Stratfield Saye House

Over het museum

Stratfield Saye House was built in the 1630s by Sir William Pitt on the site of an older house. His great-grandson George Pitt, 1st Baron Rivers, improved the house and park and dredged the River Loddon to form a broad water in front of the house. His son, the 2nd Lord Rivers, sold the estate to the Duke of Wellington.

The Duke approved the estate on his first visit in September 1817. He liked the park, the river, the woods and the easy access to London and Windsor, and he lived here from 1818 until his death in 1852. The architect Wyatt proposed to demolish the house and build a ducal palace, and plans were drawn up, but Wellington preferred to keep the existing house, as did his wife and children. When Queen Victoria came to stay in 1845 she described it in her journal as a low house, not very large, but warm and comfortable.

The Duke is buried in the crypt of St Paul's Cathedral, but the house still holds many of his possessions. It remains the private home of the 9th Duke of Wellington and opens to the public only on a handful of days each year. Visitors tour the house with a guide, see the Wellington Exhibition with the Duke's funeral carriage, and can walk in the grounds, which include the grave of his horse Copenhagen.

Hoogtepunten

• Guided tour of the family home of the Dukes of Wellington
• Paintings and furniture collected by the 1st Duke
• Wellington Exhibition with the Duke's funeral carriage
• Grave of Copenhagen, the Duke's horse, and Copenhagen's oak tree
• Kitchen garden and pleasure grounds

Vaste collectie

• Wellington Exhibition – A small museum in the stables shows the 1st Duke's funeral carriage and charts his military and political career.
• Guided tour of the house – A tour through the rooms of the family home, which contain paintings, furniture and possessions of the 1st Duke.

Beheerder

Wellington Estate

Toegangsprijzen & kortingen

House tour tickets must be booked in advance and include the guided tour and access to the grounds until 17:00. Weekend and public holiday prices are higher than weekday prices. Members of Historic Houses visit free according to the Historic Houses listing.

Toegankelijkheid

• Deels rolstoeltoegankelijk
• Lift: geen informatie
• 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 downstairs of the house is wheelchair friendly, and only a limited part of the tour goes upstairs. Accessible toilets, accessible parking and guide dog access are listed by Historic Houses.

Kinderen & gezin

Het museum heeft hierover geen informatie gepubliceerd.

Bereikbaarheid & parkeren

The house lies halfway between Reading and Basingstoke, just off the A33. Sat nav postcode RG7 2BZ. The what3words location is machinery.crockery.scorched.

Service & horeca

• Café
• Museumwinkel

Historic Houses lists a café or restaurant, a shop and a picnic area for the house.

Evenementen & zaalverhuur

Het museum heeft hierover geen informatie gepubliceerd.

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