Dyrham Park
Architectural BuildingsGardens
10:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Monday
10:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Tuesday
10:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Wednesday
10:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Thursday
10:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Friday
10:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Saturday
10:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Sunday
10:00 AM - 5:00 PM
About
Dyrham Park is home to a 17th-century house and formal garden set in ancient parkland. In 2015/16, the house underwent a huge conservation project to replace the leaking roof and install a biomass boiler. The house and garden are now in a state of transformation and include new tours, areas and exhibitions.
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  • Gregory K
    2 contributions
    4.0 of 5 bubbles
    Remains of the Day and more
    First, pay no attention to the negative reviews posted which over exaggerated the walking required and were less than accurate about the house itself. The setting is grand when the house, recognized as the fictional home of “Lord Darlington” in Remains of the Day and now Sanditon on Masterpiece. The walk down from the parking is about 10 minutes and it will be strenuous coming back uphill. We caught the mobility shuttle to avoid the walk and save time. The house is largely original with wood paneling and a beautiful representation of furnishings. It’s a preservation, not a restoration. You have access to both floors, gardens out back and a chapel; and more grounds to walk and explore. Very easy to find from the highway toward Bristol. Worth the trip. Paid parking at National Trust sights seems excessive and unnecessary though, at least with a paid admission.
    Visited April 2023
    Traveled as a couple
    Written April 30, 2023
  • John A
    Brentwood, United Kingdom416 contributions
    4.0 of 5 bubbles
    A really wet day visit
    We called in on a long drive between Essex and South Wales and got a really warm welcome despite the continuous rain. We walked down to the house from the car park - it does take the 15 mins they said and is quite steep down on the way there. We had a nice pasty and sausage roll in the tea room (they were surprised at how many people were there on a grotty day). We were lazy and got the mobility bus back up to the top to avoid getting any wetter and the staff were very friendly. We will call in next time we are passing and hopefully when the sun is shining!
    Visited July 2023
    Traveled as a couple
    Written July 14, 2023
  • Christine K
    Barnsley, United Kingdom836 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    Well worth a visit
    Devoured here on the way home to Yorkshire from Devon. Well worth the stop, even though we were delayed by traffic and only had a couple of hours. There are lots of rooms open, more than at most NT places. Room guides are very friendly and knowledgeable. The gardens are not extensive but there are some lovely blooms, a nice big pond and you can walk round the wider park, which unfortunately we didn't have time to do. There is a church but we felt the way to it was quite difficult to spot, but well worth it. The only drawback is thatthisplace had one of the longest walks ever from the car patk to the house. It took us a good ten minutes and we are used to walking. Luckily we were able to get the transport back to the car park as time was running out. This is good for people who are less able, as it was quite uphill
    Visited July 2023
    Traveled as a couple
    Written July 17, 2023
  • MH C
    3 contributions
    3.0 of 5 bubbles
    Sadly underwhelmed
    Have to say was underwhelmed by our visit to Durham Park. The NT has clearly spent a lot on restoring the house but the result is soulless and sterile. The old kitchen and dairy – which could provide a fascinating insight into 18th century life below stairs – are just dispiriting spaces with a couple of props left around. The gardens are nice but the cafe was overcrowded and understocked. No scones or sandwiches due to "delivery problems" and a huge queue tailing round the building. The deer herd has been culled (but you still can't take your dog) and the sweeping grounds up to the car entrance, which could be breathtaking, look a touch neglected. Sorry!
    Visited July 2023
    Traveled with friends
    Written July 21, 2023
  • wheelchairmike
    Bristol, United Kingdom279 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    A good day out
