Witley Court & Gardens
Witley Court & Gardens
4.5
10:00 AM - 4:00 PM
Monday
10:00 AM - 4:00 PM
Tuesday
10:00 AM - 4:00 PM
Wednesday
10:00 AM - 4:00 PM
Thursday
10:00 AM - 4:00 PM
Friday
10:00 AM - 4:00 PM
Saturday
10:00 AM - 4:00 PM
Sunday
10:00 AM - 4:00 PM
Full view
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Detailed Reviews: Reviews order informed by descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as cleanliness, atmosphere, general tips and location information.
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4.5
893 reviews
Excellent
571
Very good
255
Average
39
Poor
17
Terrible
12
Heslomonick
Birmingham, UK79 contributions
Jul 2020 • Family
We have been here before as we are English Heritage members. We went on a beautiful July weekend just after lockdown restrictions had been eased. We booked a week in advance online and had to turn up at a designated time (10am). Parking is £3 unless you have a car sticker from EH which we seem to have lost as we hadn’t needed it for years. The parking machine only seemed to accept cash. There’s an outside desk to check your timed tickets (the QR code needs to be scanned either on paper or on your phone). All the staff have masks on and there is hand sanitiser and some one way systems to follow. The toilets have been turned into unisex ones and the idea is that a whole family can go in together (there are several separate cubicles inside) and there is a queuing system outside. We didn’t see any queues when we were there at 10am or when we left at about 2pm. The fountain is still running on the hour and is fabulous and there’s lots of beautiful gardens to explore and for the children to run around in and roll down the hills. The three playgrounds are currently closed but we were told this when we went in. The tea room (just outside the EH grounds) opened at 11am and serves takeaway which you can then eat on their outside tables which have all been spaced out. The staff take your name and telephone number for contact tracing. The toilets at the cafe are open with a one way system and good signage and social distancing. There is also hand sanitiser. If you want to eat your own picnic you have to go elsewhere understandably so we had our picnic near the children’s play areas. There were dogs here but all were on leads. There were very few people there really and when we left the car park still wasn’t full and the additional parking site was entirely empty. The gift shop is still open but only 4 customers allowed in at once. Overall we had a great time in the gorgeous weather.
Written July 13, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
Hannah
Skipton, UK46 contributions
Jul 2022 • Solo
I have been wanting to visit this place for a while and was not disappointed! The guy in the little shed by the mansion was very friendly and welcoming and I found the audio guide from there very informative. No-one offered me one at the main welcome centre though so I think I missed all the audio clips between there and the entry shed. I loved exploring the ruined mansion and imagining how it must have been in days of old with all the grand parties. The Perseus and Andromeda fountain was a magical display to watch and seemed to bring people together to enjoy it which was nice. The nearby baroque church is definitely worth a visit if you have time along with the Garden Tearooms. I did seem to miss out on the Sunday Music event though as the musicians were just standing around chatting every time I walked past which was a little sad.
Written July 3, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
sidsidney
Birmingham UK17 contributions
Aug 2021
Visited with family and our 8 year old child. It's a beautiful property and site, even with the house in it's damaged state. You can only imagine how beautiful and grand it was before it was fire damaged. The gardens were pretty with ornate fountains (one which operates each hour with a water display). We unfortunately missed getting in to see the church as it closed a little early due to staff shortage, but that merely gives us a reason to return! When we visited there was a gentleman selling short boat trips around the lake for £3 each, in a reproduction art-deco style boat. Would definitely recommend doing that if it's available when you visit. There are woodland and lakeside trails to walk and some good sized climbing frames/slides etc. for the children in the playground area. Lovely cakes at the tea shop at the far end of the house.
Written September 1, 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
rjwakefield
Tamworth, UK24 contributions
Sep 2020
Make sure you sign up to a guided tour - Our guide was Steve who works between Witley Court and Goodrich castle.
This site is Covid safe and there is plenty of room.
The Church next door was closed but by all accounts will add to the day once it reopens. The site is great when the weather is good but with wet weather there is no cover. I would recommend to anyone to join English Heritage at around £100 per year for a family. Definitely worth re-visiting with a picnic and don't forget to take the dog!
This site is Covid safe and there is plenty of room.
The Church next door was closed but by all accounts will add to the day once it reopens. The site is great when the weather is good but with wet weather there is no cover. I would recommend to anyone to join English Heritage at around £100 per year for a family. Definitely worth re-visiting with a picnic and don't forget to take the dog!
