Discover the house at Polesden Lacey

Polesden Lacey, the weekend party house of Edwardian socialite Margaret Greville, was designed to impress. From the stunning décor in the gold Saloon to state-of-the-art conveniences, such as Mrs Greville's personal lift, no expense was spared when Ritz architects Mewès and Davies renovated the house ready for Mrs Greville's first house party in 1909.

The Study at Polesden Lacey, nr Dorking, Surrey

What you can see on your visit

A man reads a room guide in the house at Polesden Lacey

Rooms you can visit today 

We can only open some of the rooms in the house at Polesden Lacey. Some rooms are still being renovated; we also have to rest rooms at times. Read on to find out which rooms you can see today.

The Dining Room in late Neo-classical style and hung with crimson silk brocade at Polesden Lacey

Resting the rooms 

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.

Mrs Greville's Butlers including Mr Bole, centre, who features in the new exhibition, Polesden Voices

Visit the new exhibition, Polesden Voices 

Hear stories of the men and women who made their lives at Polesden Lacey echoing through the halls in our new, interactive exhibition. We use new research and reminiscences to tell the stories of the men and women who lived here in times gone by. 9 Sep - 3 Nov.

Conservation in the house

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

Restoring our Steinway Piano 

The Steinway piano in the Saloon is part of the life and soul of Polesden, enjoyed by many thousands of visitors each year and played by fabulous volunteer pianists. We’re raising money to restore it to it's former glory.

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.

Our favourites - by Polesden Lacey staff and volunteers

A bust-length portrait of a young woman with red hair. On the reverse is a portrait of a saint.

The mystery of the Unknown Woman

"In the house, there's a painting of an unknown lady, who isn't the greatest beauty but hides an intriguing secret, which I really enjoy. Apparently, on the reverse of the painting is a portrait of a saint. Perhaps this enabled the owner to turn the picture around and hide the lady very easily.. I'd love to know their story! I always mention this to visitors, if I'm on duty near the West Corridor" Penny, House Tour Guide

The servants call board at Polesden Lacey

The Servants' Call Board

"Not objects of great beauty perhaps; but I love the Servants' Call Boards dotted around the house at Polesden Lacey. I imagine house maids and valets chatting downstairs, hearing the alarm and jumping up to see who would need to dash upstairs and be of service." Cate, member of staff.

Part of an image of a boy with a sheep. The boy is wearing a dress and has his hand on a sheep which is cropped out of the image.

The boy with a sheep

"All children of this age wore skirts, a boy is indicated by the wearing of a sash with gold medal under the arm, as shown in this portrait. I am very much in a minority liking this painting, which can be found in the library. I look at his little chubby face and wonder who he was and what became of him." Gillian, House Tour Guide. The painting is attributed to Cesar van Everdingen (1606-1679) or Aelbert Cuyp (1620-1690).