    The number of rooms open to the public has increased recently and the lighting and presentation of the rooms has been upgraded. This has radically improved the experience. All the volunteer room interpreters are very knowledgeable and enthusiastic and this has made the tour round the house much more enjoyable. On the day we visited there was a volunteer playing the harpsichord which gave a great ambience in the hall. I am in a wheelchair and so entered the house by a level entry route but we were then quickly helped to join the normal route round the house. There is no lift so I had to stay downstairs whilst my wife did the upstairs tour. However, one of the volunteers went to considerable lengths to find the the iPad tour round the upstairs for me to watch. Nothing was too much trouble for her. Parking and reception are at the top of the grounds. There is plenty of accessible and other parking. There are 270 acres of grounds to explore but most of these cannot be accessed in a manual wheelchair. The house is at the bottom of a steep hill and there is a small electric shuttle bus. Walking down is possible and we have done it before but the journey up is best by bus and the shuttle can only take one wheelchair so expect delays in the summer and other busy times. We visited in the morning before it got too busy. The shuttle can take 6 passengers and a wheelchair. The restaurant by the house is well staffed and they work well to keep the queue to a minimum. If you can avoid the normal key lunch time period you will be able to walk straight in. The food is the standard range of offerings that seem to be available at all National trust properties these days unfortunately. I had an excellent jacket potato with lots of filling and side salad. However, I thought over £5 for a sausage roll and nothing else was a bit of a cheek. The shop, second hand book shop and garden centre had some interesting offerings and again the staff are excellent. Some of the formal gardens are accessible and the gardeners paid and volunteers are to be congratulated on how well they maintain the grounds.
    Visited July 2023
    Written July 24, 2023
  • GlobetrottingViking
    Thatcham, United Kingdom2,735 contributions
    4.0 of 5 bubbles
    History and Beauty
    Dyrham Park is in many ways similar to other National Trust properties, and well worth visiting. We would recommend taking a few minutes to view the video as you enter the house. Be aware that there is a steep downhill lane leading down from the car park to the house and main gardens, and it was a bit of a struggle walking up that hill on the way back to the car. But there is a buggy which can transport those with mobility problems. The gardens are also lovely and the ponds and water garden add to the experience. Nearby is a church which does not belong to National Trust but can easily be accessed from the park.
    Visited August 2023
    Traveled as a couple
    Written August 12, 2023
  • Shelagh
    164 contributions
    4.0 of 5 bubbles
    Perfect picnic spot
    Set in lovely grounds there’s plenty of room for younger children to run around. There’s also a picnic area next to a playground and cafe so no worries about them getting bored! Quite a walk from car park to house but there is a minibus shuttle for anyone with mobility issues. The house itself isn’t very remarkable but there are pretty gardens and a little church which is quaint.
    Visited August 2023
    Traveled with family
    Written August 27, 2023
  • Peter V
    1 contribution
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    This house and gardens made our day!
    We were pleasantly surprised by the quality of this house and grounds and friendliness of the staff. Peter at the reception desk was highly helpful and informative. At the house itself, the army of volunteers did a great job to explain and pointing out hidden treasures (like the huge massive brass locks on doors of the room used as an office). This was a great experience!
    Visited August 2023
    Traveled as a couple
    Written August 29, 2023
  • Aysia Stephens
    Bristol, United Kingdom87 contributions
    4.0 of 5 bubbles
    Friendly volunteers
    Easy to locate and ample parking on site. (Free entry fee and parking for members) Great place to explore! Lots of green space and safe walking gravel and grass paths, both up and downhill. Toilets nicely dotted around, picnic and cafe area. Children’s playground area is a nice feature here. The historic house / building is well maintained and friendly knowledgeable volunteers were there when my family attended. The gift shop and the book store were a delight. Lovely scenery at this site - would definitely return for the walking path and the house tour. I really like the atmosphere/ set up in the bedroom.
    Visited September 2023
    Traveled with family
    Written September 3, 2023
  • Deryck G
    6 contributions
    4.0 of 5 bubbles
    Excellent Experience
    We have been to a lot of National Trust Properties and this is one of the best. Be warned, the property is quite a distance from the car park down quite a steep slope. Buggies are provided for those with disabilities and very young children to make it accessible to all. The house itself has an intersting story to tell about a little known man who played an large part in our history. Well worth a visit whether you are in the NT or not.
    Visited September 2023
    Traveled as a couple
    Written September 8, 2023
These reviews are the subjective opinion of Tripadvisor members and not of TripAdvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.

