National Trust - Rainham Hall — Attraction in London

Rainham Hall is a Grade II* listed Georgian house, owned by the National Trust, in Rainham, in the London Borough of Havering. Built in 1729 for Captain John Harle, the house was transferred to the National Trust in 1949; let to a number of private tenants, it remained closed to the public until late 2015.

Rainham Hall is a three-storey brown and red brick house next to the church of St Helen and St Giles in the centre of Rainham in the London Borough of Havering. It is an example of a Dutch domestic Queen Anne style house. Many of the original features of the house remain, including trompe-l'œil frescoes on the walls and Delft tiles in the fireplaces. Outside the front of the house are Grade II* listed wrought-iron railings that feature the intertwining initials of Harle and his wife Mary. They are described as being amongst the finest in London from that time; a guide published by the London Borough of Havering suggests that they might have been created by Jean Tijou, a famed blacksmith who produced the ironwork for Hampton Court Palace.

Along with the main building the grounds contain a stable/coach house and lodge, all of which were given Grade II* listed status in January 1955. Some of the walls in the garden and "stone garden vases of contemporary date" were also listed at the same time. The two-acre garden features a recently replanted 30-tree orchard, one of the largest in London. Harle used the coach house and hall as the main centre for his trading activities. The close proximity of the commercial and domestic buildings is described by the National Trust as "significant because it seems to be a rare survival of a practice which was once widespread".

Rainham Hall has been recommended for an upgrade to Grade I listed status. A 2011 Heritage Scoping Study noted that the main building should be reviewed, stating that "it is one of the finest and best-preserved examples in England of a medium-sized early Georgian merchant’s house" with the National Trust receiving credit for their work on maintaining the property. It goes on to state that the "outstanding level of the significance of this landmark" should merit a review in the...

Visited here bank holiday during the Rainham fayre. The man making teas and coffees in the cafe was one of the worst baristas I've ever come across. He forgot my order but was deliberetly ignoring me whilst I was standing there waiting for my drinks (literally right Infront of him) I waited nearly twenty minutes whilst he continued to serve everyone else who were behind me in the que. The lady who was working the till was rushed off her feet bless her and kept asking him to make my drinks which he just wasn't doing? And not once did he apologise to me? Infact I felt a lot of tension and aggression coming from him. It was so strange. He also messed up my order by giving me two hot chocolates instead of one of them being a mocha, which he would have known he had done but clearly just didn't care (I repeated my order back to the lady over 3 times) I realised it wasn't right but after waiting so long for the drinks I just drank it anyway. I didn't kick up a fuss about the wait or wrong order because the lady was so nice and I felt sorry for her. (Plus I was with my daughter and two elderly family members) But seriously I have no idea how that guy has that job because he clearly didn't care that he was ruining my order and had 0 customer service skills. This place isn't cheap and we spent over £24 on our little lunch and it was a stressful and disappointing experience. Every other staff member seems really nice but that guy seriously lets...

Rainham Hall is a very charming house in the Queen Anne style but altered many times over the years by its varied and many owners. This is well worth a visit if you are in the area. What let it down slightly was the guide, Ricky. Ricky is young and enthusiastic but he really does need to learn about the place that he's talking about. One thing he said was that a flight of stairs inside a cupboard off the main hall had been blocked off but what you are clearly seeing is the underside of the stairs. This is proven by the entrance to the stairs is accessible from a door in the kitchen and would have been a way for the servants to access the upper rooms without going through the main house. The door at the top of this flight is visible on the first floor landing next to another flight of stairs leading to the next level. A quick peek through the door confirmed this. Another thing Ricky said was that there was three levels to the building which is how it appears from an external inspection but a walk around it immediately reveals four above ground levels and apparently a basement level as well.

The last thing but was very off putting and normally I don't like to review a person's personal habits but Ricky was constantly fiddling and picking his nose which was probably the reason it was very red. Whether he realised this or not and may have done it through nervousness I don't know but I had to walk away and listened to him...