House Notes

Welcome to Monastery Barn. We really hope that you enjoy your stay with us as we have taken pleasure in preparing the Barn to ensure that your stay is a happy and memorable one.

Internet & Telephone Communications

The Broadband Wi Fi Network router is located on the Entrance Hall table. BT Hub 6-P69Q. Wireless Password/Key is tweHhriQNGY3. The telephone on the Entrance Hall table can be used if you need to make local/UK landline calls (not Mobile or International calls). It can receive incoming calls during your stay - the telephone number is 01295 788692.

Sky TV

The flat screen TV is in the Sitting Room & has a Sky Q box. The Pin Number is 1959. Additional Channels that are available include: Sky Sport, Box Sets, Netflix. Sky Shop & Catch-Up TV.

Games & Books

A selection of large-scale board games including Chess, Backgammon, Connect4, Scrabble, Cluedo, Fame Game, What the Butler Saw etc are located in the Chests of drawers in the Sitting Room (both chests - 2nd drawer down). Additional children's & smaller scale grown up games are located in the two padded storage cubes in the Dining Room/Conservatory. A selection of Books from Autobiographies to Novels, Cookery books to Thrillers and Children's books to more are available for your enjoyment in the Entrance Hall under stairs Cupboard.

Welcome Drinks Tray in the Dining Room

Please feel free to help yourselves to a welcome drink from the Drinks Tray in the Dining Room. You will also find a bottle of Fever Tree Tonic water & a lemon in the fridge with ice cubes in the freezer.

Sound System - TV - Spotify - Echo Dot/Alexa

The Sitting Room Sky TV has the full range of Radio/Music channels & also "Spotify". There is an Echo Dot in the Kitchen, feel free to move it any other room in the Barn. You will need to sign in on the Echo Dot using your own Alexa Account details when you arrive & sign out when you leave.

Utility Room/Cloakroom - Washing Machine - Dryer - Iron - Heating (Oil Fired Boiler) - CO Alarm Sensor

The washing machine and the dryer are separate. Washing powder, spray starch etc is provided. The Iron is on the wall to the far left of the wall units, the ironing board is in the under stairs cupboard in the Hall. There is a small fold up drying rack between the washing machine/dryer & a rotating washing line/pegs that we can get out of the Shed on request. The Boiler is in the Utility Room/Cloakroom. The CO alarm sensor for the Boiler is on the wall to the right of the wall cabinets in the Utility Room.

Utility Room/Cloakroom - Safety - Fire Extinguisher - Fire Blanket - First Aid Kit - Hand Sanitisers/Face Masks, Gloves - BBQ - Garden Games

On the top of the worktop is the Fire Extinguisher. The Fire Blanket is in the Kitchen base cupboard to the right of the Hob. In the wall units you will find the Washing powder, Toilet rolls, First Aid Kit, hand sanitisers, face masks & a box of gloves. The BBQ kit is in a silver metal box & in the wall units are a selection of disposable foil cooking trays. A selection of garden games are available for your enjoyment.

Smoke Detectors (2)

When using the grills in the ovens, please ensure that you open the Kitchen window or Kitchen door, as sometimes the smoke detector will go off. The Smoke detectors (2) are located on the Entrance Hall ceiling & the Upper Landing Ceiling.

Oil Fired Central Heating System - Electric Log Effect Fire

The Central Heating thermostat is on the wall in the Entrance Hall to the right of the Sitting Room door - it is usually set at 15 to be warm. Each radiator has its own thermostat valve which are all pre-set at max (V ie 5) but can each be changed individually. The Sitting Room has a log effect electric fire, that has two settings (glow effect or heat & glow). The electric fire control buttons are under the fire hood canopy.

Water & Electricity

There are ample supplies of water (mains water supply) & electricity. The Mains water cock is in the Kitchen under the sink. Please ensure that the taps are fully turned off everywhere after use. In the event of a flood in the upstairs Bathrooms it would probably bring the ceilings down. If the fuses do trip, the fuse box is in the downstairs Cloakroom/Utility Room next to the window on the right.

