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Godolphin
An ancient and atmospheric estate with a medieval garden and historic house
Godolphin Cross, Helston, Cornwall, TR13 9RE
Important notice
We are excited to welcome you to celebrate Heritage Open Days with us. Please note that Godolphin House is only open from Saturday 7th - Thursday 12th September from 10.30am. Final entry to the house is at 4pm.
Opening times for 10 September 2024
Asset Opening time House 10:30 - 17:00 Estate Dawn - Dusk Garden 10:00 - 17:00 Tea-room 10:00 - 16:30 Outbuildings 10:00 - 17:00 MTWTFSS262728293031123456789101112131415161718192021222324252627282930123456OpenPartially openClosedGodolphin
Ticket type Gift aid Standard Adult £13.20 £12.00 Child £6.60 £6.00 Family £33.00 £30.00 1 adult family (3 children) £19.80 £18.00 Become a member and discover more than 500 places
Bookshop
Second hand bookshop - generally open from 10-4, but we may not have volunteer cover some days, so if you particularly want to visit the bookshop please call ahead to check.
Guided tour
Guided tours available on select days. Please call ahead for further information.
Car park
Please use What3Words to locate to Godolphin carpark: quit.warms.casually. We have three carparks on site, including an accessible car park. Please note the car park payment meters are cash only. Up to1 hour parking is £1.50, up to 2 hours parking is £2.50 and all day parking is £5.
Tea-room
The Piggery tea-room offers a range of hot and cold drinks, cakes and light lunches. There are children's and vegan options available.
Dogs allowed
Dogs (on short leads) are welcome everywhere within Godolphin’s garden and outbuildings, including the tea-room. Assistance dogs only inside the house and King's Room. Dogs under close control are also welcome on the wider estate.
Toilet
Toilets available in the Piggery and listed loos near the orchard. Accessible toilet available in the Piggery.
Uneven terrain with some steep slopes and steps. Accessible parking and drop-off point available. Powered mobility vehicle (Tramper) available to hire. Accessible toilet in Piggery tea-room. Also BSL tours on tablet, easy-read guide, large print guide and visual story available.
Accessible route and/or map
Photograph album
Available in the Piggery tea-room and King's Room.
Accessible toilet
Located in the Piggery tea-room.
Powered mobility vehicle available
An electric mobility Tramper is available to hire with pre-booking essential via e-mail (godolphin@nationaltrust.org.uk).
Designated parking
Accessible parking available.
Ramped access/slopes
There is ramped access to the orchard and to the courtyard.
Drop-off point
Seating available
Induction loop
Induction loops at till points in welcome hut and Piggery. Induction loop facility also available for guided tours.
Steps/uneven terrain
The terrain at Godolphin is uneven and sloping in places.
Large print (guide or menu)
Virtual tour
British Sign Language Tours on tablet available to hire from the welcome hut.
Level access to food outlet
Wheelchairs available
All terrain wheelchair available to hire from the welcome hut.
Narrow corridors
In the House when open.
By road
Please note that many SatNavs do not accurately locate Godolphin. We recommend using What3Words (///quit.warms.casually) and following signs to Godolphin. From Helston take A394 to Sithney Common, turn right onto B3302 to Leedstown, turn left, follow signs. From Hayle B3302 to Leedstown, turn right, follow signs. From West, B3280 through Goldsithney, turn right at Townshend. Please follow signs for the car park. We recommend using What3Words to locate Godolphin: ///quit.warms.casually
Parking: Up to 1 hour parking is £1.50 per vehicle, up to 2 hours parking is £2.50 per vehicle, and all day parking charge is £5 per vehicle. National Trust members and blue badge holders park for free.
Sat Nav: Please note that many SatNavs do not accurately locate Godolphin. We recommend using What3Words (///quit.warms.casually) and following signs to Godolphin.
By train
Hayle 5 miles, Camborne 9 miles, Penzance 9.6 miles.
By bus
Bus No 39 Helston to Camborne via Sithney, Townshend and Leedstown, Bus No 39A Penzance to Camborne via Leedstown, then Bus No 39 from Townshend
By bicycle
Planning your visit
What's on at Godolphin
Find out more about the upcoming events planned at Godolphin.
Article
Visiting Godolphin with your dog
Godolphin is a two pawprint rated place. Take a gentle walk around the garden or head up to Godolphin hill for expansive country views. Find out all you need to know to enjoy your time here with your dog.
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Article
Your accessible visit to Godolphin
We have numerous ways to make your visit to Godolphin as accessible as possible. Find out all you need to know here.
Article
School visits to National Trust places in West Cornwall
In West Cornwall we have a range of beautiful, historical and natural places to visit with a school group.
Highlights
Godolphin Garden
One of Cornwall’s most important medieval gardens on the national Register of Parks and Gardens as Grade II*-listed.
Estate
More than 500 acres of countryside, including sheltered woods, river banks and Godolphin hill, all set within a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Piggery tea-room
Tea-room housed inside the Piggery with original slate stalls. Serving hot and cold drinks and cakes. Last orders are 30 minutes before closing time.
Godolphin House
Grade I-listed house begun in the late 1400s with later additions. Family wealth hit by recession in the 19th century, resulting in the ghost of a great house you see today. Open to the public for the first week of every month, from the first Saturday to Thursday (except January).
