Hinton Ampner

About the museum

Hinton Ampner is a country estate near Alresford in Hampshire. A large Tudor manor house stood here from the 1540s. The estate passed by marriage to the Stawell family in 1719, who pulled down the old house, and a replacement of 1793 was extensively remodelled in 1867. From 1803 the estate belonged to the Dutton family.

Ralph Dutton, later 8th Baron Sherborne, inherited the estate in 1935. He disliked the Victorian interiors and between 1936 and 1939 had the house remodelled in a neo-Georgian style, aiming to create the feel of a late eighteenth-century country house. During the Second World War the house sheltered schoolgirls from Portsmouth. A fire in April 1960 damaged almost every room, and the rebuilding, completed in 1963, restored the Georgian proportions. Dutton filled the house with fine furniture, ceramics and paintings, collecting especially English furniture of the early eighteenth century.

He also redesigned the garden from about 1930, with a series of formal terraces, a lily pond and borders known for roses, and views across the South Downs. A walled garden of Tudor origin, about one and a half acres, grows fruit, vegetables and cut flowers. Dutton had no children and left the estate to the National Trust when he died in 1985.

Highlights

• Neo-Georgian house with Ralph Dutton’s collections of furniture, ceramics and paintings
• Formal garden terraces with roses, a lily pond and views across the South Downs
• Walled garden of Tudor origin with fruit, vegetables and cut flowers
• Parkland and estate walks, with the South Downs Way nearby
• Café in the Old Stables, second-hand bookshop and free garden guide tours

Permanent exhibitions

• The house – The neo-Georgian rooms rebuilt after the 1960 fire, furnished with Ralph Dutton’s collection of furniture, ceramics and paintings.
• Garden and walled garden – Formal terraces, rose borders and a lily pond, and a walled garden of Tudor origin growing fruit, vegetables and cut flowers.

Operated by

National Trust

Admission & discounts

The prices are for house and garden in the peak season (21 March to 1 November 2026 and 14 November 2026 to 3 January 2027) without Gift Aid; paying with Gift Aid adds about 10 per cent as an optional donation. In the off-peak period (2 to 13 November) house and garden cost £16 for an adult, £8 for a child and £40 for a family, and garden only £11, £5.50 and £27.50. Entry is free for National Trust members.

Accessibility

• Partially wheelchair accessible
• Elevator: no information
• Accessible restroom
• Accessible parking
• Service dogs welcome
• Tactile models & exhibits
• Sign language tours: no information
• Easy-to-read materials: no information
• Audio description: no information

The visitor reception has ramp access, and the house is entered by a ramp at a separate side entrance; the shop has level access and one café entrance has a ramp. An accessible toilet with baby changing is in the courtyard to the right of the house. Six manual wheelchairs can be borrowed, and booking is advised at busy times. An induction loop is at the reception desk, and a braille house guidebook and braille visitor map, a large-print map and a visual story are available. Designated parking is in the main car park, with a drop-off point at the visitor welcome building. Only assistance dogs are allowed in the house and café.

Kids & families

Great for kids & families

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

There is plenty of space in the parkland to run around, family events take place throughout the year and a family map can be downloaded. Baby changing is in the main toilets.

Getting there & parking

The house is on the A272, 1 mile west of Bramdean and 8 miles east of Winchester; leave the M3 at junction 9 and follow signs to Petersfield. For satnav use SO24 0NH, the postcode of the Hinton Arms pub 20 metres west of the main gates. Cycle racks are at the visitor reception, and the property is close to National Cycle Network route 23 and the South Downs Way.

Amenities & dining

• Café
• Museum shop

The café is in the Old Stables with indoor and outdoor seating, and a seasonal kiosk sells drinks and ice cream. There is a shop, a second-hand bookshop and a large garden plant sales area, and picnic benches in the parkland and near the car park.

Events & venue rental

The museum hasn’t published any information on this.

Plan your visit