Things to see & do
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The house and rooms
The house and rooms
The house was built in 1756, replacing a Tudor house on this estate and was designed in the Palladian tradition.
Inside, the rooms on show are beautifully restored and richly furnished, eclectic with a family feel.
Robert Adam's original marble chimneypieces and ornate plasterwork ceilings survive.
Find out more about Robert Adam
© Matt Batchelor
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The Cobbe Collection
The Cobbe Collection
This collection forms one of the largest groups of instruments connected with great composers to be seen anywhere in the world.
The collection is kept largely in playing condition, examples of many can be heard on the house audioguide.
Concerts are held throughout the spring, summer and autumn seasons.
© Cobbe Collection Trust
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The Cobbe family's paintings
The Cobbe family's paintings
The collection of paintings that hang throughout the house was started by Archbishop Cobbe and added to during the 20th century by Alec Cobbe.
The saloon contains examples of Italian Baroque painting including Guercino's masterpiece (pictured) whilst the famous portrait of Shakespeare hangs in the library.
Take a closer look at the Shakespeare portrait
© John Challis
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Parkland and woodland
Parkland and woodland
Hatchlands Park is, at 400 acres, one of the largest country estates close to Greater London.
To help you explore there are six clearly marked walks taking in woodland, parkland and wildflower meadows.
See a brand new carpet of bluebells each spring or 400 year old oak trees all year round.
© James Duffy
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Flora and fauna
Flora and fauna
Hatchlands is a haven for wildlife. You’ll see wild flowers including several orchids and ponds that are home to fish and wildfowl.
Birds include buzzards and woodpeckers with owls nesting in the woodland.
Roe deer are often spotted and there’s a thriving insect and bat community, topped off by our cattle herd.
© Matt Batchelor
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Natural adventure area
Natural adventure area
New for 2012 - Wizard Wix’s Willow Warren!
It’s a natural adventure area featuring hand crafted willow tunnels, domes, sculptures and even a totem pole, where kids can run off some energy.
There’s a bird feeding station to attract the local wildlife and some handy picnic benches for mums and dads.© Matt Batchelor
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The temple and icehouse
The temple and icehouse
On the lawn, close to the Gertrude Jekyll garden you can find the classical stone temple at the centre of what was once a rose garden.
If you continue on around the shady dell you’ll get a real taste of Georgian living by way of an 18th-century icehouse built into the hillside.
Learn more about the temple & icehouse
© Leigh Clapp
The house and rooms
The Cobbe Collection
The Cobbe family's paintings
Parkland and woodland
Flora and fauna
Natural adventure area
The temple and icehouseWhat's on
Whether you want to be indoors or out, with parkland, paintings or pianos there are events here for the whole family to get involved in.
For a closer look at what’s coming up in 2012 head to our events page.
Take a two-minute tour
Watch a two-minute video for a quick tour around our house, garden and park.
There are 16 things that you can tick off your list while visiting us
50 things to do before you’re 11 ¾
We’ve put together a list of 50 of the best outdoor activities you can do before you’re 11 ¾. Up for the challenge? Then drop in to see us and start ticking things off your list. Take a look at the 16 awesome activities available here then head to the 50 Things website to sign up.
Plan your visit
If you'd like to plan your visit in advance, download our welcome leaflet.
It features a map of the grounds showing landmarks and walking routes. And it also covers some of the history behind this charming house.
Audio guides
Our audio guides will explain the history of the house as well as letting you hear most of the musical instruments being played.
The basic guide lasts around 45 minutes and is available for £2 from the house entrance.
National collections
Take a look at our collections website and discover the national inventory of collections at all our places.
Choose from fine art and furnishings in grand show rooms to many rarely seen items from behind closed doors.