The Homewood

About the museum

The Homewood is an early 20th-century country villa and a masterpiece of Modernist design, set in a picturesque woodland garden near Esher in Surrey. The architect Patrick Gwynne designed it for his family, his father, mother, sister and himself, and it was completed in the early summer of 1938. Gwynne lived in the house for the rest of his life, keeping it fashionably up to date until his death in 2003. His friend, the architect Sir Denys Lasdun, called it the great love of Patrick's life.

The design puts a Modernist idea of living into every detail. Visitors enter through a front door framed by square glass blocks, pass the study that Gwynne first designed for his father and later used as his own office, and climb a spiral staircase lit from below. Upstairs, rooms include his compact bedroom and a powder room created for his sister. The living room, with its sprung maple dancing floor and fold-out bar, was built as a place for parties, and a folding screen opens onto the dining area.

The six-acre garden was shaped by Gwynne as a woodland garden within Esher Common, with a series of smaller gardens that contrast in colour and seasonal interest, such as a grey and yellow garden and a secret blue and white garden. The house is now cared for by the National Trust and can only be visited on pre-booked guided tours from April to October; at other times it remains a private home.

Highlights

• Modernist villa of 1938 designed by Patrick Gwynne for his family
• Spiral staircase, sprung maple dancing floor and fold-out bar in the living room
• Gwynne's study and his compact bedroom
• Six-acre woodland garden with small themed gardens
• Guided tours only, from April to October

Permanent exhibition

• The Homewood house and garden – A guided tour through the preserved rooms of Patrick Gwynne's Modernist villa, including his study, spiral staircase, bedroom and living room, followed by the woodland garden.

Operated by

National Trust

Admission & discounts

Prices are for the whole property from 1 March 2026 and are listed without Gift Aid. Tour tickets must be booked online in advance. A voucher for 25 per cent off in the Gardener's Bothy cafe at Claremont Landscape Garden comes with the visit.

Accessibility

• Wheelchair accessible: not available
• Elevator: not available
• Accessible restroom: no information
• Accessible parking: no information
• Service dogs welcome
• Tactile models & exhibits: no information
• Sign language tours: no information
• Easy-to-read materials: no information
• Audio description: no information

Most show rooms are on the first floor, which is reached only by a wide spiral staircase of 17 steps. The front door has a low step up of 80 mm. Powered mobility scooters and wheelchairs are unsuitable because of limited space and the lack of paths in the garden, which is mown grass with brick steps without handrails and a low bridge over the stream. There are no toilets at The Homewood; accessible toilets with baby changing are at Claremont Landscape Garden. Only assistance dogs are welcome. Benches and seats are on the patio.

Kids & families

Child tickets cover ages 5 to 17 and under 5s are free. Baby changing is available at Claremont Landscape Garden, not at the house.

Getting there & parking

The house is on the west side of the A307 Portsmouth Road, about one and a half miles outside Esher towards Cobham, with no brown tourist signs and no access from the A3. The drive is narrow with a 5 mph speed limit. Bicycle racks are at Claremont Landscape Garden, about a 10-minute walk away.

Amenities & dining

• Café: not available
• Restaurant: not available
• Museum shop: not available

There are no facilities at The Homewood. Toilets, refreshments and a guidebook are at nearby Claremont Landscape Garden, half a mile away. Mobile phone reception at the house can be patchy.

Events & venue rental

The museum hasn’t published any information on this.

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