Wakes
Sopley Mill is the place for you
Wakes can be very stressful to organise particularly when numbers of guests aren’t known before hand. The Mill has plenty of room but is also warm and cosy enough for small numbers.
Either the Granary or the Riverview Room are perfect for wakes and there are a number of caterers on our list who can provide sandwiches, cake, tea etc for your guests.
Please do contact us if you have any questions or would like to come and look around the Mill.
We cannot thank you enough for everything you did for us and our guests on our wedding day – you truly went far above and beyond to ensure our day went without a hitch – it was an amazing day and most of that is down to you.
Venue Details
The Garden
Sopley Mill is set on a 1000 sqm island surrounded by the Avon River. The lawn has wonderful views across the wild flower water-meadows and is securely fenced from the river. The Mill is hired out on an exclusive use basis so that you have complete privacy. The calm and serene gardens of the Mill are a lovely location to host an outside wake – weather permitting. There is plenty of space for peaceful contemplation and remembrance. Your guests can mingle outside on the terraces, the River Deck or on the lawn. If you are booking the Mill during the summer months and hoping to mainly use the outside area, then you can combine this with the ground floor of the Mill where a buffet can be set up for your guests.
The Ground Floor
The ground floor is made up of three individual, quirky rooms characterised by wooden beams and exposed brick work. The ground floor works well for smaller wakes or for wakes that are hoping to be mainly outside but need some inside area for guests or buffets.
The Holt has its own bar which can be used for your drinks or Thirsty Willow can run a pay-bar there during your event. Next door is the Snug which contains the ground floor fireplace and sofa seating. The bright and airy Boat Room at the end has large double doors heading into the garden. This is the ideal spot for a buffet on a summer’s day when your guests are mingling outside.
The Granary
The Granary is a good option for larger wakes that might want extra space or a quiet reflection room to be hired in addition to either the Riverview Room or ground floor. We have created this room to be purposefully light and bright and it has amazing views from all sides.
Alternatively, if you would like a good-sized room for your wake, with a pay-bar in it then this is a good alternative to the Riverview Room. The Granary fits 100 people.
The Granary does have lift access to it as well as the stairs.
The Riverview Room
The Riverview Room, on the top floor of the Mill, is our recommendation for wakes. The vaulted ceiling, beams, exposed brickwork and grain hatches in the floor give the history and character which makes it such a unique venue for your wake. It will fit 140 people and has lift access as well as the stairs.
For caterers, there is a kitchen on the top floor of the Mill.
The Bars
We don’t charge corkage at the Mill, if you would like to supply your own drinks. These can be served by either Thirsty Willow (who run the pay bars at the Mill) or your chosen caterer. Thirsty Willow, or your caterer, can organise glassware for your drinks. Alternatively, if you would like help with drinks Thirsty Willow can provide a well-priced drinks option for your guests. They can also provide a pay-bar if you need one. For summer wakes, hoping to be based outside, we have the River Bar on the River Deck. We also have the Holt Bar on the ground floor as an option for smaller wake and we have the Potting Shed bar in the Granary.
Parking
We have parking spaces for up to 80 cars at the Mill and further parking for an additional 20 cars on Mill Lane.
