Discover the house at Polesden Lacey

The house the Grevilles bought in 1906 was practically a new building. They employed Mewès and Davis, the architects of the Ritz hotel, to help transform the interiors of their new party house. From the stunning décor in the gold Saloon to state-of-the-art conveniences, no expense was spared. One thing's for sure - Mrs Greville wanted her house to impress.

The gold saloon at Polesden Lacey
A clump of daffodils in shade

Coronavirus update

Polesden Lacey is currently closed, to further restrict the spread of coronavirus. This includes the house, gardens, toilets, cafes, shops and car parks. Please check back on our website for updates, or follow us on social media. You'll find us on Facebook and Twitter @PolesdenLaceyNT

" I want a room I can entertain Maharajas in."
- Margaret Greville

What you can see on your visit

The Dining Room at Polesden Lacey with table set, pictures and plants

Discover the house 

Explore the house at your own pace or join one of our guided tours. We keep as many rooms as open as possible, staffed by our fantastic volunteer room guides who can share more detail about the history of the house and collections.

Scaffolding in the Central Hall at Polesden Lacey

Resting rooms and caring for the collection 

The house team carry out conservation work year-round to look after the house and its collection of over 9,000 items. As part of the conservation work, we sometimes have to close rooms to ‘rest’ them.

One of the conservation volunteers stripping varnish in one of the showrooms at Polesden Lacey.

Plans for the future 

As you can imagine, there have been many changes in the seventy two years since Polesden Lacey first opened its doors to visitors. There's more to come, too.

The collection

A segment from a maiolica plate depicting two men talking in front of a temple.

Visit our collections website 

To find out more about our clocks, and other items in our extensive collection, check out the National Trust collections website.

Kangxi biscuit teapot moulded to resemble bamboo canes and painted with birds and flowers.

Staff and volunteer favourites 

Mrs Greville had eclectic taste. The collection at Polesden Lacey includes Dutch Old Master paintings, fine silverware, majolica and ceramics. Here are some pieces to look out for as you explore the house - our staff and volunteers favourites.

Conservation in the house

A view of the Gold Room at Polesden Lacey with the piano in the foreground

Conserving our Steinway Piano 

After a successful fundraising campaign, the Steinway piano at Polesden Lacey has been conserved and will soon take pride of place back in the Gold Saloon. Thank you for your support in helping us conserve the piano for future generations to enjoy.

A close up of a gilt mantel clock at Polesden Lacey

Wind up Wednesday - Polesden Lacey house blog 

In this month's house blog, Sharon explains how she keeps Polesden's collection of clocks running to time.

A volunteer cleans a silver teapot

Join the team at Polesden Lacey 

Making new friends, working in an amazing place and knowing that you're helping a great cause - three fabulous reasons to volunteer at Polesden Lacey.