Basildon Park — Attraction in Basildon

Quite accessible. Parking decent. Short walking distance to the ticket office. Toilet facilities, garden shop just after the ticket office. But you'll need a small hike to get to the house. Limited wheel chair accessibility to get to the house. As soon you come up the hill, the house will astound you with its Palladian beauty. Now with National Trust and Grade 1 listed building. The tour of the house starts off from the first floor so the wheel chair accessibility is limited. One instead the main doors you'll be able to see the inner beauty of the house. The house should be done in 30/45 minutes in a hurry but if you're a buff and want the know the jns and outs of the house,I would reckon couple of hours. There grounds are also amazing. The Cafe is on the ground floor and the food is quite good too! Live sessions in the 50s kitchen were on when we were there and it was really nice to savour the 50s biscuits!! The dining room is not to be missed. The lace on the dining table was done by Lady Iliffe When you're exit the dining room, look carefully and you'll be able to see that the carpet near the exit is not actually a carpet but the photo of the carpet and so is the wood!! They have improvised surely to the heavy traffic and foot falls in the room. The chamber pots and fireplace are not original to the room. When in state of being sold off, Hotel Waldorf Astoria (NY) bought the fireplace and other elements. These were taken apart to ship it to the hotel. Ceiling paintings are of great interest, you'll be able to see Basildon garden painted on to the ceiling. Individual bedrooms with the ceiling paintings are a visual treat too, and the bathrooms are moderately done. The recessed guest bedroom which is so very untypical of the era, was an after addition to the family house. Lady Iliffe's bedroom lace decorations that were done by herself after the fire shows the amount of time and energy that was supposedly spent on the restoration. Indian history is also intertwined with the inhabitants...

Updated 22-06-2020 Whilst the House is closed, the Park provides for some beautiful walks with four routes to chose from. The way marking is very good on the paths, but you can pick up a free map when you arrive. Even though currently unaccessible, the House looks magnificent, there is a small rose garden but nothing very special. There are toilets available at the entrance Stable Yard, and also a small shop where you can buy drink and snacks but no sandwiches. Quite a few people bringing picnics and having them in the grounds.

** Previous 2019 Review : This is a perfect day out. Combining the historic/cultural interest of the mansion with some excellent trails within the 400 acres of parkland. The gardens are not very extensive and as of September not much by way of blooms in the small rose garden. However there are four different trails in the park ranging from just half a mile to three miles. The "hidden valley" and "boundary" trails pass through beautiful woodland. The 18th Century Palladian mansion was lovingly restored in the 1950's by Lord & Lady Lliffe. There are guided tours at 11.00 and 11.30 am lasting most of an hour. Graham, our guide, was a pleasure to listen to with his obvious passion and great knowledge of the history of the mansion.The place is beautifuly furnished and has some fine paintings. Also some great plaster work on the ceilings particularly the "green drawing room" which still has the original ceiling from the 18th century. A...

Basildon Park is an incredible sight to see. As you enter the car park you are greeted by the friendly staff who explain the site and how to get to the house. There are sufficient amenities, toilets, a small shop prior to going to the house and some outside seating. You walk to the house through the quiet and tranquil woodlands, and as you walk round to the left you are greeted by the enormous house. The house is kept in excellent condition. You walk up some stairs for the entrance, where you're greeted by some knowledgeable staff. You are guided through the different rooms and each room has a guide to give you interesting little tid bits of information. The tea room has an array of sandwiches and hot food. We had jacket potatoes with cheese and beans, which were both really tasty and the coleslaw was incredible. We then went round back to enjoy the gardens and nature and it really does just make you feel calm and relaxed. The full experience for us took around 2 hours 30minutes. It could take longer or it could be shorter. Adult entry is £16 if you're not a National trust member. The Jacket potatoes were £7-9. A bottle of water was £3.30. The sausage roll was £4.70. There is a kids option of £5 for 5 items. So if you are a big family and eating there you may find a big bill. I highly recommend visiting especially when flowers are...