Broadlands Estate — Local services in Test Valley

Updated April 2023. Broadlands House is generally only open to the public for a fortnight at Easter time, and then again for two weeks in late summer. Afternoon guided tours only. Max group size of eight, must be booked in advance and paid for online. See the 'Broadlands Estates' website for current dates, times, prices, tour availability etc

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A Palladian style mansion designed by Capability Brown and his architect son-in-law Henry Holland in the late 1700s. Situated about a mile south of Romsey town centre, just off the A27 southern bypass.

An imposing entrance hall acts as a gallery of classical Roman sculptures. At the rear of the house are three imposing reception rooms that have been restored to their Jacobean splendour, with collections of fine Wedgewood pieces given by Josiah W himself.

The two most famous residents were Lord Palmerston (twice Victoria's Prime Minister), and then Earl Mountbatten of Burma. The north rooms of the house include many fascinating items of Mountbatten memorabilia. The Queen and Duke of Edinburgh were regular visitors, and Prince Charles and Diana started their honeymoon here.

There are conducted tours of the main ground floor rooms that last just over an hour. The local volunteer guides are very knowledgeable. After your tour you can wander on the lawns that slope gently down from the house to the river Test, one of the finest salmon and trout rivers in southern England.

The tours are wheelchair accessible, with limited disabled parking close to the house. The main carpark and toilets are about 5 minutes walk from the House along a stony path. There are no refreshment facilities on site, as nearby Romsey town centre boasts a wide range of eating and...

I had waited my whole life to visit Broadlands, and to pay my own humble respects to the memory of Lord Louis Mountbatten.

Regrettably, I soon discovered on entering the house, and participating in the guided tour, that the life and achievements of Mountbatten, and his wife, Edwina, had been virtually airbrushed from history.

Gone was the permanent exhibition chronicling his life; gone were the tours of the upstairs rooms where he lived and slept; gone was any sense of the man and a feel for his life and times. Result: an odd void and a few remnant wisps of past glories.

While the staff were very welcoming, friendly and inclusive, I happened to be guided round by a very nice older lady, who, despite being well-versed on the architecture and family history of the house, was not, by her own admission, interested or knowledgeable about Mountbatten's politico-military past.

This was both disappointing and frustrating, as I had wished to visit Broadlands to learn more about Mounbatten's life and experiences. The absence of photos, letters, uniforms, medals and personal effects merely reinforced a feeling that the present family had distanced itself from Mountbatten's memory and legacy.

At the end of the day, people visit Broadlands because of the Mounbatten connection, for without this history, Broadlands is a rather badly-situated and rather unremarkable neo-classical house. The present family appear to have placed bricks and mortar before flesh and blood, which is a real shame as it is people and their deeds who make life interesting. Maybe the whole enterprise is predicated on one...

When you visit you go around in a very small group. That's good but if you draw a guide who knows very little, despite being a volunteer, it's a bit embarrassing. The biggest issue though is that you feel that you are intruding and they don't really want you there. It opens a few days a year for tax reasons. You are monitored where you walk and what you see, basically very little! You are not encouraged to ask about the current family and the whole experience is over in less than an hour....