Polesden Lacey

About the museum

Polesden Lacey stands on the North Downs near Great Bookham in Surrey. A house has stood here since the Middle Ages. The present building grew from a Regency villa that the architect Thomas Cubitt built for Joseph Bonsor in the early 1820s, and it was extended in the early 1900s before it passed to its best-known owner.

In 1906 the house was bought for Margaret Greville, the daughter of the Scottish brewer William McEwan and a leading society hostess of the Edwardian age. The architects Charles Mewès and Arthur Davis, who had just worked on the Ritz Hotel in London, remodelled the interiors with lavish reception rooms. Mrs Greville filled them with fine French furniture, Dutch and British paintings, Italian maiolica, porcelain and silver, and held celebrated house parties here. The future George VI and Queen Elizabeth spent part of their honeymoon at the house in 1923.

Margaret Greville died in 1942 and left Polesden Lacey with its collections to the National Trust. Today visitors can see the furnished showrooms, the walled rose garden, the double borders and the surrounding estate. In 2026 only the ground floor of the house is open, while the upper floor is closed for preparation of new displays.

Highlights

• The Gold Saloon and other lavish Edwardian reception rooms
• Margaret Greville's collection of paintings, porcelain, silver and French furniture
• The walled rose garden and double herbaceous borders
• Views over the Surrey Hills and the wider estate
• Kestrel Corner natural play area

Permanent exhibition

• Margaret Greville's house and collection – The ground-floor showrooms hold Mrs Greville's collection of paintings, ceramics and fine French furniture in rooms arranged for Edwardian entertaining.

Operated by

National Trust

Admission & discounts

Prices are standard admission without Gift Aid (admission from 1 March 2026). With Gift Aid the tickets cost £19.80 (adult), £9.90 (child), £49.50 (family) and £29.70 (one adult with two children). No booking is needed. Entry is free for National Trust members, who must show their own physical membership card. Parking is free for members and costs £5 per day for non-members.

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

The ground floor of the house is accessible by wheelchair, with a ramped route to the house and a slope on the main approach. The pleasure grounds, rose garden and old kitchen garden have uneven paths and scattered steps, which are marked on the maps. Accessible routes run through the formal gardens and pleasure grounds. Outdoor wheelchairs can be borrowed from visitor reception (booking ahead is advised), and mobility scooters are available if booked in advance. A volunteer-led accessible bus runs on some days and should be confirmed by phone. Accessible toilets are in the main block and next to the cafe, where one has an adult-sized height-adjustable changing table. Induction loops are at the coffee shop, cafe, shop and reception. A Braille guide to the gardens, estate and house is available. Blue Badge parking and a drop-off point are near the car park. Assistance dogs are allowed in the formal gardens, house, cafe and second-hand bookshop.

Kids & families

Great for kids & families

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

Kestrel Corner is a natural play area made from estate timber, with swings, tunnels and giant nests. A free family map and seasonal children's trails are offered, and there are story and craft mornings for pre-schoolers; some trails cost extra. Baby changing facilities are in the main toilet block and the cafe toilets.

Getting there & parking

From junction 9 of the M25 follow the A243, then the A24 and A246 and watch for the brown sign in Great Bookham. The National Trust recommends the satnav postcode KT23 4PZ instead of the address postcode. The North Downs Way passes within three quarters of a mile.

Amenities & dining

• Café
• Museum shop

The cafe in the Stable Courtyard serves hot and cold food, cakes and cream teas, with indoor and outdoor seating. There is also a coffee shop by the car park, the Beech Hut kiosk in the pleasure grounds (opening varies), a gift shop and a volunteer-run second-hand bookshop. Well-behaved dogs on leads are welcome in selected areas of the grounds. Ten electric vehicle charging points are in the car park.

Events & venue rental

The museum hasn’t published any information on this.

Plan your visit