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Cathey P
suffolk161 contributions
3.0 of 5 bubbles
Mar 2024 • Family
I still don’t understand why dogs are not allowed in the Park. You culled the deer three years ago due to TB so the Park is empty of livestock . The house lacks interesting artefacts and information. There were a few paintings we’d have liked information on and at £19 a head we shouldn’t have to buy a guide to know what was going on in the house. We found it underwhelming compared with other properties we’ve visited.
Written March 16, 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

the_lucy_show
Southampton, UK94 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Feb 2024 • Couples
First visit to Dyrham Park and it was great. The house is incredibly opulent, if you’re just into spectacular interiors you’ll be well served. We’d never heard of the owner William Blathwayt before and the house is also used very well to reveal the story of Blathwayt’s rise from clerk to a powerful, influential career, close to the King. We learned loads about the 17th/18th century and Britain’s colonialist history. In the orangery, period prints helped us to under the sheer scale and splendour of the estate at Blathwayt’s time. The storytelling is particularly imaginative (clever, engaging cartoon-like audiovisuals; blue and white china in the Dutch style - but look closer and the decorations are texts explaining the decor of the dining room…) Helpful volunteers in every room. Spacious tea room, with bright young staff working hard to keep up with a Half Term crowd. It’s one of the few NT sites that doesn’t allow dogs at all - and it’s a fair walk from car park to house so if you’re leaving doggo in the car, allow plenty of time.
Written February 18, 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

B D
Bristol, UK21 contributions
4.0 of 5 bubbles
Feb 2024 • Family
A nice pleasant walk in and around the country house. The elite really did live extravagantly, from leather on the wall to four poster beds and acres of garden space.

This place is great for the family, there is a mobility bus which takes you from the car park to the estate and runs every 15 mins I believe.

Plenty of friendly volunteers on hand to help you with any questions and curiosity.

Would recommend
Written February 16, 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

alyshia h
1 contribution
1.0 of 5 bubbles
Feb 2024 • Family
There were some amazing views as you walk around, the shop staff were so friendly and helpful, however our day was completely ruined by the staff within the house and rude they were. One member of staff without even introducing herself as staff started having a go at us and telling us we had come in the wrong way. As staff you would at the very least expect politeness and an explanation but instead we were faced with rude bluntness. Went around to the "main entrance" which is at the very back of the building and entered only to be faced with another rude member of staff. One of us was holding a drink upon entry and rather than being told sorry you can't bring drinks in, it was Have you finished that? Can you go back outside until it's finished?. There is definately something to be desired when it comes to the manners of the house staff.
Written February 11, 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Carol B
Birmingham, UK6,062 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Jan 2024 • Couples
Monday 29th January 2024, My husband and I came to visit Dyrham Park. The last time my husband and I came to Dryham Park was over thirty years ago, so things looked a little different on arrival. Since we last came they have cut down some woodland to make a large visitor car park (you parked by the house when we went) and you have a long walk down a hill to the house. For the less mobile there is a bus which brings you back up the hill, which my husband and I took advantage of.

There has been a history of occupation at Dyrham Park since ancient times, and the house and park you see today is centred around William Blathwayt in the late 17th century.

People have occupied the site of Dyrham Park since the Bronze Age, with worked flints and the remains of barrows found nearby. Adjacent to the parkland is Hinton Hill Iron Age hill fort and within the gardens of Dyrham Park had been found Romano-British pottery and building debris.

In 1686 during marriage negotiations William Blathwayt remarked on the necessity of building a new house. Dyrham Park today is very much his creation.

The first works started in 1691 with the digging of a canal for the new elaborate gardens, which involved the leading designer and plantsman George London and Henry Wise. Mary Wynter died the same year and never saw the transformation of her ancestral estate.

Construction started on the west front of the house the following January under little-known Huguenot architect Samuel Hauduroy. In 1700 Blathwayt stepped up his ambitions with a new east front by William Talman, Comptroller of the Royal Works.

The house William Blathwayt created embodied his professional standing. As the leading colonial administrator of his age, his North American colleagues willing sourced luxury walnut and cedar timber to construct the stairs and panelling.

As Secretary at War to William III, his travels and connections in Europe enabled the purchase of Carrara marble tiles and luxurious silk fabrics, some of which were Indian textiles imported through the Dutch East India Company.

The decoration of the house was substantially shaped by William Blathwayt’s purchase of his Uncle Thomas Povey’s art and book collections. Povey raised Blathwayt as his own son and set him off on a career in government and colonial administration. Through Povey important paintings by Samuel Van Hoofstraten and Bartolome Murill arrived at Dyrham.

