Upton House and Gardens

About the museum

Upton is first recorded as land granted to the canons of St Sepulchre's at Warwick in the late twelfth century. In 1483 Sir William Danvers bought it and built a stone manor house, parts of which survive in the basement of the present building. A London merchant, Sir Rushout Cullen, replaced it with a new house by 1695, and later owners added a Baroque north front and extensions, among them the Child banking family, who used it mainly as a hunting base.

In 1927 the estate was bought by Walter Samuel, 2nd Viscount Bearsted, a philanthropist and chairman of the Shell company. Over the next 21 years he remodelled the house as a comfortable weekend retreat and arranged its rooms to show his collections. The terraced gardens were laid out in the 1930s by Kathleen Lloyd Jones, with herbaceous borders, an orchard, a Mirror Pool and a woodland walk, on a slope that falls steeply into an ice age valley.

The Bearsted collection is regarded as one of the most significant assemblages of European art made in twentieth-century England. It includes paintings ranging from Bruegel, Bosch and El Greco to Hogarth and Stubbs, together with tapestries, illuminated manuscripts, oriental works of art and a fine group of eighteenth-century Sèvres and Chelsea porcelain. The house and gardens are now cared for by the National Trust.

Highlights

• Bearsted art collection with paintings by Bruegel, Bosch, El Greco, Hogarth and Stubbs
• Eighteenth-century Chelsea and Sèvres porcelain
• 1930s terraced gardens with the Mirror Pool
• Views from the South Lawn over the valley
• Woodland Walk for families
• Smartify audio tour of the collection

Permanent exhibition

• Bearsted collection of art and porcelain – Paintings from Bruegel and El Greco to Hogarth and Stubbs, with tapestries and a group of Sèvres and Chelsea porcelain, displayed in the rooms of the house.

Founded

1695

Operated by

National Trust

Admission & discounts

Prices are standard admission without Gift Aid; paying with Gift Aid adds about 10 percent (adult £19.80, child £9.90, family £49.50). National Trust members enter free. Entry to the whole property covers the house and gardens.

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 open ground-floor rooms of the house are fully accessible, with a ramped side entrance, but the garden is only partly accessible because it descends in steep terraces with stone steps, loose paths and unguarded drops. A volunteer-run covered buggy runs between reception and the house, shop and café, and indoor and outdoor wheelchairs can be borrowed (reserve in advance). There are 7 designated parking bays in the main car park and 3 close to the house, plus a drop-off point. Accessible toilets are in the courtyard by the shop and in the café; there are no visitor toilets in the house. Hearing loops are in reception, the shop and the café, and braille guides are available on request. All written interpretation is in large print. Pushchairs and large bags cannot be taken into the house but can be left in the summerhouse. Assistance dogs are welcome in all areas.

Kids & families

Great for kids & families

• Family tours & workshops
• Stroller-friendly: not available
• Baby changing facilities
• Playground / play area

Families can walk the Woodland Walk, which has logs, tunnels and tree stumps to climb, and join seasonal craft activities in school holidays, such as nature crafts for an extra £2 per child. Baby changing and feeding facilities are available. Pushchairs are not allowed inside the house, and the garden has steep drops, steps and open water, so close supervision is needed. Children under 5 on scooters or balance bikes are allowed under supervision, except in the formal gardens and Quiet Orchard.

Getting there & parking

Upton House is on the A422, 7 miles north of Banbury and 12 miles south-east of Stratford-upon-Avon, signed from exit 12 of the M40; from exit 11 follow signs for the A422 via Wroxton. Follow the brown signs to the car park entrance on the A422. Cycle parking is next to visitor reception, and a small repair kit can be borrowed.

Amenities & dining

• Café
• Museum shop

The Pavilion Café serves light lunches, snacks and drinks with indoor and outdoor seating. The shop sells gifts and gardening ranges and there is a plant centre and second-hand bookshop. Large bags, rucksacks and pushchairs can be left in the summerhouse next to the shop.

Events & venue rental

The museum hasn’t published any information on this.

Plan your visit