Venue hire at Laughton Lodge
Shawfield is an event space and retreat venue in the East Sussex countryside, set within the 23 acres of meadows, woodland and gardens that surround Laughton Lodge.
We are a residential community on the edge of the South Downs, 15 minutes from Lewes and 30 minutes from Brighton. Shawfield is a welcoming venue with lots of character, beautiful views, and a peaceful rural setting.
We have a large hall, a professional kitchen, dining room, music room, five guest rooms, and outdoor space including a patio with a fire pit. We regularly host weekend retreats, midweek classes, rehearsals and workshops.
Shawfield is ideal for
- Residential weekend and multi-day retreats: dance, yoga, pilates, creative arts, wellbeing
- Creative residencies and writing retreats
- Regular weekly or fortnightly classes and groups
- Spiritual, ceremonial and contemplative gatherings
- Rehearsals, recordings and creative projects
- Small team away days and planning retreats
The spaces
The Hall
12.8m × 8.7m · pitched roof
Our largest space: a bright, high-ceilinged room with a sprung wooden floor and exposed beams. Ideal for movement work, large group sessions, performances and gatherings.
The Music Room
9m × 6.3m · meadow view
A warm, versatile room with wonderful natural light and views over the meadow. Popular with regular class groups, rehearsals and smaller workshops. Our most frequently booked space.
The Dining Room & Kitchen
Dining 8.5m × 8m · Kitchen 6m × 4m · wood burner · patio doors
A comfortable dining room with sofas, wood burner and patio doors opening onto the meadow. The adjoining professional kitchen is fully equipped for group catering, and we use it ourselves for community meals throughout the year. The dining room tables can be moved around and the space used for meetings or group activities.
The Games Room
11m × 4m · sofas · full-height windows
A flexible, cosy space with sofas and full-height windows overlooking the meadow. Ideal for meetings, breakout sessions or smaller groups.
The Sun Lounge & Patio
8.5m × 3.8m · fire pit · meadow view
A glass-fronted lounge opening onto a patio with fire pit, overlooking the meadow. Perfect for informal gatherings, meals outside or evening conversation around the fire. Available by arrangement as part of a wider booking.
Pricing
| Space | Weekend | Weekday | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hourly | Half day | Full day | Hourly | Half day | Full day | |
| Hall | £20 | £80 | £160 | £10 | £40 | £80 |
| Music Room | £17 | £68 | £135 | £8.50 | £34 | £67.50 |
| Dining + Kitchen | £17 | £68 | £135 | £8.50 | £34 | £67.50 |
| Games Room | £12 | £45 | £90 | £6 | £22.50 | £45 |
Half day = 4 hours · Full day = 8 hours · Weekday rates apply Monday to Friday until 17:00
Sun Lounge and Patio available by arrangement · Block-booking rates available for regular classes
Accommodation
For residential events, we have five guest rooms in Shawfield, sleeping up to nine people in total. Rooms are simple and comfortable, with shared shower and kitchen facilities. Camping is also available in our meadow from April to September.
Where guest rooms are fully booked, or for larger groups, some community members also offer rooms in their homes for guests.
| Room | Sleeps | Facilities | Per night |
|---|---|---|---|
| Room 1 | 2 | Double bed, toilet, sink | £40 |
| Room 2 | 3 | Double bed and single bed | £40 |
| Room 3 | 1 | Single bed, sink | £20 |
| Room 4 | 1 | Single bed, sink | £20 |
| Room 5 | 2 | Double bed, desk | £25 |
| Camping | Varies | Pitch your own tent in the meadow, April to September. Children free. | £11 per adult |
| Campervan | Varies | Park in the meadow, weather permitting, or near our community building | £15 |
Practical information
Getting here: Laughton Lodge is 6 miles from Lewes and 15 miles from Brighton. Free parking on site. The nearest train stations are Lewes and Uckfield. From Lewes you can catch the number 28 bus to Laughton Manor, a 10 minute walk from Shawfield. Full directions are on our How to Find Us page.
Wifi: Free high-speed guest Wi-Fi is available throughout Shawfield.
Audio and visual equipment: We don’t provide AV equipment or technical support, but our spaces are well suited to portable setups. Most of our regular hirers bring a Bluetooth speaker and find that’s all they need. Power sockets are available throughout.
Catering: Our professional kitchen is available for your own caterers, or we can recommend local catering options. For smaller events, the fully equipped kitchen and dining room are available for self-catering.
Accessibility: Shawfield is on one level with step-free access to most spaces. Please get in touch if you have specific accessibility requirements and we’ll do our best to accommodate them.
Cleaning and setup time: Please allow time for setup and clearup within your booking period. We ask that spaces are left clean and tidy. A cleaning charge may apply for larger events.
Cancellation policy: Cancellations made more than 30 days in advance incur no fee. Between 30 and 7 days, 50% of the booking fee is charged. Within 7 days, the full fee is charged. See here for our full cancellation policy.
How to book
Check availability on our booking calendar for your dates and preferred spaces first, then contact us via the contact page. If some spaces show as booked during your preferred dates do reach out anyway, as sometimes we can move things around.
Most weekends book up two to three months in advance, particularly between March and August. Midweek availability is generally good year-round.