Ainsley House and Gardens

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Campbell Wedding Location
300 Grant Avenue
Campbell, CA 95008
Contact: Wedding Scheduler
Phone: 408/866-2119
www.cityofcampbell.com/museum
Request more information from Ainsley House and Gardens

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Why We Like This Place

In 1925, in the twilight of a highly successful life as the founder of a local fruit cannery and export company, expatriate Englishman John Colpitts Ainsley built for himself and his wife, Alcinda, a lovely English Tudor Revival home. With fifteen rooms (including a modern kitchen with a refrigerator, a six-burner two-oven stove, and adjoining maid’s quarters), large bay windows, a swooping mock thatch roof, and blooming English-style garden, the Ainsley’s home was one of the finest in the Santa Clara Valley.

During the years following JC Ainsley’s death in 1937, family members used the house occasionally for Christmas parties and other reunions. In 1989, the family donated the historic house to the city of Campbell. It was moved from its original site on Bascom Avenue to its present location, and restoration was begun immediately. The result is a living museum with period furniture (most of it original to the house), walls covered in delicate silk fabric, glowing oak-paneled hallways, closets that display period gowns and tiny flapper-era shoes, and a kitchen stocked with cans of JC’s fruit! Because of the fragile nature of these antiques and artifacts, the interior of the house is not available for parties. The parlor, however, may be used for an intimate ceremony (up to 15 guests), and couples getting married or having their reception here can also take wedding photos inside.

The gardens that now surround Ainsley House retain much of the character of the original gardens. Blossoming crabapples, rhododendrons, irises, and bridal veil encircle the house and back lawn. Several rose bushes were transplanted straight from the Ainsley’s 1925 flowerbeds. The front of the house opens onto the Orchard City Green, a lush lawn used for a local concert series.

Weddings are held in the backyard, a large private lawn bordered by flowers and redwood trees, and enclosed by latticed fencing covered in climbing roses. For the ceremony, the bridal party emerges through French doors at the rear of the house, and walks across the lawn to the wisteria-shaded redwood arbor where the bride and groom exchange vows. Afterwards, guests are seated at beautifully set tables on the grass for an al fresco reception. With colorful English gardens all around and the Tudor house as a backdrop, the celebration is infused with considerable old-world charm. Dancing takes place in the arbor, which is romantically lit at night by hanging period lanterns.

Ainsley House provides elegance, beauty and a taste of a time when life was more relaxed. If JC Ainsley could come back for a visit, he would be pleased to see that his home is still one of the finest in the region.

Capacity

Ceremony

Reception/Special Events

Meetings

Max. Seated Indoors: 15
Max. Seated Outdoors: 200

Max. Seated Indoors:
Max. Seated Outdoors: 200
Max. Standing Indoors:
Max. Standing Outdoors: 250

Max. Seated: 150

CEREMONY CAPACITY: The garden holds 200 seated guests. Indoors, the Parlor holds up to 15 seated and standing guests.

EVENT/RECEPTION & MEETING CAPACITY: The garden holds 200 seated or 250 standing for a cocktail reception.

Fees & Deposits

For special events, a $400 refundable security deposit and the entire rental fee are required to secure your date. For ceremonies and rehearsals, the rental fee starts at $600 for a 3-hour minimum. For a reception, the fee is $900 for a 5-hour minimum and for a ceremony and reception, the fee starts at $1,400 for a 7-hour minimum. For each additional hour, there’s a $200/hour charge. Please note, rental fees will increase in 2010.

Availability

May–October. Very small events can take place indoors; call for more information.

Catering

BYO

Alcohol

BYO

Site Uses

Ceremonies
Wedding Receptions
Special Events, Parties
Business Functions/Meetings
Rehearsal Dinners

Services/Amenities

Catering: BYO
Kitchen Facilities: no
Tables & Chairs: BYO
Linens, China, etc.: BYO
Restrooms: wheelchair accessible
Dance Floor: cement area
Bride’s Dressing Area: yes
Meeting Equipment: BYO
Parking: ample complimentary
Accommodations: no guestrooms
Telephone: emergency use only
Outdoor Night Lighting: yes
Outdoor Cooking Facilities: no
Cleanup: renter or caterer
View: English cottage garden

Amplified Music

Indoors
Outdoors
w/ Restrictions

Wheelchair Access

Wheelchair Accessible

Site Views

Garden
Landscaped Grounds

Site Type

Historic/Landmark Building
Garden
Park
Banquet Hall/Events Facility
Museum
Private Estate

Restrictions

Alcohol: BYO, champagne, wine and beer only
Smoking: restricted
Music: amplified OK, volume limits until 10pm
Wheelchair Access: yes
Insurance: not required
Other: no rice, birdseed, petals or confetti

Contact: Wedding Scheduler
408/866-2119
www.cityofcampbell.com/museum
Email or request more information for your event from Ainsley House and Gardens

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