathroom facilities are suitable for people who have a mobility requirement. The doors are not strictly the recommended width but we find that wheelchair users can usually manage them. There are ramps to most areas of the Friary.

Please contact us for more information about access at Hilfield before you come to stay.

Audio/Visual Equipment available at Hilfield Friary

Projector with built in DVD player&speakersLaptop with hdmi/usb/VGA & office pro 2019
Projector screen in rec room
Hearing aid loop system in rec room
Speaker system for audio equipment (3.5mm)
Bluetooth speaker(small)
Various leads etc
Please contact us on 01300 341345 for more information about audio/visual equipment at Hilfield.

How to get to us

Hilfield Shop

Donations from July 2019

The Friary retreats for guests are run purely on donations and we rely on those to keep the friary open and maintain the accommodation and grounds. We estimate that it costs us around £45 per day per guest for full board and lodging in the Guest House (more than this if you have come for an organised course or retreat). For those who are self-catering in Juniper or Bernard Houses we suggest a donation of £25 per night (£15 if unwaged).

We suggest a £10 donation for a day guest who is not given a main meal.

We make no charge for your stay at the Friary, but we are grateful to receive your donation to cover these costs (and to benefit from Gift Aid if you pay Income Tax). If you are able to offer more than this it can help those who can only afford to give less. We don’t want anyone to be prevented from coming here on account of their financial situation and we leave it to your judgement and your generosity as to what you can give. Please contact the Guest Coordinator who will work something out with you.

These suggested donations can be multiplied up for groups and do not include an additional donation for the time of a brother to lead, say, a quiet day.

Transport

We are happy to collect guests from local railway stations or Bus stops at mutually convenient times and ask for a £6 donation towards costs. In comparison the taxi fare from Sherborne is £20. We also have a car park at the Friary and if possible we ask guests to car share to lower their carbon footprint.

Dog Policy

We regret that we cannot welcome dogs along with resident guests while staying at the Friary Guest House, Bernard House or Juniper House. The Friary grounds hold many new scents, experiences and temptations for dogs (sheep, children, badgers, cats, newly planted flowers and vegetables, guests – to name but a few). Canine instincts may be awoken in the most docile and well-mannered pet! We ask guests not to bring their dogs to stay. Day visitors are asked to keep their dogs on their leads at all times. If you leave your dogs in your car, please remember to check on them hourly, park in the shade and leave enough ventilation.