Great Chalfield Manor and Garden
A moated 15th-century manor house near Melksham, still a family home, with an Arts and Crafts garden and a parish church, owned by the National Trust.
Have only individual sections read aloud
About the museum
The core of Great Chalfield Manor was built between 1467 and 1480 by Thomas Tropnell, a self-made lawyer, politician and merchant who worked for the Hungerford family and came through the Wars of the Roses unscathed. He probably built on the site of an older house, using stone from a quarry at nearby Hazelbury. The house was first protected by a moat and a high outer wall with semicircular bastions, and its entrance front survives as built, with a high-roofed Great Hall at the centre. The hall has a coffered ceiling with painted timbers and plasterwork that is thought to be the earliest known decorative plasterwork in England.
The manor passed through many owners, among them the Eyre family, the Earls and Dukes of Kingston-upon-Hull and the cloth merchant Robert Neale, who bought it in 1769. In the early 20th century Robert and Mabel Fuller restored and furnished it; their architect, Sir Harold Brakspear, worked from Gothic Revival drawings. In 1907 Fuller asked the painter and garden designer Alfred Parsons to lay out the garden in the Arts and Crafts style, with deep flower borders around a medieval lawn, paired yews that have grown into a clipped “house“, stone terraces and a spring-fed fishpond.
The Fuller family gave the manor and garden to the National Trust in 1943 with an endowment and their furniture. The house is still lived in by the donor family, who look after it for the Trust, and the neighbouring All Saints parish church can also be visited.
Highlights
- Moated manor house of the 1470s with a plasterwork ceiling in the Great Hall
- Arts and Crafts garden by Alfred Parsons with topiary houses and a rose garden
- Guided tours of the house, still a family home
- Spring-fed fishpond and lily pond
- Neighbouring All Saints parish church
Permanent exhibitions
- Great Chalfield Manor – A guided tour of the 15th-century manor, which is still a family home, showing the Great Hall with its plasterwork ceiling and period furnishings.
- Arts and Crafts garden – Gardens laid out by Alfred Parsons with terraces, topiary houses, a gazebo, a lily pond, roses and views across the fishpond.
- Operated by
- National Trust
Admission & discounts
| Adults | £15 |
|---|---|
| Children & teens | £7.50free up to age 4 · Child ticket for ages 5 to 17; manor and garden. |
| Groups | £14.20 per personGroup adult price for manor and garden; group child price £7.10. |
| Families | £37.50Manor and garden for up to two adults and three children; one adult with up to three children costs £22.50. |
| Garden only, adult | £11 |
| Garden only, child (5–17) | £5.50 |
| Garden only, family | £27.50Up to two adults and three children; one adult with up to three children costs £16.50. |
Prices are for adults aged 18 and over without Gift Aid and are shown for manor and garden unless stated. National Trust members enter free.
Accessibility
- Partially wheelchair accessible
- Elevator: no information
- Accessible restroom
- Accessible parking
- Service dogs welcome
- Tactile models & exhibits: no information
- Sign language tours: no information
- Easy-to-read materials: no information
- Audio description: no information
Entry to the Hall is by steps, with a ramp available, and some paths are uneven. There is designated mobility parking and a drop-off point, an accessible toilet, seating and an induction loop. A National Trust access statement and an AccessAble guide are published. Only assistance dogs are allowed.
Kids & families
| Kids’ admission | free up to age 4 |
|---|---|
| Family ticket | £37.50 · Manor and garden for up to two adults and three children; one adult with up to three children costs £22.50. |
Family tickets are available for up to two adults and three children.
Getting there & parking
By public transit
The nearest railway station is Bradford-on-Avon, 3 miles away, and a bus runs from Bradford-on-Avon to Holt. Walkers can take a 1-mile public footpath from The Courts Garden at Holt. The property is on National Cycle Network route 254 and the Wiltshire Cycleway.
By car
Free parking
Free parking on the grass verge outside the manor gates, about 100 yards from the house.
- Accessible parking
From the B3107 go via Broughton Gifford Common and follow the signs to Broughton Gifford and the Bell Inn along a narrow lane. Sat nav postcode SN12 8NH.
Get directionsAmenities & dining
A self-service honesty box offers tea, coffee and biscuits in the Edwardian Motor House and the Coach House, paid for in cash; it is not a National Trust food outlet. Toilets are on site.
Events & venue rental
The museum hasn’t published any information on this.
Plan your visit
| Guided tours | yes · approx. 45 min |
|---|---|
| Good to know | The manor is shown on guided tours only. The neighbouring parish church, which is not owned by the National Trust, can also be visited, and donations are welcome. |
