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Lyveden
Leicestershire & NorthamptonshireIntriguing Elizabethan lodge and moated garden
Lyveden, near Oundle, Northamptonshire, PE8 5AT
M T W T F S S Open
Closed
Opening times for 16 September 2026
Asset Opening time Lyveden 10:00 - 17:00 Lyveden manor café 10:00 - 16:30 Last entry 1 hour before closing.
Whole Property
Ticket type With Gift Aid Without Gift Aid Adult (18+) £13.20 £12.00 Child (5-17) under 5s free £6.60 £6.00 Family (2 Adults and up to 3 children) £33.00 £30.00 Family One Adult £19.80 £18.00 Group (Adult 18+) £10.80 Group (Child 5-17) £5.40 Become a member and discover more than 500 places
- Audio guide
- Café
- Car park
- Dogs allowed
- Toilet
Accessible parking: 100 yards. Partly accessible grounds, grass and uneven paths, limited benches around the site. Accessible toilet located at the manor. Designated accessible parking available close to visitor reception. Limited availability of mobility scooter hire.
- Accessible route and/or map
- Accessible toilet
- Braille (guide or menu)
Braille guide available from Visitor Reception
- Designated parking
- Induction loop
- Level access to food outlet
- Powered mobility vehicle available
- Ramped access/slopes
- Seating available
- Steps/uneven terrain
Uneven grass paths throughout the site
- Wheelchairs available
Powered mobility vehicle and manual wheelchair available for visitors
- By road
- off A6116. From Oundle take A427Parking: free, 100 yards
- On foot
- Lyveden Way passes though Lyveden and connects with Wadenhoe and Fermyn Woods
- By train
- Kettering 10 miles
- By bus
- from Northampton train station to Peterborough train station
- Cycling
Planning your visit
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Accessibility at Lyveden
This guide provides detailed information to help you plan your visit and make the most of your time at Lyveden.
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Visiting Lyveden with your dog
Lyveden is a three pawprint rated place. Dogs kept on short leads are welcome throughout the garden at Lyveden and Manor. Share your day with your dog as you explore woodland and the Northamptonshire countryside together.
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Highlights
Lyveden manor
Step inside the manor to discover Lyveden's intriguing story in the red room. Enjoy our current art exhibition 'Places That Connect Us' in the 'Common Room' then head to our new cosy book shop to see if you can find something that excites you.
Garden lodge
Lyveden's unfinished Elizabethan lodge is filled with symbolism that only Tresham's Catholic contemporaries would have understood.
Elizabethan garden
A rare Elizabethan relic and one of the country’s oldest garden landscapes. Complete with terraces, spiral mounts, moats and orchard.
Lyveden manor café
Light lunches, sandwiches, drinks and homemade cakes are available in the café. There is seating both inside and outside. Dogs are welcome.
Meadows
The garden and lodge are surrounded by restored hay meadows. Providing food and shelter to pollinating insects, birds and small mammals.
Second-hand bookshop
Lovingly curated by our volunteers, you're bound to find your next page-turner nestled on the shelves of our second-hand bookshop.
Spotlight events
Snifftember at Lyveden
Snifftember is back with a new Snap and Stamp trail, agility course and the return of the Pooch Passport, helping dogs and their owners make the most of walkies season.
Heritage Open Day - Lyveden Harvest Market
Celebrate the harvest season at Lyveden on 19 and 20 September, featuring local producers, apple pressing demonstrations and activities for all ages, with free entry all weekend as part of Heritage Open Days.
Things to see and do
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Things to do at Lyveden manor
With a manor house to see, plan your visit here, with historical talks, information on the garden design and our temporary exhibition space there's plenty to see and do.
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Family-friendly things to do at Lyveden
From making friends with a bug to adventures in the great outdoors, there's something for everyone at Lyveden.
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Exploring the grounds at Lyveden
With a garden to explore, seasonal highlights to discover and an audio guide to learn the story of Tresham’s unfinished house, there’s lots to do at Lyveden.
Eating
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Eating and drinking at Lyveden
The café in the Grade I-listed manor serves a range of hot and cold drinks, light meals, snacks and cakes to keep you refreshed during your visit. Take a seat indoors or enjoy your cuppa in the outdoor seating area.
Upcoming events
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Decoding the Treshams: Lives Through Letters
Explore the remarkable survival of the Tresham family letters in this exhibition upstairs in the manor
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Clay Café at Lyveden
Discover the calming, creative joy of working with clay in our cosy café. No experience or artistic skills necessary.
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Heritage Open Day - Lyveden Harvest Market
Join us for a harvest-themed weekend celebrating local food, drink and craft producers. Apple pressing demonstrations in the orchard. Heritage apples for sale. Fun activities for all ages and free entry all weekend as part of Heritage Open Days.
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Tour with 'Sir Thomas'
Follow in the footsteps of Thomas Tresham with this interactive walking tour.
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Guided watercolour workshop with Something Less Boring
Dive into the vibrant world of watercolours with this workshop from Something Less Boring
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Monthly Guided Walk at Lyveden
Join our Guided Walk leaders for a monthly social walk, beginning at Lyveden and then heading off into the beautiful Northamptonshire countryside.
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Foraging Workshop
Discover seasonal wild foods and learn to forage safely while still leaving plenty of Mother Earth's bounty for nature.
About Lyveden
Set in the heart of rural Northamptonshire, Lyveden is a remarkable survivor of the Elizabethan age.
Begun by Sir Thomas Tresham to symbolise his Catholic faith, Lyveden remains incomplete and virtually unaltered since work stopped on his death in 1605.
There are tranquil moats, viewing terraces and an Elizabethan orchard to explore, as well as an enigmatic garden lodge covered in religious symbols. The full extent of Sir Thomas's symbolic design remains unexplained to this day.
Our audio guide describes Sir Thomas’s dream and how it all ended in a nightmare for the Tresham family with their involvement in the Gunpowder Plot.
Lyveden is also the perfect starting point to explore the Lyveden Way, a circular path through beautiful meadows, woodland and villages.
History
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History of Lyveden
Discover how religious persecution, treason and debt stopped Tresham’s vision from being fulfilled and why Lyveden stands as a reminder of his act of quiet and creative rebellion.
Our work
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Our work at Lyveden
Find out more about our work at Lyveden, from restoring lost areas of the garden to using archaeology to reveal Lyveden’s secrets.
Support us
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Volunteer opportunities at Lyveden
Find out more about volunteering at Lyveden. By joining the team, you'll help bring to life the stories of this intriguing Elizabethan lodge.
