Osterley Park and House

Over het museum

Osterley began in the 1570s as a brick manor house built for the banker Sir Thomas Gresham, founder of the Royal Exchange. Parts of his stable block still stand. In the early 18th century the estate came to Sir Francis Child, founder of Child's Bank, and his family owned it for generations.

In 1761 the Child brothers hired the Scottish architect Robert Adam to remodel the house. Work continued for Robert Child, who commissioned the interiors that made the house famous. The result is an almost square building with corner turrets and a columned screen that opens onto the courtyard. Adam designed rooms with rich colours and coordinated furnishings, among them the entrance hall, the Etruscan dressing room and a domed state bed, which is still in the house. The writer Horace Walpole called the drawing room fit for Eve before the Fall.

Through marriage the estate later passed to the Villiers family, who became the Earls of Jersey. They opened Osterley to the public in 1939, and the National Trust has cared for the house and park since 1991. Today visitors see Adam's showrooms and the story of life above and below stairs, the walled and 18th-century-style gardens and a large park that is rare so close to central London.

Hoogtepunten

• Robert Adam interiors, including the entrance hall and the Etruscan dressing room
• The domed state bed designed by Adam
• Tudor stable block from the 1570s with café, shop and second-hand bookshop
• Restored formal gardens with the Garden House of 1780
• Large parkland with a lake, in Greater London

Vaste collectie

• The Robert Adam interiors of Osterley House – The showrooms remodelled by Robert Adam for the Child family, including the entrance hall, the Etruscan dressing room and the state bed, with rooms open subject to season and volunteer availability.

Opgericht

1761

Beheerder

National Trust

Bezoekers per jaar

ca. 350.000

Toegangsprijzen & kortingen

House and garden tickets apply from Wednesday to Sunday and on Bank Holiday Mondays; garden-only tickets apply on Mondays and Tuesdays when the house is closed. Prices shown are without Gift Aid (adult £19.80 with Gift Aid). National Trust members enter free, and RHS and Art Fund cards are accepted. There is no pre-booking: collect a ticket from the garden kiosk beside the house. Car parking costs £7 and is free for members.

Toegankelijkheid

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

The showrooms inside the house are reached by a staircase with shallow steps and there is no lift; a video tour of the principal rooms is available. Gardens are mostly level but some paths are gravel or cobbles. Wheelchairs can be borrowed for the house, and an all-terrain wheelchair, powered mobility vehicles and a Tramper are available for the gardens (book by phone or email). A volunteer buggy service runs from the car park to the house and stables, depending on volunteer availability. Blue Badge parking is in the car park, and drop-off is at the top of the main drive. An accessible toilet is in the toilet block, with induction loops in the shop, café, garden kiosk and bookshop. A braille guide and a large-print guide to the rooms are available on request. Assistance dogs are welcome in the house, gardens and parkland.

Kinderen & gezin

Erg geschikt voor kinderen & gezinnen

• Gezinsrondleidingen & workshops
• Verschoonruimte

The estate offers family-friendly activities and seasonal trails with interactive games, plus space to run and play. Baby changing is in the toilet block, and bikes can be hired for children and adults.

Bereikbaarheid & parkeren

The main gates are at the junction of Thornbury Road and Jersey Road, on the A4 between Hammersmith and Hounslow. For satellite navigation use Jersey Road and the postcode TW7 4RD. Extensive cycle parking is in the stables courtyard.

Service & horeca

• Café
• Museumwinkel

The Stables Café in the courtyard serves hot food from 12:00 to 15:00. There is a shop, a plant shop, a volunteer-run second-hand bookshop, a seasonal kiosk, an ice cream parlour and a weekend pizza pod. Only assistance dogs are allowed in the house; dogs on leads are welcome in the café area and parkland. Toilets with baby changing are near the Stables Courtyard.

Evenementen & zaalverhuur

Celebration photography and group visits can be booked.

Je bezoek plannen