Farm buildings
Grade II-listed farm buildings demonstrating the change at Godolphin from a great house to a tenanted farm.
Mary's Wood
Mary's Wood incorporates barefoot trail, mud pie kitchen and circular stroll through this recently planted woodland area.
Spotlight events
Upcoming events at Godolphin
Find out more about all the exciting events we have planned this season.
Things to see and do
Article
Things to do in the garden at Godolphin
Godolphin’s garden paths provide a natural space that’s rich in history. Find out how the garden provides a home to the native Cornish bee. Explore the orchard, side garden paddock and King’s Garden.
Article
Family-friendly things to do at Godolphin
Take a look at what family-friendly events and activities we have at Godolphin. Get mucky in the mud-pie kitchen, explore nature up-close with the barefoot trail and enjoy the wide open spaces of nature in the gardens.
Visiting the house at Godolphin
Godolphin House is open to the public for the first week of every month from the first Saturday to the following Thursday, except January. Find out more about our opening times here.
Article
Exploring the estate at Godolphin
Discover the countryside and find out how a herd of cows can help butterflies to thrive. Take walks with far reaching views across the Cornish coast and discover local legend in this ancient landscape.
Article
Wildworks: 'This is Me'
‘This is Me’ is one of seventeen artworks produced for Hello Stranger, a Cornwall-wide community engagement programme created by Wildworks and supported by National Trust properties in Cornwall and the communities they serve.
Eating
Godolphin Piggery Tea-Room
No visit to Godolphin is complete without a visit to the Piggery tea-room. Enjoy a selection of warm pasties, sandwiches, cakes, and cream teas which can be accompanied with a good choice of hot and cold drinks. Well-behaved dogs on leads are welcome in the tea-room.
Outdoor activities
Activity
Running at Godolphin
Get outdoors and get fit at Godolphin. Take part in our monthly Trust10 running trail and discover the countryside estate at the same time. Suitable for 5k and 10k running abilities.
Top trails
Trail
Godolphin Hill walk
This gentle ramble up to the top of Godolphin Hill will reward you with some of the most impressive views over West Cornwall you can find.
Trail
Trencrom Hill trail
Take a walk up Trencrom Hill, not far from Godolphin, for breath-taking views from the top. It's the ideal hill for a quiet walk with a view.
Places to stay
Godolphin House
Combining 17th-century luxury with modern décor, this large manor provides a memorable stay.
Degibna Lower Pentire Barn
A sophisticated barn conversion with a timber-frame ceiling and views over Carminowe Creek.
Powders
A sophisticated wood cabin with expansive views over Frenchman’s Creek.
Whitstone Cottage
A traditional white-washed cottage with a thatched roof and a country rustic interior.
Helston Lodge
Perching above the Loe, this former gate lodge is the perfect lakeside location.
Degibna Lower Pentire Farm House
A lakeside hideaway with a country cottage interior and an enclosed garden.
Penrose Stables
A contemporary apartment in an 18th-century stable block on the Penrose estate.
Bar Lodge
A stay with a view, this remote hideaway perches just above Loe Bar Beach.
Upcoming events
Event
Free entry to Godolphin for Heritage Open Days
Join us as we celebrate England's biggest festival of culture and heritage by offering you free entry to Godolphin House, gardens and outbuildings from 6 -15 September.
Event
Visit the house at Godolphin
Venture into Godolphin House and discover the rich history within the walls of this once great mining powerhouse. Find out more about those who lived here and lives they led, in what was once Cornwall's largest and finest house.
Event
Short Guided Walks Through a Mining Landscape
Join us every Tuesday, Friday and Saturday as one of our volunteers guide you on a short walk through the mining landscape of Godolphin Woods.
Event
Guided estate walks
Learn more about the wider history of Godolphin with weekly volunteer guided walks around the estate.
Event
Trust 10
Get outdoors and get fit with the Trust10 running trail through the countryside of Godolphin.
Event
October Half-Term at Godolphin
This October half-term celebrate the apple harvest with us at Godolphin with crafts, games and apple pressing in the Cider House.
About Godolphin
Discover Godolphin, rich in archaeology and wildlife. Travel back in time as you wander around the 16th-century garden, one of the most important historic gardens in Europe.
Explore the wider estate, boasting Leeds engine house and stack, the remains of the Godolphin family mine. Don’t forget to visit Godolphin Hill on the south-westerly reaches of the estate. Here you can breathe in some of the best views in Cornwall looking out over St Ives Bay to the north and the famous St Michael’s Mount to the south.
Disappear into the tranquil and mysterious woodland, where the years of mining have left an unnatural, undulating landscape.
History
Article
History of Godolphin
Added to the UNESCO World Heritage list, Godolphin has special status. Find out about the people who lived here and how they created their wealth from the estate.
Our work
Project
Project
Cornish coastal meadows project
We are working to create 250 hectares of new species rich grassland at National Trust sites across Cornwall. The project, due to be completed by 2026, will help us rise to the twin challenges of biodiversity loss and climate change.
Art and collections
Godolphin's objects and collections
Explore the objects and works of art we care for at Godolphin on the National Trust Collections website.