Lamb House

Over het museum

Lamb House stands on a cobbled street in the centre of Rye. It was built in 1723 by James Lamb, a wealthy wine merchant and local politician, and became the home of the town's mayors. In 1726 a storm drove King George I ashore at Camber, and Lamb gave up his own bed so that the king could stay in the finest room, which is still known as the King's Room.

In 1897 the American novelist Henry James took a lease on the house, seeking a quiet refuge outside London, and bought it two years later. He lived and worked there for many years and wrote some of his best-known novels in the Green Room, among them The Wings of the Dove, The Ambassadors and The Golden Bowl. The novelist E. F. Benson later lived in the house, which is now linked to his Mapp and Lucia novels, and later tenants included the author Rumer Godden. A garden room where James liked to write in summer was destroyed by a bombing raid in 1940.

The National Trust now owns the house. A three-year project that began in 2016 opened rooms that had been closed while the property was let to tenants and re-presented the stories of James and Benson. Historic panelling in the Oak Parlour and the King's Room was restored. The walled garden, one of the largest in the old town, was laid out by Alfred Parsons, a friend of James, and contains roses, herbaceous borders and a vegetable garden.

Hoogtepunten

• Green Room where Henry James wrote his major novels
• The King's Room, named after George I's stay in 1726
• Oak Parlour with restored historic panelling
• Walled garden designed by Alfred Parsons
• Links to E. F. Benson and the Mapp and Lucia stories
• Vegetable garden

Vaste collectie

• The house and its writers – Georgian rooms linked to Henry James, E. F. Benson and later tenants, including the Green Room, the King's Room and the Oak Parlour.

Beheerder

National Trust

Toegangsprijzen & kortingen

Prices for house and garden valid from 23 March 2026 without the Gift Aid donation; with Gift Aid an adult pays £11, a child £5.50, a family £27.50 and a one-adult family £16.50. Free entry for National Trust members, who scan their card at Visitor Reception. Special exhibitions are free with admission.

Toegankelijkheid

• Deels rolstoeltoegankelijk
• Lift: geen informatie
• Aangepast toilet: geen informatie
• Gehandicaptenparkeerplaats: geen informatie
• Hulphonden welkom
• Tastmodellen / voelbare objecten: geen informatie
• Rondleidingen in gebarentaal: geen informatie
• Informatie in eenvoudige taal: geen informatie
• Audiodescriptie: geen informatie

There are three steps to the entrance. The ground floor has steps and small rooms, and two flights of stairs lead to the first floor. The garden is partly accessible, with steps and uneven, narrow, loose gravel paths. Toilets are in the courtyard and on the ground floor of the house. Seating is available. There is no on-site parking. Only assistance dogs are allowed.

Kinderen & gezin

Family tickets are available. Stairs, small rooms and gravel paths can make the house and garden difficult with pushchairs.

Bereikbaarheid & parkeren

The house is on West Street in the centre of Rye.

Service & horeca

• Café: niet aanwezig
• Restaurant: niet aanwezig
• Museumwinkel: niet aanwezig

No café or shop is listed on site. Toilets are in the courtyard and on the ground floor of the house.

Evenementen & zaalverhuur

Het museum heeft hierover geen informatie gepubliceerd.

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