T1. Introduction

  • 1.1 We are committed to safeguarding the privacy of our website visitors; in this policy we explain how we will treat your personal information.
  • 1.2 By using our website and agreeing to this policy, you consent to our use of cookies in accordance with the terms of this policy.

2. Collecting personal information

  • 2.1 We may collect, store and use the following kinds of personal information:
    • (a) information about your computer and about your visits to and use of this website (including your IP address, geographical location, browser type and version, operating system, referral source, length of visit, page views and website navigation paths);
    • (b) information that you provide to us when registering with our website (if applicable);
    • (c) information that you provide when completing your profile on our website (if applicable);
    • (d) information that you provide to us for the purpose of subscribing to our email notifications and/or newsletters (including your name and email address);
    • (e) information that you provide to us when using the services on our website, or that is generated in the course of the use of those services (if applicable);
    • (f) information relating to any purchases you make of our goods and/or services or any other transactions that you enter into through our website (including your name, address, telephone number, email address and card details);
    • (g) information that you post to our website for publication on the internet (including your user name, your profile pictures and the content of your posts) (if applicable);
    • (h) information contained in or relating to any communication that you send to us or send through our website (including the communication content and metadata associated with the communication) (if applicable); and
    • (i) any other personal information that you choose to send to us.
  • 2.2 Before you disclose to us the personal information of another person, you must obtain that person’s consent to both the disclosure and the processing of that personal information in accordance with this policy.

3. Using personal information

    • 3.1 Personal information submitted to us through our website will be used for the purposes specified in this policy or on the relevant pages of the website.
    • 3.2 We may use your personal information to:
      • (a) administer our website and business;
      • (b) personalise our website for you;
      • (c) enable your use of the services available on our website;
      • (d) send you goods purchased through our website;
      • (e) supply to you services purchased through our website;

(f) send statements, invoices and payment reminders to you, and collect payments from you;

    • (g) send you non-marketing commercial communications;
    • (h) send you email notifications that you have specifically requested;
    • (i) send you our email newsletter, if you have requested it (you can inform us at any time if you no longer require the newsletter);
    • (j) send you marketing communications relating to our business which we think may be of interest to you, by post or, where you have specifically agreed to this, by email or similar technology (you can inform us at any time if you no longer require marketing communications);
    • (k) provide third parties with statistical information about our users (but those third parties will not be able to identify any individual user from that information);
    • (l) deal with enquiries and complaints made by or about you relating to our website;
    • (m) keep our website secure and prevent fraud; and
    • (n) verify compliance with the terms and conditions governing the use of our website (including monitoring private messages sent through our website private messaging service).
  • 3.3 If you submit personal information for publication on our website, we will publish and otherwise use that information in accordance with the licence you grant to us.
  • 3.4 Your privacy settings can be used to limit the publication of your information on our website, and can be adjusted using privacy controls on the website.
  • 3.5 We will not, without your express consent, supply your personal information to any third party for the purpose of their or any other third party’s direct marketing.

4. Disclosing personal information

  • 4.1 We may disclose your personal information to any of our employees, officers, insurers, professional advisers, agents, suppliers or subcontractors insofar as reasonably necessary for the purposes set out in this policy.
  • 4.2 We may disclose your personal information to any member of our group of companies (this means our subsidiaries, our ultimate holding company and all its subsidiaries) insofar as reasonably necessary for the purposes set out in this policy.
  • 4.3 We may disclose your personal information:
    • (a) to the extent that we are required to do so by law;
    • (b) in connection with any ongoing or prospective legal proceedings;
    • (c) in order to establish, exercise or defend our legal rights (including providing information to others for the purposes of fraud prevention and reducing credit risk);
    • (d) to the purchaser (or prospective purchaser) of any business or asset that we are (or are contemplating) selling; and
    • (e) to any person who we reasonably believe may apply to a court or other competent authority for disclosure of that personal information where, in our reasonable opinion, such court or authority would be reasonably likely to order disclosure of that personal information.
  • 4.4 Except as provided in this policy, we will not provide your personal information to third parties.

5. International data transfers

  • 5.1 Information that we collect may be stored and processed in and transferred between any of the countries in which we operate in order to enable us to use the information in accordance with this policy.
  • 5.2 Information that we collect may be transferred to the following countries which do not have data protection laws equivalent to those in force in the European Economic Area: the United States of America, Russia, Japan, China and India.
  • 5.3 Personal information that you publish on our website or submit for publication on our website may be available, via the internet, around the world. We cannot prevent the use or misuse of such information by others.
  • 5.4 You expressly agree to the transfers of personal information described in this Section 5.

6. Retaining personal information

  • 6.1 This Section 6 sets out our data retention policies and procedure, which are designed to help ensure that we comply with our legal obligations in relation to the retention and deletion of personal information.
  • 6.2 Personal information that we process for any purpose or purposes shall not be kept for longer than is necessary for that purpose or those purposes.
  • 6.3 Without prejudice to Section 6.2, we will usually delete personal data falling within categories at a specific date/time.
  • 6.4 Notwithstanding the other provisions of this Section 6, we will retain documents (including electronic documents) containing personal data:
    • (a) to the extent that we are required to do so by law;
    • (b) if we believe that the documents may be relevant to any ongoing or prospective legal proceedings; and
    • (c) in order to establish, exercise or defend our legal rights (including providing information to others for the purposes of fraud prevention and reducing credit risk).

