Lyme Park

About the museum

Lyme passed to the Legh family in 1388 through marriage, and the family stayed there until 1946. The present house was begun in the middle of the 16th century and still has Elizabethan rooms such as the Long Gallery. In the 1720s the Venetian architect Giacomo Leoni added a new range around a courtyard and gave the building its Palladian and Baroque look. Between 1816 and 1822 Lewis Wyatt remodelled most of the interior for Thomas Legh, an explorer and collector.

The house was given to the National Trust in 1946. From 1947 until 1994 Stockport Corporation and its successor council looked after it, and the Trust then took over its management directly. The estate is the largest in Cheshire and covers about 1,400 acres of garden, woodland, moorland and deer park.

The rooms hold objects collected over six centuries, among them a rare printed missal made by William Caxton in 1487, a large collection of clocks including one from 1658, Mortlake tapestries, and Greek marble reliefs brought from Athens by Thomas Legh. The exterior became widely known as Pemberley in the 1995 BBC television version of Pride and Prejudice.

Highlights

• Sarum Missal printed by William Caxton in 1487
• Clock collection including a pendulum clock from 1658
• Cadmus tapestries in the Stag Parlour
• Greek marble reliefs in the library
• Formal gardens, moorland and a deer park
• Regency dressing-up room

Permanent exhibition

• The house and its collections – Rooms furnished over six centuries, including the Caxton missal in the library, the clock collection in the State Bedroom and the Cadmus tapestries in the Stag Parlour.

Operated by

National Trust

Admission & discounts

The prices are for the house, park and garden ticket without Gift Aid; with Gift Aid the adult ticket is £20.90. Tickets are bought at the admissions hut on arrival and cannot be booked in advance, except for groups. National Trust members enter free. Visitors who arrive by train, bus or bicycle and show a ticket or cycle helmet get free entry to the park and garden and 10% off in the cafés.

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

Accessible parking bays are in the car park and near the orangery. A step-free path leads from the car park to the north front of the house. Wheelchairs, a shuttle buggy or minibus and a mobility scooter (the Tramper) are available to borrow. There are accessible toilets and a Space to Change toilet with an adult changing bench and hoist in the garden. An induction loop and large print are available. Some paths have steps or uneven ground. Assistance dogs are welcome everywhere.

Kids & families

Great for kids & families

• Family tours & workshops
• Activity booklet, scavenger hunt or kids’ audio guide
• Hands-on stations
• Stroller-friendly
• Baby changing facilities
• Playground / play area

Families can follow trails and use activity packs, dress up in Regency costume in the house, play billiards in the Long Gallery and use the Crow Wood natural play area beside the Timber Yard. Seasonal events run in school holidays. Buggies can be parked at the house with a refundable deposit, baby slings can be borrowed from the ticket office, and baby changing facilities are in the Timber Yard and the house. A feeding room is next to the café at the house, and high chairs are available in the cafés.

Getting there & parking

The entrance is on the A6 in Disley and the sat nav postcode for the car park is SK12 2NR. From the entrance it is about 1 mile to the house; a volunteer-run free shuttle bus runs on most days from 10:30 to 16:00 and should be checked by phone on 01663 762023. The station is 0.5 mile from the entrance, and the bus stop is 0.1 mile away.

Amenities & dining

• Café
• Museum shop
• Lockers

Food is served at the Timber Yard Café, the Ale Cellar, the Servants' Hall (weekends and holidays), the House Tearoom and a refreshment kiosk. Shops are in the house and the Timber Yard, and there is a plant shop and a pre-loved bookshop. Free lockers for bulky items are at the house.

Events & venue rental

The museum hasn’t published any information on this.

Plan your visit