Written September 14, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
SnappyBrit
Forest of Dean, UK72 contributions
Aug 2020
I was a little put off by the need to pay for parking (£3) but perhaps this is the norm with English Heritage sites. Very easy to access although there is a lot of walking to get to the mansion and grounds using a one way system, so bare this in mind as some of it is steep. You do get to walk through the lovely outer grounds of woodland and lake, which to me were even nicer than the mansion grounds. Be aware that toilets are only found at the end near the exit (using one way system) or at the cafe. The mansion was interesting to walk around. Similar to walking around a castle due to its condition, but with some surprising features such as remnants of stairways, wiring on the walls etc. There is one part that has metal grids above the open ceiling to stop debris falling. Unfortunately this has trapped numerous birds and even a toad which are all dead above your heads and rather macabre. Not so good for little ones to see. The mansion itself will only take you about 15 mins to walk around, depending on your interest level. There is no access to the part that was not ravaged by fire unfortunately as that would have been even more interesting. Be sure not to miss the front of the mansion with the remnants of a checker board floor which would have been the conservatory. The mansion grounds are nice but not astounding. There is only a small formal garden and 2 fountains, one of which comes on on the hour for about 5-10 mins. To be honest, the fountains should run all the time based on their visual impact but I guess it is costly so they are limited. There isn't much to see or do other than the fountains and some nice lawn for the kids to run around, but would still be lovely for a picnic. Away from the house about a 5 or so minute walk is the cafe which was really a lovely place. It is set in very attractive grounds and was very good value for money especially with the eat out scheme. We were entertained by a lovely calico cat who got treated to some tuna from my sandwich, while we sat eating. This cafe experience was one of the nicest parts of our visit to be honest because it was so peaceful and lovely. Staff were very friendly. The lady in the gift stop was very kind and took an interest in the strange object my son with autism had brought with him that day. All in all a very lovely visit and we would absolutely return again.
Written August 27, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
JeannieMac
Norwich, UK161 contributions
Aug 2020
The gardens are wonderful with amazing shaped trees - great for kids to climb and hide amongst. It has a large Rhodadendron collection.The walkway offers lots of shade for a hot day and there are picnic tables spread around the grounds. There is lots of space for children to let off steam.
The actual ruins are very interesting and the information boards helpful. However, we were unfortunately to be there as heavy rain started and there is only one small area of the building which has a roof to shelter under.. We would have liked to explore the gardens more, as they looked wonderful from the terrace, but it was just too wet. The fountains are interesting, but again we did not get close to them. The one way system for COVID is rather taxing for anyone with walkng problems as there are steep slopes which are not immediately obvious when you start out. The walk from the car park to the ruins took me 30 minutes which was rather too much for me. The attendant near the ruins did say it was possible to park near the church, closer to the ruins , which may be of interest to people with similar limitations. Pushing a wheelchair up one slope would probably also cause a problem. The church was closed, which was a real disappointment and I don't think was mentioned when I booked. Entrance fees should be reduced to reflect this as it is the real gem of the attraction. The tea room was open but we did not use it. Many families were following the Explorer trail and the children seemed to like it..
The actual ruins are very interesting and the information boards helpful. However, we were unfortunately to be there as heavy rain started and there is only one small area of the building which has a roof to shelter under.. We would have liked to explore the gardens more, as they looked wonderful from the terrace, but it was just too wet. The fountains are interesting, but again we did not get close to them. The one way system for COVID is rather taxing for anyone with walkng problems as there are steep slopes which are not immediately obvious when you start out. The walk from the car park to the ruins took me 30 minutes which was rather too much for me. The attendant near the ruins did say it was possible to park near the church, closer to the ruins , which may be of interest to people with similar limitations. Pushing a wheelchair up one slope would probably also cause a problem. The church was closed, which was a real disappointment and I don't think was mentioned when I booked. Entrance fees should be reduced to reflect this as it is the real gem of the attraction. The tea room was open but we did not use it. Many families were following the Explorer trail and the children seemed to like it..
Written September 2, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
loulouchick77
Newport, UK27 contributions
Aug 2021 • Friends
Helpful staff and volunteers, great information, easily booking site, lots to see and do. Amazing place. Recommended! Dog friendly and great play/picnic areas. If the boat trip around the lake is running, I highly recommend it to support the project.
Written August 26, 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
Bex1231
Bradwell, UK176 contributions
Sep 2020
We visited on 9/9/20, tickets pre-booked online. Parking was free as we are English Heritage members. On entering we were given some instructions to follow mainly regarding Covid issues.