My husband and I spent the day here wandering round the many rooms in the house, exploring the servant’s quarters and kitchens. We visited ‘The Orangery’, which had lemon and orange trees growing along with grapevines. We strolled around the gardens looking at the wonderful cascades and spring flowers. I even found inspiration here as I wrote a poem called ‘An Important Person of The Day’.

In The Courtyard Cafe we had refreshments after walking round. We both had a nice hot chocolate, which is always lovely on a cold day. My husband had a slice of fruit cake and I had a nice piece of Rocky Road cake.

We then visited the Gift Shop, they had some nice gifts, but we did not purchase anything and then we took the bus back to the car park after a really lovely day out.
Written February 6, 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Thomas Buckland
Gloucester, UK17 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Feb 2024 • Couples
We really enjoyed our visit to the park and a walk around the house it was a bit foggy on Saturday but we enjoyed it all the same 👍
Written February 6, 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Andrew H
Bristol, UK22 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Dec 2023 • Couples
We decided to go to Dyrham Park on the last Saturday before Christmas, was good to see many others taking advantage of the dry weather and enjoying walking around the park.
We took the road down to the house and decided refreshment was the first course of action so partook in a chai steamer and a coconut chocolate the house was only open on the bottom floor but this was good with varied Christmas verses in each room to add to the spirit of the time.
Walked back around the garden to the church and offered a prayer for the year and the future-we continue to live and survive.
Popped in the shop and my wife was able to get some reduced decorations-will go on the tree in 2024.
Finally took the walk back up the main drive and got into the car refreshed from our visit
Written January 2, 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Trek796903
2 contributions
1.0 of 5 bubbles
Nov 2023 • Solo
I tried to visit the park with my dog only to find dogs are not welcome in the park anywhere at any time. So, if you treat your dog as part of your family, no I do not recommend a visit to this park.
Written November 26, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Billythefish1
Southport, UK1,425 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Nov 2023 • Couples
The grounds and the house are magnificent. A long walk 10 minutes downhill, a small bus is available for the trips both ways, brings you past the grounds to start the visit. The gardens have been replaced to their part original look. The house is great and lots of interesting information on the owner and builder, it was created in the 17th century by William Blathwayt.
Written November 19, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

MikeyG53
Emersons Green, UK3,998 contributions
4.0 of 5 bubbles
Sep 2023 • Couples
This is a National Trust property we often visit: purely on the basis that it is the nearest NT property to our home in East Bristol. This property offers reasonable walks with some glorious commanding views out to the south and west. Then there is the house itself, which has recently been “Rework’d”; at a cost of some £10million.

Our visit today was just an opportunity to take a mid-afternoon walk, we hadn’t planned a visit the house; that will await another visit sometime in the near future. If we had to pay an admittance fee (currently £17 per adult) we would have definitely arrived earlier and then stayed longer. Being NT Members, however, means we can afford to be selective about what we do, and how long we commit to our visits.

The carpark was moderately full, but we managed to find a space without parking in the overflow carpark. The walk was in dry but quite blustery conditions; it wasn’t cold, but we were glad of our coats. Recent wet weather made some of the paths muddy in places.

From the carpark we walked north and then west around the perimeter path to reach the boundary escarpment. Walking south, we then reached the viewing point that looks mostly south and west over the north-side of Bristol towards the Bristol Channel. The two bridges that carry the M4 and M49 over to South Wales were clearly visible.

We then descended from the escarpment down to the top of the terraces and the zig-zag path thought mostly woodland. At the bottom the formal gardens and the lake are always worth a walk around, and so we did that too. The display of Snapdragons provided plenty of colour in the formal gardens.

We then repaired to the café for some coffee, which we drank outside in one of the two walled courtyards to the south of the café. From there we took a quick look around the shop. The coffee was good reward for our walk and set-us-up well for the climb-up the access road back to the carpark. Incidentally there is a (free) mobility bus service up and down from the carpark to/from the front of the house. Our visit today was about 90 minutes long and we enjoyed the change of scene, and the exercise.
Written October 21, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

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DYRHAM PARK: All You Need to Know BEFORE You Go (with Photos)

Frequently Asked Questions about Dyrham Park

Dyrham Park is open:
  • Sun - Sat 10:00 AM - 5:00 PM