Clandon Park

Grand 18th-century Palladian mansion with marble entrance hall, superb porcelain collection and unique Maori Meeting House

Clandon Park, one of the country’s most complete examples of a Palladian mansion, was built by Venetian architect Giacomo Leoni for the 2nd Lord Onslow in the 1720s. The magnificent interiors remain faithful to the period featuring original plaster ceilings by Giuseppe Artari, the most impressive of which is in the breathtaking Marble Hall.

Since Sir Richard Onslow acquired it in 1641, the estate has been passed down through generations of Onslows. The family is unique in providing three Speakers of the House of Commons including Arthur Onslow, The Great Speaker. These achievements are celebrated in the Speakers’ Parlour.

Today the house at Clandon Park contains a superb collection of 18th-century furniture, porcelain and textiles, much of which was acquired by the remarkable connoisseur, Mrs Gubbay.

While the wider parkland is still in the hands of the Onslow family, the mansion and seven acres of intimate gardens were given to the National Trust in 1956. The gardens are home to a small parterre, the walled Dutch Garden and Hinemihi, a Maori meeting house brought back from New Zealand by the 4th Earl in 1892.