It was a fairly good walk to the ruins and rather up hill at the time, so for disabled I would ask if there is an alternative route to get there. We would have struggled if we had our daughter with us in her wheelchair. The views on the walk were stunning and took pictures on the way.
Once at the ruins, there was a member of staff on duty by the white hut, very friendly and full of information, he did tell us he had a family member work at Witley Court, he was an asset to English Heritage, full of knowledge and very welcoming, sorry we couldn't remember his name. He informed us that the church was open for the first time that day.
The ruins were amazing to go round, you could imagine what a beautiful place it would have been before the fire. Loved the notice boards with the information and pictures of what each place used to be. The views from any part of the ruins was amazing.
We made our way down to the fountain, it is very impressive, lots of photos taken. We had been informed the fountain will go on around the hour but usually five past the hour. We went back there for twelve o'clock, well worth it, the fountain starts working bit by bit to reach the crescendo of all of it in full flow. We stayed right to the end of the display, thoroughly enjoyed it, plenty of photos taken and videoed.
The gardens were beautiful, full of colour and very well maintained again loads of photos taken. The views all around the ruins were lovely, from the tall trees to the horses in a field next door. It did rain while we was there and we managed to find a seat under a small shelter, just sat there drinking in the views of the flower gardens.
We made our way to the church and was so glad that we did. For me this was a wow moment, we have been in quite a few cathedrals and churches but this inside was stunning, never seen one like it. So glad we got to see it. Again Covid measures in place and church volunteers were welcoming and friendly and quite happy to talk about the history of the church. I took so many photos inside and a video as it was so pretty. One of the highlights of our visit. We used the church tearoom restaurant after, again Covid measures all in place from furniture cleaning, to ordering and delivering our order to the table. We sat in the garden luckily it had stopped raining by then and the sun had come out.
It was a fairly good walk to the ruins and rather up hill at the time, so for disabled I would ask if there is an alternative route to get there. We would have struggled if we had our daughter with us in her wheelchair. The views on the walk were stunning and took pictures on the way.
Once at the ruins, there was a member of staff on duty by the white hut, very friendly and full of information, he did tell us he had a family member work at Witley Court, he was an asset to English Heritage, full of knowledge and very welcoming, sorry we couldn't remember his name. He informed us that the church was open for the first time that day.
The ruins were amazing to go round, you could imagine what a beautiful place it would have been before the fire. Loved the notice boards with the information and pictures of what each place used to be. The views from any part of the ruins was amazing.
We made our way down to the fountain, it is very impressive, lots of photos taken. We had been informed the fountain will go on around the hour but usually five past the hour. We went back there for twelve o'clock, well worth it, the fountain starts working bit by bit to reach the crescendo of all of it in full flow. We stayed right to the end of the display, thoroughly enjoyed it, plenty of photos taken and videoed.
The gardens were beautiful, full of colour and very well maintained again loads of photos taken. The views all around the ruins were lovely, from the tall trees to the horses in a field next door. It did rain while we was there and we managed to find a seat under a small shelter, just sat there drinking in the views of the flower gardens.
We made our way to the church and was so glad that we did. For me this was a wow moment, we have been in quite a few cathedrals and churches but this inside was stunning, never seen one like it. So glad we got to see it. Again Covid measures in place and church volunteers were welcoming and friendly and quite happy to talk about the history of the church. I took so many photos inside and a video as it was so pretty. One of the highlights of our visit. We used the church tearoom restaurant after, again Covid measures all in place from furniture cleaning, to ordering and delivering our order to the table. We sat in the garden luckily it had stopped raining by then and the sun had come out.
Written September 20, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
ESP2006
West Midlands410 contributions
Oct 2022
Another return visit to this popular historic attraction. We enjoyed a very pleasant early Autumn afternoon at Witley Court on 1st October. The fountains were, as ever, an impressive delight against the blue sky and clouds. Interestingly, however, it seems the timings have changed because previously they have been on the hour through the day but caught us out at around 2.40pm (having just told another visitor they're hourly on the hour - oops!)
The added bonus was Raphael Falconry putting on displays throughout the weekend of 1st-2nd October. Very interesting and informative.
Plenty of family events being put on during the year: upcoming, of course is Halloween (a Beano theme!)
The added bonus was Raphael Falconry putting on displays throughout the weekend of 1st-2nd October. Very interesting and informative.
Plenty of family events being put on during the year: upcoming, of course is Halloween (a Beano theme!)
