West Wycombe Park

About the museum

West Wycombe Park has been the home of the Dashwood family for more than 300 years. Francis and Samuel Dashwood, merchants trading through the East India Company, bought the estate in 1698, and Francis replaced the old manor with a modest house. His son, Sir Francis Dashwood, 2nd Baronet, inherited it in 1724 and from about 1735 turned it into one of the most theatrical country houses in England.

Dashwood had toured Italy, Greece and Asia Minor, and was a founder of the Society of the Dilettanti, which promoted the study of classical art. He employed the architects Nicholas Revett and John Donowell to remodel the house in the Palladian style. The west portico is an early example of Greek Revival architecture. The interiors have painted ceilings and walls, some copied from Italian frescoes, and the parkland holds a lake, a cascade and several temples. Dashwood also founded a society of the kind later called a Hellfire Club, and he built the family mausoleum and caves in the nearby hill.

The 10th Baronet, Sir John Dashwood, gave the house and estate to the National Trust in 1943; the Trust used the house as its wartime headquarters. Eight rooms can be seen today, with family portraits, tapestries, furniture and sculpture from the Dashwood collection. The house and park are often used for film and television, including Downton Abbey and Bridgerton, and the National Trust also cares for the village and West Wycombe Hill.

Highlights

• Eight decorated state rooms, including the Music Room and the Blue Drawing Room
• Painted ceilings copied from works by Raphael and Carracci
• 18th-century landscape park with lake, cascade and classical temples
• Dashwood family portraits, tapestries and furniture
• Historic village and hill with views over the Chilterns

Permanent exhibition

• The house and its eight rooms – Eight rooms in Baroque, Rococo and classical styles, with painted ceilings, marble walls, family portraits, tapestries and furniture.

Operated by

National Trust

Admission & discounts

Prices for the 2026 season (whole property: house, park and gardens), shown without the optional Gift Aid donation; with Gift Aid the adult ticket is £13.20 and the child ticket £6.60. National Trust members enter free. The village and the hill can be visited without a ticket.

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

There is ramped access to the ground floor of the house. The park has a steep hill and uneven surfaces, while the village pavements are flat. An accessible single toilet is in the visitor car park; toilets at the house are down a small flight of steps. A small number of accessible parking spaces are outside the house; ask staff on arrival. Induction loops are available at the kiosk and in the house, and amplifying headphones can be used on house tours. Two manual wheelchairs can be borrowed for house tours (advance booking advised). Assistance dogs are welcome in the park and house.

Kids & families

Great for kids & families

• Activity booklet, scavenger hunt or kids’ audio guide

A free family trail explores the outdoor features of the park, including a hidden cave and a lake with swans. Family tickets are available.

Getting there & parking

The village lies 2 miles west of High Wycombe on both sides of the A40, and the entrance to the park is at the west end of the village, south of the A40. Sat nav postcode HP14 3AJ. A circular walk links West Wycombe, Bradenham and Hughenden Manor.

Amenities & dining

• Café: not available
• Restaurant: not available

There is no National Trust café on site. The independent Walled Garden Café is off site, and there are other cafés and pubs in the village. Only assistance dogs are allowed.

Events & venue rental

The museum hasn’t published any information on this.

Plan your visit