Welcome to Wimpole

Project

The new Visitor Welcome Building — The new visitor welcome building at Wimpole

Work on our vision for Wimpole continues, bringing the house, gardens, parkland, farm and wider landscape together for you to enjoy through a brand new gateway into the estate.

We’ve updated and expanded much needed facilities for our growing number of visitors. We’re also conserving and protecting this much-loved estate for future generations.

A new gateway

Wimpole opened its doors to the public in the 1970s and today we welcome over 320,000 visitors a year. In the last 20 years investment in upgrading services and facilities for the estate has not kept pace with rapid visitor growth, so we’re improving Wimpole to make it even better for you.

You’ve arrived

We’ve built a new car park, visitor welcome hub and created a whole new way to arrive at Wimpole.

This means more car parking which can be used all year round to better manage our busier days. We also have cycle parking, coach parking for three coaches and forty four accessible spaces as well as twelve electric vehicle charging points.

Walk this way

From February 2020, things now look a little different as you enter Wimpole. You make your way along a new footpath, taking in views of the estate, as originally intended and you’ll experience the feel of beautiful parkland rather than a crowded car park.

It’s a slightly longer path to enter the estate and we've got personalised mobility vehicles and buggies available for visitors, staff and volunteers.

Restoring our parkland

Wimpole Estate is one of just a handful of Grade I Registered Parklands in the country with landscape works being carried out by notable designers such as ‘Capability’ Brown and Humphry Repton.

We’re returning the current car park back to its historic roots to once again become part of the parkland and complete another chapter in Wimpole’s history.

When did the new visitor welcome building and car park open?

The new car park and visitor welcome hub opened in February 2020 and the landscaping needed to return the current car park back to parkland is likely to finish in late spring 2020.

Thanks to you

We love Wimpole as much as you do and without your support, none of this would be possible. Every time you visit you’re helping to conserve and protect Wimpole for future generations, so thank you.

Multi use trail at Wimpole

We're passionate about getting people outdoors and closer to nature, so by creating a trail route around the estate, intended for walkers, runners, cyclists and adapted wheelchair users, our aim is to make access to the parkland as easy as possible.

Wimpole Shire horse Jasper in his new Stable

Wimpole Shire horse project

Our heavy horses now have some new stabling that will allow the horses to be housed together for the first time and provide a better viewing area for our visitors.

Going Green at Wimpole

As part of the National Trust's Renewable Energy Investment Programme, Wimpole is installing a ground source heat pump system and solar panels to reduce our dependence on fossil fuels.

Latest updates

10 Mar 20

Time for tea

With our ticket office moving we're now creating a fantastic new food and beverage hub in the Stables, with our Stables cafe being renovated to include some indoor seating and a wider selection of food and drink. With the Stable shop, garden shop and toy shop it will be a shopping delight.

Design illustration for a new cafe counter

04 Mar 20

Last section of pathway

The final section of the new pathway is being created in front of the Stable Block which will bring you straight to the heart of the estate.

New pathway in front of the Stable Block being constructed

19 Feb 20

8,000 to go

The new car park and arrival at Wimpole will be as green as we can make it, we're planting 8,000 trees, shrubs and hedgerow plants in the landscape. We'll also be sowing some grass seed which should germinate when the warmer drier weather arrives creating a lush habitat for wildlife.

a group of trees with root balls waiting to be planted

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