National Trust in London

[midnightmoon8]

Hello, I'd be grateful for recommendations for a National Trust house and/or garden to visit in London this summer. We will be 2 adults visiting on a mid-week day for a 50th birthday day out and although we're National Trust members have never visited any in London … would like to make a full day of it so don't want to go anywhere small that only takes a brief time to walk around. Any suggestions please?

Have you not thought to look in your handbook?

We don't have a handbook yet as we only joined 2 days ago and it hasn't arrived yet. Will certainly read it when it arrives but am keen to hear suggestions from folk who have knowledge of London National Trust houses/gardens and can recommend.

Look at the NT website it has all the properties.

When you say London, are you willing to travel out? Most of the central places are smaller in terms of grounds etc. The bigger places seem to be more out towards M25 I think. I may be wrong though.

Not really sure if it is 'London' enough for you - although NT include it in their London section, but Ham House is lovely, and the gardens are beautiful. It's right on the River Thames, so you can walk along the river path as well.
Ham House
Depends what you count as London, and where abouts you are coming from.

I don’t think there are many National Trust sites in London... the big sites are Royal Palaces ( like Hampton court etc) I’ve been to Sutten House in East London which is nice but only a couple hours visit.

And Ham House Richmond is nice too, Richmond is lovely generally

I think the National Trust doesn’t have a lot of sites in central London. As PP mentioned, many of the big stately home type places are part of Historic Royal Palaces and I don’t think your NT membership gives you access to those.

For a slightly leftfield idea there is 2 Willow Road, the 1930s home built by modernist architect Ernö Goldfinger for his family. I love it but it’s not your typical NT property and it doesn’t have any grounds. However it is very close to lovely Hampstead Heath if you wanted to combine it with some outdoor explorations. In Hampstead Heath there’s also Kenwood House which is English Heritage but free entry iirc. And Hampstead is a lovely area to just walk around anyway.
The NT also has a free app which might be useful while you’re waiting for your handbook.

Ham House definitely. Tube to Richmond then walk to it along the river. Proper NT country house experience. Or failing that Fenton House in Hampstead.

www.nationaltrust.org.uk/london

Another - fun - way to get to Ham House (in the Summer) is take the mainline train to Twickenham, walk down to the river and through York House Gardens and then Orleans Gardens until you get to Hammertons Ferry (a small passenger ferry).

Hammertons Ferry (video)

Hammertons Ferry (website) www.hammertonsferry.com. It's not open all year round, so the info on that website dates from March last year. I think it's open mainly from the late Spring to the early Autumn. If you do decide to use the ferry, wear some sensible footwear! In that video clip you can see the river is quite high, where the foot passengers are waiting, so they only have to step onto the boat - but if the river is low, then you have to walk down some rather wet steps!! There is a solid pier on the other side though.

There's also a nice pub, The White Swan www.whiteswantwickenham.co.uk/#home-section on the walk between York House Gardens and Orleans Gardens should you need to stop for food (good) and a drink!

Osterely Park House in zone 4, ten minutes walk from Osterely tube station - one of the biggest NT houses in the South East, certainly the biggest in the London region.

We love it. Its an amazing oasis in south west London. One minute you are walking through SW London urban/suburban houses then bam! through the gates into a country estate, cows, horses, farm shop. Lots of parkland then the gardens at the back.

Took us an hour and a half to walk round the gardens, very wild, woodland as well as formal area. Woodland childrens play area too. Sat in deck chairs and lazed. Tea room and shop etc. The house is Robert Adam and gorgeous, but check website as different parts are open at different times, though the main fancy bit is always open.

We live not that far away and I'm ashamed to say we lived with 5 miles for over ten years without really knowing it was there. Don't know how/why, its quite significant.

Sorry, typo there, its spelt Osterley. I noticed a few weeks ago they also have bike hire now (bike trail around the open public part which is big) though not used that yet but last year took my grandparents and they had free mobility scooter hire too.

There's also Morden Hall Park

www.nationaltrust.org.uk/morden-hall-park

but that is gardens, not a house. Very pretty, but might be worth saving for when there's an event on

Wow, thanks all - some great ideas there. Really appreciate your replies :-)