The house and collection

Picture Gallery and Knole sofa at Upton House and Gardens

We are delighted to be able to open a large part of the house for visitors to enjoy once more. Staff and volunteers will be on hand to advise you of the best route and which areas are open to enjoy.

Upton House and Gardens, the country house and weekend retreat, where 2nd Viscount Bearsted, Walter Samuel, created one of the finest art collections in twentieth-century England.

Immerse yourself in a remarkable range of world-class paintings, from Stubbs and Hogarth to Bosch and El Greco.  See how Lord Bearsted furnished every spare inch with his pictures and eighteenth-century English and French porcelain.  

Outdoors you can stroll through Lady Bearsted’s gardens, designed by the pioneering Kitty Lloyd Jones, and find your own sense of leisure, peace and beauty that we continue to nurture.

" Heavens, the contents! … Some marvellous Chelsea china of the very best quality.  The picture collection superb, as fine as any private collection in England."
- James Lees-Milne, visiting Upton House for the National Trust in 1946
Close view of Chelsea Porcelain figures of Apollo and two of the Muses, c1765
Three ornate detailed porcelain statues with high status Greek clothing
Close view of Chelsea Porcelain figures of Apollo and two of the Muses, c1765
Stroll the stunning gardens landscaped by Lady Bearsted's pioneering garden designer, Kitty Lloyd-Jones
Visitors enjoying summer day at Upton
Stroll the stunning gardens landscaped by Lady Bearsted's pioneering garden designer, Kitty Lloyd-Jones

Beauty and pleasure

Upton House and Gardens was the beloved country home of the Jewish philanthropist, collector and Chairman of Shell, Walter Samuel, 2nd Viscount Bearsted, and his family. Remodelled in the 1930s as a weekend retreat, with its modern comforts, gardens and outstanding collections of paintings and porcelain, Upton was about beauty and pleasure.

"[Lord] and Lady B. both charming, with the unassuming manners of the well-bred." - James Lees-Milne
Old Photograph of Lord and Lady Bearsted
"[Lord] and Lady B. both charming, with the unassuming manners of the well-bred." - James Lees-Milne

An elusive, private man but one of great generosity, Lord Bearsted’s concern for people and the world around them is reflected at Upton in his choice of paintings.  Guests of Lord and Lady Bearsted, visiting Upton, were struck by the combination of warmth and charm they encountered in their hosts and which they felt in the house itself. 

The grandfather of satire: 'Morning' by William Hogarth (1697-1764) from his 'Four Times of Day' series
Morning by William Hogarth at Upton House and Gardens
The grandfather of satire: 'Morning' by William Hogarth (1697-1764) from his 'Four Times of Day' series
" Every possible provision shall be made to safeguard the Bearsted collection."
- 2nd Viscount Bearsted, 1948

Changing worlds

By the end of his life the world had changed immensely.  Lord Bearsted wanted the collections and gardens he and Lady Bearsted lovingly created to be kept together for future generations to ‘love, appreciate and respect’, so he gave them and Upton House to the National Trust.

Our world has changed greatly again since 1948. We see Upton and the collections through eyes shaped by new technologies, new fashions and cultures.

 

125 Treasures 

From mid-September until the end of November (included as part of standard admission). Monday-Sunday, 11:00am-3pm until 31 October; from 1-28 November Friday-Monday, 12:30pm-3:30pm.  

visitors to Upton House will see on display the 4 objects that feature in a new book highlighting 125 remarkable objects from the National Trust collections:

Hans Holbein the Younger, A Young Man with a Pink
Pieter Janszoon Saenredam, The Interior of the Church of St Catherine, Utrecht, c. 1600
Sir Henry Raeburn, The Macdonald Children, c. 1800
Figure group L’Agréable Leçon (The Agreeable Lesson), Chelsea Porcelain Factory, London, c. 1765

Visitors will see each of the 3 paintings illustrated with their own interpretation panel.  The Chelsea sculpture group will be the focus of a special display (in the Sitting Room), the first of its kind for this porcelain treasure. 


This display is subject to availability – depending on volunteer numbers, it may not always be possible to open all the rooms in the house, where these items are on display.
 

Come to Upton ready to be curious and open to new stories, and leave planning your next visit.

Please note - Upton houses an important collection of art and porcelain and it isn't possible to have all items on display permanently. To find out if a particular room or work is currently on display, on loan or in storage please contact us before travelling.