Thatched Cottage at Claremont Landscape Garden

Playing outside the Thatched Cottage at Claremont Landscape Garden, Surrey

The Thatched Cottage is a fun place to explore all year round. Discover games from the past, transform yourself with our selection of dressing-up clothes and travel back in time.

Playtime from the past

Discover a hut full of fun and games with a Georgian or Victorian twist.
 
Enjoy traditional entertainment such as playing cards and Happy Families and play with wooden toys including hobby horses, yo-yos, hula hoops and swords. Who will you be when you travel back in time with our collection of dressing up clothes?
 
We open the cottage most days until an hour before closing time. It may be closed for one of our special occasions, such as our craft workshops or when Father Christmas comes to visit.
 
Time travel with toys and games in our Thatched Cottage
A child playing with wooden toys in Claremont Landscape Garden in Surrey
Time travel with toys and games in our Thatched Cottage

Georgian gaming

The cottage was always a spot to relax, but thankfully the games have changed a little since Georgian times. Instead of cock-fighting and gambling we now have more child-friendly entertainment.
 
Stroll past the inspiring views of our lake and turf amphitheatre and through the trees to this small Victorian building in a hidden glade. Here you and your family can play a friendly game of dominoes, Hazard, a popular ancient English dice game, and Shut the Box, an educational game of change.
 

Pretend picnics

The food in our baskets may be made of wood, but that doesn't mean you can't enjoy a lovely picnic outside the cottage. We've provided several blankets decorated with famous faces from Claremont's past, including the Duke of Newcastle and Princess Victoria.