Family-friendly things to do at Coughton Court

A mother and son stand on a bridge in the garden at Coughton Court, Warwickshire — Play Pooh sticks on the family walk | © National Trust Images/Chris Lacey

There are lots of things for families to enjoy in the house, garden and on the wider estate at Coughton Court. From riverside strolls spotting kingfishers and herons to countryside walks exploring ancient woodland, your next adventure awaits you.

Through the Roof: FuturepROOFing Coughton Court

The new house experience now opened allows visitors to investigate and learn about the people that lived at Coughton Court and transformed the architecture to what it can been seen as today. Explore the Panelled Dining Room absorbing the information about the people and the collection in more detail. Have fun with interactive activities for all ages and get up close to the delicate chandeliers in the Saloon watching them sparkle in a new light display plus don't forget to share your historical dress up pictures with us.

From the 29 February visitors are invited to immerse themselves into the new interactive Through the Roof exhibition. Located in the Coach House visitors can dive deeper into the £3.3 million project learning all about the behind the scenes secrets. Hear from the experts that are supporting the project in the new behind the scenes video. Explore life as a Coughton Court bat in the new bat cave complete with sounds and smells. Get up close to various samples used from the project including bricks, slates and tiles. Plus there are plenty of interactive activities all ages can get involved with finding the historical people on the Tabula Eliensis, taking part in the Coughton Court coin drop and making your very own Coughton Court bat to take home.

For information regarding the Through the Roof project head over to the page 'Through the Roof Project - Future pROOFing Coughton' which we be updating regularly with news and updates from the project as it progress as well as updates on what you can expect from your visit.

Every penny spent at Coughton helps us to look after and support the care of this special place. Thank you for your support.

View from visitor platform at Coughton Court — Enjoy the view from visitor platform at Coughton Court, | © National Trust/Bill Alloway

Visitor viewing platform

The visitor viewing platform is open for guests to scale new heights above the tower at Coughton Court. Join us on open days, until end of September, from 11am and admire the stunning views across the Alcester countryside, witness the work taking place (subject to availability), and experience this once in a lifetime opportunity at Coughton Court.

Please be aware that all participants are subject to the health and safety information provided. Children are allowed on the Visitor Viewing Platform and scaffolding providing they wear the protective equipment supplied and can make it up unaided.

Planning your family visit

Here's the information you need at a glance to make the most of your family day out at Coughton Court:

Baby-changing facilities are located in the stable yard
There are gravel paths throughout the garden
Hot and cold drinks, light snacks and soft scoop ice cream are available in the café
Picnic areas are located next to the stable yard and car park.

Lavender at Coughton Court, Warwickshire — Help us decorate our scaffold | © National Trust/Bill Alloway

Here now

Spot the Lego. Inside the house we have placed Lego models of staff, constructors and construction equipment. How many can you find? There is a photo of the largest one below. It took 5 hours to build.

Lego construction models at Coughton Court — How many Lego models can you find? | © National Trust/Bill Alloway

Coming soon

Artizan Bazaar.Join us at Coughton Court on Saturday 5 and Sunday 6 October for a weekend of unique artisan shopping. Peruse the wonderful selection of talented artists as they showcase their wares. Included in normal admission fees.

To find out more information about Coughton Court’s upcoming events at Events at Coughton Court (nationaltrust.org.uk)

Church of St Peter, St Paul and St Elizabeth at Coughton Court | © National Trust/Bill Alloway

Church Talks

You might have visited before and experienced one of our volunteer talks at the Catholic church. This year we have also added guided tours as part of your day out at Coughton Court. These new additions are ‘changing faces of Coughton Court’ and the ‘two churches’ both of them include an exploring walking tour around our buildings. Both our talks and tours are presented several times a day, find out on the day which are happening and their times on the what’s on board.

Seasonal wildlife guides at Coughton Court — Find out more by reading the guides around the property | © National Trust/Bill Alloway

Sensory Backpacks

We want to make everyone's visit as enjoyable and comfortable as we can so we've recently introduced sensory backpacks, free to borrow during your visit here. They include noise reduction headphones, sunglasses, fidget toys and communication cards.

Please chat to a member of the Welcome Team to find out more.

Family-friendly things to do in the garden

The Throckmorton family of Coughton Court spent long days relaxing by the river, playing garden games and spending quality time together, and a family day out here allows you to follow in their footsteps.

There are lots of adventures to be had, from spotting birds on the riverside walk and discovering ancient woodland, to seeing what's growing around the garden.

Enjoy a peaceful stroll along the lakeside and don’t forget to explore the giant plants growing in the bog garden, and there's lots of wildlife to look out for along the riverbanks.

'50 things to do before you're 11¾'

Pick up a '50 things to do before you're 11¾' booklet from visitor reception and start ticking off the activities you can do here at Coughton. From creating wild art to playing pooh sticks over the river, there ae lots of activities to tick off. Here are a few recommendations to get you started:

No. 4 Build a den

If you go over to the woods today you can try den building. There are lots of branches lying around so please don't pull any off the trees. Can you build one big enough to get into?

No. 7 Fly a kite

Cross over the river bridge towards Timm's Grove and there's a wide open field just right to practise flying your kite. Will yours fly?

No. 18 Create some wild art

Take a look at all the beautiful things lying around. Can you make a picture or a sculpture from them? Twigs can make a really artistic frame. Take a photo and maybe even print it out when you get home.

No. 19 Play Pooh sticks

There are several bridges here that you can use, one is by the ford which is on the family walk. Check which way the water is flowing before you throw.

No. 31 Make friends with a bug

Bugs often hide from predators so you have to hunt for them. Try turning over a piece of bark or moving some fallen leaves to see what you can find.

Timm's Grove

Over in the woodland discover the natural play trail where there are activities including stepping logs, a music wall and a mud kitchen. If you want to extend your walk head across the fields to the ford and see if you can spot any wildlife there before returning to Coughton.