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Elizabethan House
Elizabethan House
4
Temporarily closedClosed until further notice
About
Elizabethan House is now closed for the winter and will re-open on 1 April 2025. Built in the late 1500s when Plymouth was a thriving port, Elizabethan House is a rare, surviving example of its time. The historic property underwent a major restoration as part of Plymouth’s Mayflower 400 commemorations. Enjoy an authentic journey through the history of the House. Get an insight into the history of Plymouth’s fascinating Barbican area, and meet some of the many people who’ve lived in Elizabethan House since it was built 400 years ago.
Duration: 1-2 hours
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Most Recent: Reviews ordered by most recent publish date in descending order.
Detailed Reviews: Reviews ordered by recency and descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as wait time, length of visit, general tips, and location information.
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4.0
53 reviews
Excellent
22
Very good
13
Average
11
Poor
6
Terrible
1
bar1234
Oxford, UK66 contributions
Apr 2022 • Couples
This is a little gem of a visit. The audio visual tour imagining the house telling its own story makes the visit quite memorable. Russel the guide was very helpful and we would recommend this as an experience which is exceptional value for money.
Written April 19, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Connor R
Plymouth, UK475 contributions
Apr 2023
The house is very old and only has a spiral staircase to access the 3 floors. You go through five rooms, with the house telling you stories about those that lived there throughout the years. It was a bit scary for my niece and nephew as several of the rooms only had audio. The scariest room for them was the bedroom (number 3) which had a video about a man who was a wigmaker. The story was told by creepy marionette puppets with horrible voices that probably could of been told in a more friendly manner.
Written April 11, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Diane W
Stourbridge, UK43 contributions
May 2022 • Solo
This restored Elizabethan House in Plymouth gives a fascinating insight into some of its occupants and their occupations. There are 6 rooms to explore and written information is available in each room. A guide is also available as an option. On the day I visited R and M were at the house and both were very knowledgeable and passionate about the house. Very enjoyable visit.
Written May 3, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
STEPHEN T
Plymouth, UK26 contributions
Oct 2021 • Couples
The house is presented through 'son et lumiere', with glimpses of past occupants as they go about their lives. It brings it to life in a way that wouldn't be possible with static exhibits or period furniture. The drawback is that you have to book on a tour, and have to wait outside until the guide is ready for you.
Written October 4, 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Laura C
London, UK11 contributions
Sep 2021 • Couples
Had a fantastic visit, a must visit for anyone interested in Plymouth and its history. Really clever concept which uses a combination of projections, sound and smells to share the stories of people who lived in the house since it was built in 1599. Has been fantastically renovated and the time in each room allows to you to really look at all the details (exposed laths, huge open fireplaces, original wood doors, floorboards & beams, some interesting historic items…). Incredible really!
Tour guide was brilliant, obviously passionate about the house - very engaging and happy to answer our many questions! It was clear a lot of time and effort had gone into making the house accessible to the public. Well done to all involved, great idea and fantastically executed - thank you!
Tour guide was brilliant, obviously passionate about the house - very engaging and happy to answer our many questions! It was clear a lot of time and effort had gone into making the house accessible to the public. Well done to all involved, great idea and fantastically executed - thank you!
Written September 18, 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
mul883
Greater London, UK20 contributions
Sep 2021
On a return trip to Plymouth, we were delighted to find that the Elizabethan House had finally opened. We really enjoyed our visit to this wonderful house. Our two guides were outstanding - very enthusiastic about the house and it's history, including the surrounding areas. When we asked questions about Plymouth and it's history, we were delighted to find that our guides were very knowledgeable. They really made our visit special - thank you. The house itself and it's history really appealed to us, particularly 'the secret lady of the house'! We loved our visit to the house - it's another fantastic attraction for Plymouth.
Written September 5, 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
D_Welsh
South West5 contributions
Nov 2021
I visited the Elizabethan House on The Barbican, Plymouth last weekend with my wife and nine-year-old daughter.
We were greeted on arrival by a very friendly gentleman who turned out to be an excellent guide throughout our tour.
The house itself has been restored carefully to ensure the unique historical features are displayed as close to their former glory as possible.
We began out tour in a room at the top of the house; from there a short video montage was played describing a particular person who lived in the house during a specific period in history.
Our brilliant guide then took us to five more rooms, where the same process was repeated.
Thoughout the tour our knowledgeable guide relayed additional information and was able to answer our many questions.
The tour was conducted at a good pace, we were not hurried at any point.
I wholeheartedly recommend you visit this fabulous piece of history in the heart of Plymouth; and do take your children/grandchildren as they will be equally impressed.
We were greeted on arrival by a very friendly gentleman who turned out to be an excellent guide throughout our tour.
The house itself has been restored carefully to ensure the unique historical features are displayed as close to their former glory as possible.
We began out tour in a room at the top of the house; from there a short video montage was played describing a particular person who lived in the house during a specific period in history.
Our brilliant guide then took us to five more rooms, where the same process was repeated.
Thoughout the tour our knowledgeable guide relayed additional information and was able to answer our many questions.
The tour was conducted at a good pace, we were not hurried at any point.
I wholeheartedly recommend you visit this fabulous piece of history in the heart of Plymouth; and do take your children/grandchildren as they will be equally impressed.
Written November 8, 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Meghan B
14 contributions
May 2022
It was lovely to visit this epic part of Plymouth's history. It was a pity that the courtyard section was not made to fit in with the historical house. I really enjoyed the information in each room and the fact that you could interact with the exhibits.
Written June 1, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Ali0818
London, UK353 contributions
Oct 2021 • Family
Such an interesting house with a rich and varied history. All told via videos projected into walls. Rather spooky voices and very dark as they try to recreate life in past times. Three floors of history. Booking online only but we were the only family in our tour!
Written October 19, 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
cammax
10 contributions
Sep 2021 • Couples
Very enjoyable visit, really clever idea to have the house itself ‘telling’ you its history. The house has been restored brilliantly, it is truly fascinating to look around and imagine what life was like for all the different people who stood in the same spot hundreds of years ago! Tour guide was amazing and very knowledgeable. Plymouth is in desperate need of attractions like these, which celebrate and preserve its rich history. We only found out that it had been opened to the public by accident, so it would perhaps benefit from more promotion locally. Really good value for money and suitable for people of all ages.
Written September 18, 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Since the council seem to have abandoned any future plans for this building are they prepared to put it up for sale on the open market for conservation/refurbishment and basic updating for private residential use? At the moment it looks as if it has been left to rot.
Written October 26, 2017
Thank you for your enquiry. We have not abandoned any future plans for this building and are currently in the process of carrying out essential analysis and restoration work. If you got to the news page of the Plymouth Museums Galleries Archives website so you will see a recent press release giving more detailed information. Best wishes.
Written November 13, 2017
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*Likely to sell out: Based on Viator’s booking data and information from the provider from the past 30 days, it seems likely this experience will sell out through Viator, a Tripadvisor company.
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