Back to: Outdoors - Wildlife and Nature- Chelmsford Area

Barleylands Farm Centre & Craft Village

Barleylands Farm Centre is accessed from our large, free car park. Children of all ages can meet and feed our friendly farm animals, ride the mini tractors around the farm and let off steam in the adventure play area. Come along and visit Sam the ferret, cuddle a rabbit in the bunny barn and see if the ducks and geese are visiting our pond.

The Miniature Train runs seven days a week seasonally. Shady picnic areas can be found in our Spinney Walk or enjoy your picnic in the sunshine at the Adventure Playground, beside Reception, near the Wishing Well or in the Craft Village.

Most of our picnic benches are suitable for easy access for wheelchair users. Handwashing facilities are available at the entrance/exit to the farm. Great fun for everyone at our Farm Centre, children can race around the track on our dinocars, explore the bale maze and have bouncing fun on the trampolines and giant bouncy pillow. Get creative in the gigantic sandpit and have lots of fun on the zip wire.

Farming Discovery Centre: With fun activities, plenty of hands-on interactives and a new temporary exhibition every few months, our new Farming Discovery Centre is a must for all the family and your school!
Indoor Play Centre: Have lots of fun in our new indoor play centre, climb on the ropes, hide in the ball pit and have a go on the big slide.

The Craft Village houses probably the largest collection of working crafts in East Anglia. Visit 60  impressive, individual, specialist workshops and watch the various artisans at work producing their original and unusual gifts before your very eyes. Whatever the celebration, you will be sure to find that special gift. You can also arrange an individually commissioned item in many of the workshops. Come along, and our craftsmen and women will be only too happy to help.

Relax in the beautifully landscaped and paved courtyards, order a tea and cake from the Hive Restaurant, light lunches and refreshments are also available all day. Visit the Hive Website for more information www.thehivebarleylands.co.uk

There is easy access to the studios for everyone. The whole village has a paved level surface which enables stress-free wheelchair access and the upper level can be accessed via our lift, if required.

Separate disabled parking is also available close by.

Visit our impressive purpose built Glassworks with viewing gallery, where you can watch the glass blowers at work. Glassblowers James Watts and Bill Rhodes have been hand blowing fine glassware here at Barleylands since 1996.

They produce the glass trophy for The Artois Tennis Championships at Queens and were commissioned to replace the Victorian street lights outside Buckingham Palace. Their award winning service of making cremated ashes into glass has now given them National Recognition. They regularly open their workshop for visitors to come along and have a go at the fascinating art.

Watch Martin our resident Blacksmith make a vast array of products from candlestick holders to gates and weathervanes and much more.