Marble Hill — Attraction in London

Marble Hill house is the former home of Henrietta Howard and is the last complete survivor of the elegant villas that bordered the Thames between Richmond and Hampton Court in the 18th century. Henrietta's story is an interesting one, born into the wealthy Hobart family of Blickling Hall in Norfolk she was the mistress of king George II who gifted her the funds to build Marble Hill house. Later the house was owned by Johnathan Peel,the brother of Sue Robert Peel and later again by the Cunard family of shipping fame. Inside the house are numerous portraits including Henrietta, George II and other influential people if the time. There is a mahogany staircase which would have been very expensive and it is believed that George II had a hand in this two. The poet Alexander Pope was a frequent visitor to Marble Hill and was thought to hold a candle for Henrietta but this was not reciprocated. He had a hand in the design of the gardens and was also able to invite his literary friends including Johnathan Swift. Eventually Pope withdrew no doubt due to the fact Henrietta was not romantically attracted to him. The house is managed by English Heritage but is currently free to enter for all. There is a car park which is free for members and chargeable for non members. There are public toilets on the ground floor of the house including an accessible toilet. Refreshments are available at the former stable block a few minutes walk from the house. The gardens and parklands are quite large and again free to all, a great place to picnic,walk your dog, exercise etc. and is close to the...

I visited the house on 9th July 2016. I arrived at 10am at the stated opening time to find a notice saying it opens at 10 minutes before the first tour, which was at 10:30am. Our tour guide was obviously extremely knowledgeable about the house and its history, however he failed entirely to engage with his audience. He spoke at such speed, that even as a born English speaker I found it hard to make out what he was saying. We were deluged with dates, historical figures and places and in so much detail it was quite overwhelming. During the initial 25 minute discourse it was evident from other peoples expressions that they weren't enjoying the experience either. I felt sorry for a family of four overseas tourists who had paid a lot to see the house. They had asked if a translation was available at the start, but the eldest girl was told her English should be good enough to provide a translation for her family. This was definitely not the case. It would have been a lot better if we could have been given a more streamlined history, and then instead be given more time in each room to absorb the ambience and look at the artefacts in there. As usual there wasn't any true access for wheelchair users, and there is a wide staircase to the first floor where prams and buggies would need to be carried. Judging from other reviews I would say if you are a EH member it's worthwhile doing. If paying I would ask who is doing the tour before you commit. Definitely...

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This is not exploited to its best advantage, and we enjoyed it less than we should have. Read on . . .

For a start, it's hard to find. You arrive at the park, there is no sign telling you where it is, or indeed which of the two large imposing edifices at opposite ends is the one you've come to see.

When we were redirected from the first mansion, we weren't sure that this was it, as there was no sign at all, nothing, to identify it. One side door was open, so we popped our head round and saw a souvenir shop. Yes, this is Marble Hill House, we were told.

The house has some attractive features, and is filled with handsome furniture. It is well worth visiting to see this.

However . . .

We had a guided tour in a group of about a dozen people. The gentleman who led this had an encyclopedic knowledge of the house, its inhabitants and its times. Unfortunately this was rattled off at breakneck speed (almost impossible to understand to native speakers at many times) in a monotonous drone - drone - drone as we stood restlessly moving our feet and trying to look politely interested as he went on and on and on. This was frankly a major off-putting feature of the visit.

Our guide was John. I understand that there are several. Might be worth checking which guide is allocated to which time/day when you book up. You cannot visit without the guide.

The stars have been downgraded for the boredom...