Written October 2, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
Kathryn B
Wales, UK239 contributions
Jul 2022
Being a fan of both historic homes and ruins, this was naturally a place we have been wanting to visit for a long time. Over time expectations can often become greater than the reality, but in this case the attraction still managed to exceed those expectations. The woodlands are a peaceful walk with many wonderful florae and the impressive lake. The trees also conceal the house, allowing for a dramatic reveal as you leave them. The house is vast and imposing, but its ruinous condition means it is uniquely atmospheric. The porticoes are the most impressive remaining features architecturally, however wandering through the remains of rooms with remnants of plaster still clinging to the red brick walls and cast-iron fireplaces now set high above the floor emphasise the dramatic fall from grace this mansion experienced. There are a number of helpful interpretation boards throughout to show what the rooms used to look like before the house fell from grace. The East Parterre is a quieter garden than the South, but with its Flora Fountain and vibrant flower beds, it's a charming area of the grounds. The South Parterre features the famous Perseus and Andromeda Fountain. It fires ever hour and is an amazing sight, a great photo opportunity with the mansion ruins behind. The flower beds here are also nice, although less elaborate than the East Parterre. The former conservatory is somewhat of a garden itself with (to my memory) aromatic lavender. The ornate arches continue the theme of stunning architecture. It is unfortunate that we did not manage to see Great Witley Church, as it does appear to be magnificent, but we will likely return to see it and explore the mansion again. The gift shop at the entrance looked clean but other from that I am unable to comment on the rest of the facilities as we do not tend to use them. We have been to a wide array of houses. Some enormous like Blenheim Palace, others smaller like Newton House. However, Witley Court provides something unique. It is not just the stunning architecture, beautiful gardens and storied history that makes this my favourite house. Its bare brick walls, scorched timbers and cracked plaster sends a powerful message to all that even the mighty can easily fall.
Written October 27, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
Anka-katrina H
8 contributions
Does anyone know if the cafe in Witley gardens is open again for outside seating?
hopehousecottage
Worcester, UK405 contributions
Yes it’s open we went there on Friday afternoon
Is there a reduced price for gardens only
lilybeandavis
38 contributions
If you are able to sign up to CSSC membership for around £3 a month you an access all English Heritage sites for free, 2 adults and up to 3 children.
nessy1954
birmingham19 contributions
Is it suitable for mobility scooter....naturally grounds only......and are you allowed to 'picnic' there?
KevinSadler2364
Leicester, UK1,267 contributions
Yes and yes. The house isn't suitable for a motor scooter but the grounds are, and there's some beautiful spots to picnic
Janie10plus
Marshbrook10 contributions
Are dogs on leads allowed inside the house please?
Moonpuddle
Nr Edinburgh168 contributions
We had our dog with us, took her everywhere except into the church, you can even go in the tea room and have a meal in the conservatory which is dog friendly. English Heritage beats The National Trust hands down for dog friendly visits.
jennyeaves
Warwickshire, UK19 contributions
Is there enough too keep children entertained what age is playground from and too
TrudieIan
45 contributions
Depends on the children and what they expect. If your children like outdoor activities like treasure hunts, walking and just enjoying the outdoors then yes but if they expect up to date playground adventures, huge amounts of thrill equipment then no.
jennyeaves
Warwickshire, UK19 contributions
Is there enough too keep children entertained what age is playground from and too
Nick C
Kidderminster, United Kingdom93 contributions
To be honest not really. We were lucky to visit on a day when a special event was organised. Great for garden/woodland walk and picnic. Children's area for toddlers very limited. Best to contact direct in case they are laying on holiday stuff for children. Hope this helps
Matthew Pedwell
Bromsgrove, UK15 contributions
Let's see more classic car shows here it's perfect
Carl M
Birmingham, UK59 contributions
Matthew didn't ask a question... he made a statement and request !
Witley Court & Gardens (Great Witley) - All You Need to Know BEFORE You Go
Frequently Asked Questions about Witley Court & Gardens
- Witley Court & Gardens is open:
- Sun - Sat 10:00 AM - 4:00 PM
- Hotels near Witley Court & Gardens:
- (3.51 mi) The Court House Unique Boutique B&B
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- Restaurants near Witley Court & Gardens:
- (0.34 mi) The Garden Tea Rooms
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- (7.83 mi) Francini Cafe De Colombia
- Attractions near Witley Court & Gardens:
- (0.29 mi) Great Witley Parish Church
- (6.52 mi) Hire a Canoe Bewdley
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- (7.92 mi) CYBER Q Escape Rooms