West Horsley Place — Local services in Guildford

My husband and I visited West Horsley Place for a ‘Ghosts’ Tour. Our party met at the on-site cafe where, after a brief wait, we were taken to ‘Button House’. The excitement was palpable as we all (around 20 people) gathered at the front of the house. Our guide for the 2hr tour of the house and garden was (the aptly named) Annabelle, who soon brought the essence of Button House and the cast of Ghosts to life!! The bonus’s of this tour was that we were all allowed to take as many photos as we liked and touch the house contents, plus plenty of time to wander through each of the rooms. There were lots of props on display, and each part of the house, both internally and externally, was explained to us all by the enthusiastic, funny Annabelle throughout the whole tour. There’s also a lot of insight given on how the house was ‘dressed’ for set…which in itself was quite amazing. After the tour, Alison & Mikes car was parked outside the house for all to sit in & take photos… the grounds and gardens were ours to roam in, and ‘Pat's tree stump’ was the focal point of many a photo! At the end of the tour, everyone was free to walk in the extensive meadow or wander straight back for a coffee & sausage rolls at the on-site cafe, a purchase in the little gift shop, and then head off for the short stroll back to the ample car park. All in all it’s a great day out if you are a fan of the BBC Ghosts, or if you’re interested in Tudor architecture. The atmosphere is very relaxed and the friendly staff will chat and answer any questions you may have. Book in advance if you can, as this is a very popular tour! We would certainly recommend visiting West Horsley Place if you’re...

If you’re considering supporting West Horsley Place Trust, I urge you to think twice. My aunt, a 71-year-old woman who has lived on the estate for 19 years, is being evicted from her home with just four months’ notice, so the Trust can turn her cottage into a short-term rental.

Let me be clear, this isn’t just a house. It’s her home, her sanctuary, and a place she’s lovingly cared for through nearly two decades of service, unpaid and unacknowledged. She’s endured five years of filming disruption from the TV show Ghosts, countless weddings, fairs, and events. She’s welcomed hundreds of visitors, many of whom have admired her beautiful garden. She’s cleaned up filth, stopped robberies, and acted as an unofficial caretaker, all without a single word of thanks.

And now? She’s being tossed aside like detritus.

Meanwhile, the four-bedroom cottage next door has been left to rot, sitting empty for over two years. But rather than offer her a dignified solution, the Trust has chosen profit over compassion.

West Horsley Place Trust calls itself a charitable organisation. What a joke! They have proven heartless, selfish, and unworthy of the heritage they claim to protect. They’ve shown no respect for the people who’ve actually kept the estate alive.

If this is how they treat someone who’s given nearly two decades of her life to this place, then I shudder to think how they treat others.

Shame on you, West Horsley...

Beware - in case your best laid plans change. We booked tickets for the filming tour months in advance. In mid-April my Father suffered a cardiac arrest and has been hospitalised ever since. As we were struggling to make the date, I emailed West Horsley Place to see what options were available, to be advised in a reasonably matter-of-fact manner that tickets are “non-refundable / transferable to another date at this stage”. Aside from wondering at what stage they might be permitted to be transferred, we are more than dismayed by this kind of attitude. As far as we can tell the property is a single site attraction, ie. not governed by larger tourism organisations where so-called ‘policy’ is perhaps upheld more readily. As a charity (which the website suggests it is) we assume it to also be welcoming of all available revenue streams. A common sense customer-centric response, appropriate to the situation, was hoped for. The lack of compassion for a genuine and verifiable set of circumstances has stood out, as has the failure to propose a satisfactory solution. Book at your peril and hope...