Kitchen - Provisions - Equipment - Household & Cleaning Materials

Provisions provided for your use include: milk (full & semi-skimmed), a selection of tea bags (Yorkshire tea, earl grey, herbal), coffee (normal/decaf), sugar/sugar substitute, a selection of salts/pepper, herbs/spices etc. Help yourself to the herbs tubs & chilli peppers in the garden.

The Kitchen is well equipped with: 2 ovens, microwave, hob/extractor fan, dishwasher, fridge/ freezer. Well stocked with cooking pots & pans, roasting tins, baking utensils (hand wire whisks, hand electric mixer, mixing bowls, scales, loaf/cake/bun tins, rolling pins), herb/coffee grinder, kettle, toaster, cafetieres, cheese/fruit platters, trays. Tea towels/oven gloves. Foil, cling film.

Household/cleaning materials provided include: fairy liquid, dishwasher tablets, air freshener, glass/window cleaner, furniture polish, anti-bacterial products, disinfectant, bleach, sponges, kitchen rolls, rubbish bags.

Kitchen - Rubbish & Recycling

There is a rubbish bin in the Kitchen. When disposing of the rubbish outside the Kitchen door you will see 3 x large bins - "blue bin" for paper/plastic .."green bin" for waste .."brown bin" for garden leaves & cuttings. Please leave your glass bottles outside the kitchen door & we will dispose of them for you. Refuse collections is on Friday morning so we put the bins out on Thursday night.

Breakages & Spillages

Please write down any breakages or spillages before leaving. If you do spill red wine or the equivalent on the tiled floors please do mop up immediately just in case it stains the terracotta or marble tiles. It is best to absorb it into a clean cloth but please don't treat it with any chemicals or products as we will call the carpet cleaners to remove the stain.

House Security

We have provided you with 3 keys for the Front door bottom lock. The key to the Front Door is in the lock. The key to the Kitchen door is in the door as is the key to the Conservatory/Dining room French doors. Please ensure that all the windows and doors are locked if you are going out. We have never had a problem however best to be prudent!

Smoking

Although we are a smoke free zone inside Monastery Barn feel free to enjoy cigarettes/cigars in the Garden and Courtyard, ashtrays are provided.

Garden - Garden Lights - BBQ - Garden Games - Bicycles - Fireworks - Gardener

We really hope you enjoy our garden however we would ask you to be respectful of our neighbours and not play loud music outside as the sound does carry. We respectfully ask that any celebrations move indoors after 10.00pm as some of our neighbours have children.

The switch (on/off) for the Garden lights are to the left of the Kitchen Door on the outdoor garden post on your right before the garden gate. It has a gold ribbon tied around it so you can spot it easily.

In the garden is an outdoor dining table with seating for up to 8 guests & an outdoor Cotswold stone serving table with herb tubs/tomato/chilli pepper/strawberry plants on it under the kitchen window. Help yourself to everything - approach the peppers with caution as might be hotter than you. There is a BBQ (gas) next to the serving table & the BBQ kit (tongs etc) and cream seat pads are in the Utility Room. There are also two relaxed seating areas (with parasols) in the garden & stretcher reclining loungers (3).

Bicycles can be stored at the side of the Barn under the covered pergola. Access is through the gate to the far left of the front door.

Fireworks are not able to be permitted as there are animals in the neighbouring fields and also some of the cottages in the Village have thatched roofs.

Dave, our gardener normally pops over on a Wednesday or Thursday to quickly cut the grass - dependant on the weather. We will arrange a time that is convenient with you.

Children - Games/Books - Village Playground - Local What's On Where

We have selection of children's games and books located in the two padded storage cubes in the Dining Room/Conservatory. We have some outdoor garden games and in the warmer months it is also possible for you to bring with you an inflatable paddling pool & set it up in the garden which is south facing & very sunny. We have a warm water outdoor supply, hose, foot pump so paddling pools can be filled up quite quickly.

