Hatchlands Park

About the museum

Hatchlands Park near East Clandon in Surrey belonged to Chertsey Abbey in the Middle Ages. Admiral Edward Boscawen bought the estate in 1750 and had the house built, with interiors by Robert Adam. The Adam rooms were among his earliest country house commissions, and their plasterwork and fireplaces use naval and seafaring motifs in honour of the admiral. In the 1770s the estate passed to the Sumner family, who commissioned Humphry Repton to reshape the park.

Lord Rendel bought Hatchlands in 1888 and made extensive changes, including a Music Room by Reginald Blomfield and a parterre garden by Gertrude Jekyll. His grandson, the architect Harry Stuart Goodhart-Rendel, inherited it in 1913 and gave the estate to the National Trust in 1945.

Today the house is rented by the Cobbe family, whose collection of more than 40 keyboard instruments once owned or played by famous composers furnishes it, together with Old Master paintings. Instruments are kept in playing condition and are used in concerts. Visitors can see six restored ground-floor rooms, and the surrounding parkland of more than 400 acres is open year-round.

Highlights

• Robert Adam's early interiors, including the Saloon, Library and Staircase Hall
• Cobbe Collection of more than 40 keyboard instruments linked to famous composers
• Marie Antoinette's pianoforte and Chopin's Broadwood piano
• Parkland of more than 400 acres, partly landscaped by Humphry Repton
• Natural adventure area and children's trails in the grounds

Permanent exhibitions

• Robert Adam interiors – Six restored ground-floor rooms with Robert Adam's early plasterwork ceilings and fireplaces, including the Saloon, Library and Staircase Hall.
• The Cobbe Collection – More than 40 keyboard instruments owned or played by famous composers, shown in the house together with Old Master paintings.

Operated by

National Trust

Admission & discounts

A single admission ticket covers the whole site (house and parkland). The prices are without Gift Aid; with Gift Aid an adult costs 15.40 pounds, a child 7.70 pounds, a family 38.50 pounds and a single-parent family 23.10 pounds. Admission is free for National Trust members. There is no charge for parking.

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

Eight accessible spaces are in the visitor car park near visitor reception, and a staff-driven buggy runs from the car park to the house and courtyard. There is a ramp to the entrance of the house, and one accessible toilet in the cobbled courtyard. Wheelchairs, an all-terrain push wheelchair and Tramper powered mobility vehicles can be borrowed free of charge (book ahead or ask at visitor reception). Induction loops are available at visitor reception and in the Kitchen Cafe, which has level access. The parkland is partly accessible with some uneven terrain, and hard-surfaced routes are available. Only assistance dogs are allowed in the house, the formal gardens and the children's adventure area; well-behaved dogs are welcome in designated parkland areas and on leads in the cafes.

Kids & families

Great for kids & families

• Family tours & workshops
• Activity booklet, scavenger hunt or kids’ audio guide
• Baby changing facilities
• Playground / play area

Seasonal family trails run in the parkland and are free after admission, and a free family map is available at visitor reception. Wizard Wix's Willow Warren in Great Wix Wood is a natural adventure area with balance beams, a tree house, a bug burrow and den building, and an early years play area is next to the donkeys' stable block. Baby changing is in the male, female and accessible toilets in the cobbled courtyard, and high chairs are available on request in both cafes. Not all paths are hard-surfaced, so visitors with buggies can ask at visitor reception for the best routes.

Getting there & parking

The house is on the A246 Epsom Road, about 4.5 miles from Guildford town centre. Follow the brown signs to the visitor car park; the satnav postcode may lead to the delivery entrance, so use National Trust Hatchlands Park or the what3words address dinner.shins.phones. The A246 is a busy road without formal crossings by the entrance.

Amenities & dining

• Café
• Museum shop

The Kitchen Cafe serves drinks, hot and cold meals, children's lunches and cakes, with high chairs and accessible crockery and cutlery. The Engine Room second-hand bookshop is in the cobbled courtyard. Six electric vehicle charging points are in the main car park.

Events & venue rental

The museum hasn’t published any information on this.

Plan your visit