National Trust - Hatchlands Park — Attraction in Guildford

I was very underwhelmed by this location, the house itself is closed on a Saturday, the grounds although vast is overgrown, I feel that the grounds are under used by livestock, and more wild flower meadows would be a better use of the land, the facilities were not good, the toilets although clean were smelly, the shop was closed and when a member of staff was questioned I was informed that the shop was closed permanently, and it's stock moved to the cafeteria, which was problematic in itself as because of the Covid restrictions the cafeteria had a rule of " one out one in" which meant you had to queue to get into the cafeteria to view the stock,. The stock was displayed on a wall with occupied tables in front of it and as a one way system was in effect you would have to exit the cafe and re enter to pay for any merchandise, I usually purchase a postcard from each National Trust property I visit as a momento, none were on sale, also I have a trust passport which I would have liked to be stamped there was no possibility of that either, I appreciate that due to Covid restrictions the trust had not been able to function as it would like, even with signs in the toilets asking for donations but it is missing a trick in having no access to NAT Trust merchandise, if they need the money why are the not making an effort to utilise this avenue, yes this is late September and the season is almost over but I feel the Trust is making no effort on this property. On every trust property I have visited I have made the decision to return and enjoy it over again, unfortunately I was so disappointed that I will not be visiting...

This review is mostly about the house and its contents. Dating from the 1750s, Hatchlands Park was built for Admiral Boscawen, a successful Royal Navy officer, and as such the interior decoration, much of it attributed to architect and designer Robert Adam, has a nautical theme. Unfortunately, there is little tour information about the house, its design, and Adam's influence because the current tenant chooses to focus on his interest in music, especially his collection of 30+ beautifully maintained keyboards. Many of these instruments have been played by composers such as JC Bach, Mozart, Chopin, and Elgar, and most still see some use during concerts at the house. Much art is on display, but again, there is little information on what one is seeing, although the eight paintings by Titian and his followers currently on display, are well documented. There is some information available about the tenants over the years, house use during World War II, and turnover of the house to the National Trust. For visit practicalities, parking is ample with a medium-sized lot beside the entrance, and overflow a short distance away. Interior photography is not allowed, and if you want to photograph the house’s facade, note some scaffolding is currently in place for inner courtyard repairs. If visiting just the house, 1.5 hours should...

It's fascinating looking round the house and the volunteers were so helpful and friendly, each one gave us a great smile when we walked into a room, and one we had a good laugh with. Made up for the fact that unfortunately, but understandably we couldn't take photos in the house.

The kitchen cafe was really relaxing the young staff there were really friendly as well, greeting you with a smile and very polite. I would also like to say that the selection of cakes etc were some of the best I've seen in a national trust property. As for the cheese scones they were not the normal size of the ones in the national trust properties near us but more like the size you get in a good garden centre or homemade ones. Nice to see round tall big ones instead of small triangle ones half the size and the same price.

The walks around the woods and fields even now after all the rain were a pleasure to walk and not to muddy at all, very well kept paths.

Hatchlands is definitely a national trust property to visit and we will definitely...