The village has a Children's Playground on the Village Dairy Ground (eco friendly - swings, see-saw, slides, climbing frame ++) approx. a 2 mins walk from Monastery Barn. Wroxton our neighbouring village has a duck pond with very tame ducks swimming on it/happily accepting treats & occasionally the swans from Wroxton Abbey lake have a stroll down there too to enjoy a treat or two. There are lots of local activities to keep children of all ages entertained from the Fairytale Animal Farm to Redwings Horse & Donkey Sanctuary to the Heythrop Zoological Gardens, The Butterfly Farm & Camel Safari's and much more listed below.

Your Local What's On & Where Dipping Box - Sitting Room

To the left of the fireplace is the "What's On" dipping box (brown) containing local road maps & leaflets for a variety of activities within a 20 mile of Monastery Barn. Something for everyone.

Doggies - Doggie Toy Basket - Warm Water Doggie Shower - Walkies

A basket of doggie toys, cooling pads, shampoos, books of dog tricks & a bowl of water will be ready to greet your doggie/s on arrival. The garden is safe, secure & totally enclosed with solid fencing that is over 6ft high. In front of the fencing are trees & bushes. We have a doggie/boot warm water hand shower outside & a doggie hairdryer/towels in the Utility Room.

In our welcome pack we have maps of the local dog walks both short & long - Shutford Village Trail & Circular Walk, Shenington & Alkerton Walk, Sibford & Swerford Walk, Broughton Castle/Moat parkland grounds - all very local in the next villages.

Just a couple of miles away from us is "Wild Pawz" at (Hadsham Farm, Horley, OX15 6BN & Withycombe Farm Drayton OX15 6EE ). They have fully secure doggie fields with 6ft fencing, suitable for dogs with recall issues or if they just love a run & a sniff. Facilities also include. Sand pit, Agility Area, Herb garden, Picnic bench, Doggy paddling pool. T: 07875970705 W: www.wildpawzsecuredogfield.com . If you would like your dogs to be walked "Walkies With Maria" provides a friendly, reliable & professional dog walking service. Treating each dog as if they are her own, Maria provides the care & attention they need & deserve on their walks. T: 07377 070899 Inst: @mariathedogwalker E: walkieswithmaria@gmail.com Located in the next door village of Balscote is "Buddy & Beau", an independent Dog Grooming Studio, founded/owned & run by Sue offering a range of services and grooming on a 121 basis using all-natural products. T: 07527 476352 E: buddyandbeaudoggrooming@gmail.com Inst: @buddyandbeaudoggrooming

The majority of the local pubs are very dog friendly with bowls of water in front of the bar & doggie biscuits behind the bar.

Our previous four- legged guests have included St Bernard's, Irish Wolfhounds, Red Setters, German & Belgian Shepherds, Labradors, Spaniels, Poodles, Terriers, Cockerpoo's, Beagles, Pugs & Dachshunds.

Courtyard - Lights - Car Parking

The Courtyard has parking for up to 5 cars & has light sensors so when you drive/walk into the Courtyard the lights automatically come on. At night if any bunny rabbits, squirrels or neighbour's pussycats take a short cut across the Courtyard, they too can trigger the light sensors to light up the Courtyard. The Courtyard Door Lanterns can be switched on/off in the Entrance Hall (Light Switch panel - 2 x dimmers + 1x on-off switch - located to the right of the front door).

Check In is from 4.00 pm & Check Out between 9.00am - 10.00 am

Check In is from 4.00 pm on the day of arrival. Please advise us of your likely time of arrival so we can welcome you & provide any assistance you may need. (Earlier times by arrangement).

Check Out is between 9.00am - 10.00 am. Late check outs are available by prior arrangement & incur an additional charge. Check out at 2.00 pm incurs an additional payment of £90. Check out at 5.00 pm incurs an additional payment of £120 as the Barn will not be available to overnight guests.

It would be appreciated if you can leave the house as you found it, although we don't expect you to lay the table or do the cleaning, dusting, hoovering!

CONTACT US

We can be contacted on 01295 780877 or 07979 225979. We wish you an enjoyable stay at Monastery Barn.

All the very best.

Alastair & Patricia

PS. Our local pub is a short walk down the High Street - The George & Dragon. A warm welcome awaits you from Richard the Landlord - serving good local ales & light snacks with log fires, beamed ceilings & a lovely sun terrace overlooking the village. Very dog friendly. T: 01295 780320