7. Security of personal information

  • 7.1 We will take reasonable technical and organisational precautions to prevent the loss, misuse or alteration of your personal information.
  • 7.2 We will store all the personal information you provide on our secure servers.
  • 7.3 All electronic financial transactions entered into through our website will be protected by encryption technology.
  • 7.4 You acknowledge that the transmission of information over the internet is inherently insecure, and we cannot guarantee the security of data sent over the internet.
  • 7.5 You are responsible for keeping the password you use for accessing our website confidential; we will not ask you for your password (except when/if you log in to our website).

8. Amendments

  • 8.1 We may update this policy from time to time by publishing a new version on our website.
  • 8.2 You should check this page occasionally to ensure you are happy with any changes to this policy.
  • 8.3 We may notify you of changes to this policy by email or through the private messaging system on our website.

9. Your rights

  • 9.1 You may instruct us to provide you with any personal information we hold about you; provision of such information will be subject to:
    • (a) the payment of a fee (currently fixed at GBP 10); and
    • (b) the supply of appropriate evidence of your identity (for this purpose, we will usually accept a photocopy of your passport certified by a solicitor or bank plus an original copy of a utility bill showing your current address).
  • 9.2 We may withhold personal information that you request to the extent permitted by law.
  • 9.3 You may instruct us at any time not to process your personal information for marketing purposes.
  • 9.4 In practice, you will usually either expressly agree in advance to our use of your personal information for marketing purposes, or we will provide you with an opportunity to opt out of the use of your personal information for marketing purposes.

10. Third party websites

  • 10.1 Our website includes hyperlinks to, and details of, third party websites.
  • 10.2 We have no control over, and are not responsible for, the privacy policies and practices of third parties.

11. Updating information

  • 11.1 Please let us know if the personal information that we hold about you needs to be corrected or updated.

12. Our details

  • 12.1 This website is owned and operated by The Bishop’s Palace.
  • 12.2 We are a registered charity in England under registration number 1160830, and our registered office is at; The Bishop’s Palace, Wells, Somerset BA5 2PD.
  • 12.3 Our principal place of business is at The Bishop’s Palace, Wells, Somerset BA5 2PD.
  • 12.4 You can contact us:
    • (a) by post, using the postal address; The Bishop’s Palace, Wells, Somerset BA5 2PD
    • (b) using our website contact form
    • (c) by telephone: 01749 988111
    • (d) by email: [email protected]
    • General Terms & Conditions when visiting The Bishop’s Palace and Gardens

      By visiting The Bishop’s Palace and Gardens you accept the following its terms and conditions and agree to abide by the rules and instructions of the staff at all times:

      • We welcome well-behaved dogs in the Bishop’s Gardens when kept on a short lead (no more than 2m) and in the Bishop’s Table Café. However dogs are not allowed within The Bishop’s Palace building or Chapel.
      • Due to weather conditions some areas may have to close.
      • For safety or operational reasons, the management reserves the right to close or adjust areas of the Gardens and Building without prior notice.
      • The Management reserves the right to refuse entry for whatever reason. Being in possession of a pre-paid ticket or membership does not give exemption from this.
      • In order to facilitate the security, safety and comfort of all visitors, staff and volunteers, The Bishop’s Palace reserves the right to remove, without refund, anyone it deems to have behaved in a manner which has, or is likely to, affect the safety and enjoyment of other visitors, staff or volunteers. This covers all areas of our site, including the Free Area.
      • The Bishop’s Palace reserves the right to conduct security searches and to refuse admission to you should you refuse to comply with such security searches.
      • Wheeled footwear, skateboards, scooters and bikes are not allowed to be taken past the pay gate.
      • The Bishop’s Palace will not be held liable for any losses, injuries or damages sustained at The Bishop’s Palace including damage, theft or loss to property and motor vehicles, if the cause is due to the negligence of the individual or the unforeseeable actions of other customers or third parties.
      • Strictly no trading or fundraising is allowed anywhere on site, without the prior written consent of The Bishop’s Palace.
      • Whilst the Management does its best to update and maintain the accuracy of this website, it cannot guarantee its content at all times.
      • Any potential visitor is advised to ring to check any detail that may be of particular importance.
      • The Bishop’s Palace runs a ‘Zero Tolerance’ policy for aggressive or inappropriate behavior towards our staff.
      • Parents/guardians are responsible for the children in their care at ALL times.

      Events, Cancellations and Refund Policy

      • All online, over the phone and in person payments are final. We recommend that customers check dates and timings before completing any bookings.
      • Bookings can be transferred into a different name or given to others to enjoy. Please notify us via [email protected] or call 01749988111 if the name on a booking needs modifying.
      • On occasions where the same event is running on multiple dates and times, we may be able to move your booking into a different slot. Please contact us via [email protected] or call 01749988111 to see if this is possible. We cannot guarantee this as an option.
      • We reserve the right to postpone or cancel an event for reasons beyond our control. We will refund or transfer any deposits or balances paid for events cancelled by The Bishop’s Palace. On occasions where a refund is given, refunds will only be made to the person who originally made the purchase through the method of payment they originally used.
      • Group bookings: All group bookings which include a tour and/or a food option must be paid in advance.
      • If any event or group booking includes dietary requirements, The Bishop’s Palace must be informed of this at least 5 days before the date of visit or event.
      • We reserve the right to change course leaders for our events and workshops.
      • All prices include VAT where applicable. The Palace Trust VAT number: 7501 7962