Charlecote - A Victorian home

Discover more about the Lucy family home. Explore the rooms in the centre of the house which are open to the public and discover the Victorian interiors created by George Hammond Lucy and his wife Mary Elizabeth. Come and chat to our friendly room guides or join a tour depending on when you visit.

The house is open from 11am-3.30pm. On busy days, entry to the house may be by timed ticket.  Tickets are limited and not bookable in advance, even for groups.

You will need a sticker from Visitor Reception to come into the house, including free-flow days.

Wednesdays

Out of school holidays, the house is open for free half-hour guided tours only. Collect a tour ticket on your way in through Visitor Reception. 

During Warwickshire school holidays, just the ground-floor rooms of the house are open by timed ticket - no tours - 11am-3.30pm. (New for 2018, not in handbook).

Tickets for tours and timed entry are all limited and not bookable in advance.

Grand designs in Tudor style

Enter the house through the porch built to impress Elizabeth I when she visited, and begin your visit in the Great Hall surrounded by 400 years of Lucy family portraits. 

Now find out how the Lucy family lived in Victorian times as you wander at your own pace through the Drawing Room, Library, Billiard Room and Dining Room - all with stories to tell. Make your way upstairs to see the Ebony Bedroom and Orange Bedroom.

Chat to our friendly room guides about the artefacts you see - many of the objects were brought back from the Lucys' European spending spree of the 1840s.

Mary Elizabeth and George Hammond Lucy wanted to make Victorian Charlecote conform to their fashionable idea of ‘Merrie England’ in the reign of ‘Good Queen Bess’. They spared no expense and spent lavishly on items from the Fonthill Abbey sale of items from the dissolute William Beckford.

If you'd like to know more about the paintings and artefacts that you see in the house, why not explore the National Trust Collections site?

New for 2018

Our commemoration of the Lucy family's involvement in the First World war continues in the house and outbuildings. 

For children

Our room guides will help children find all the Cuddly Critters hidden around the house if you can’t spot them all. Follow our children's trail around the house and discover some fascinating facts.

Please note: Buggies and rucksacks don't mix with fragile artefacts and you will be asked to leave these in the porch (limited space on busy days). Hip slings available to borrow.

Constant conservation

We'll never run out of conservation work! Whatever you find us working on when you visit, do stop and chat to discover more.

Still the Lucy family home

 Our visitors sometimes wonder why it’s not possible to see the whole house. This is because the Lucy family still live here in one wing. Many of the items you see are kindly loaned to the National Trust by the family.

Part of the upper floor is also taken up with our self-catering holiday flat, The Turret.  Formerly the servants’ quarters, this is now a delightful place to stay, with glorious views of the Warwickshire countryside.

Learn about the Library

We have one of the best libraries in the National Trust's care and the best way to find out more about some of our precious books is to come along to one of our Book Talks.

Listen to one of our volunteer experts followed by an exclusive presentation of some of our literary treasures. All talks take place 1.30pm-3.00pm and must be booked in advance (£15 per person, normal admission applies to non-NT members). 01789 470277.

The books in our historic library are prone to mould and damp, due to the house's proximity to the river.

We use the funds raised by our second-hand bookshop to help with repairs and conservation work on the books in our library. If you have any second-hand books to donate, please bring them along and leave them with our friendly Visitor Reception team.