basildon park

A beautiful house - I loved all the rooms. Also very interesting to see the different scenes of Pride & Prejudice and Downton Abbey that have been filmed in each of the rooms - look for the red folder in each room which shows you photos of the filming and also gives you some fascinating insights about the things that went on! The staff were also very friendly and helpful, and were stationed in each room, ready to tell you lots of information about the house and all the history. A very enjoyable visit - and very handy location just off the M4. I will stop off here again next time I am passing! I would like to spend more time exploring the rest of the gardens and parklands when the weather is a bit better, and before my next visit I will re-watch Downton Christmas Special and P&P film to spot the rooms!

I love visiting Basildon Park as it is such a lovely house. I quite like the newspaper type information bulletins in the rooms but wonder why these are not laminated to save them from getting grubby. The restaurant has the best caramel slice ever. The shop has a good range of items with helpful staff.

It was a lovely sunny, but cold, day and Basildon Park and House were very uncrowded. It is a lovely house to walk around. They have kept much of the furniture, fittings and picture from when the owners loved here.Fascinating to see where they film Downton Abbey (their London home), and films such as Pride & Prejudice and The Duchess.Nice grounds and a pleasant cafe.

Wonderful stately home full of interest. The staff were incredibly friendly, and helpful to my elderly father. The lunch in the cafe was particularly good, excellent value for money.

No wonder this is the the Film & TV makers setting of choice. It's a lovely place and if you can go on a tour the real stories of life in this house are made to sparkle by the enthusiastic team here. There are also displays of the movie stuff, bringing the past and present nicely together.There is a bit of a walk from the car park to the house but the Buggy service was fantastic and is highly recommended. I would say the House is adult orientated, but the grounds were very busy with families who looked like they were having great fun too. There really is something for everyone here.

Had an excellent guided tour-really informative. Also great for Downton fans as was used as location for Grantham's London home in Christmas 2013 special! There is a small exhibition on the property being used in films and tv programmes. If we had visited on a sunny day would have liked to have done a park walk!

This is an impressive Georgian mansion that has survived against all odds for us all to enjoy. It may not be the finest or most magnificent of stately homes but its most recent owners, Lord and Lady Iliffe have lovingly restored it and bequeathed it to the National Trust for us all to enjoy. The helpful guides told us that in 1929, its owner dismantled the fixtures & fittings and sold them to Americans (certain elements are now in The Waldorf Astoria Hotel in New York). Then the property was requisitioned during the war and was left derelict and in a state of total dilapidation before the Iliffes came to the rescue during the 1950s. As times were still difficult post-war, some of the renovations had to be 'best fit' like the wall covering in the intimate and homely Octagon Room. The dining room doubles up as a ballroom and was a great backdrop for Downton Abbey's 2013 Christmas special. More recently, the property was used for Lady Rose's marriage to Atticus Aldridge and there is a beautiful photographic display and video presentation for guests in Lady Iliffe's former private apartment. The property has been used for the silver screen including films such as Pride & Prejudice, The Duchess, Marie-Antoinette and A Picture of Dorian Gray. Media exposure has generated a great deal of interest and a sudden surge of visitors, so it can get vey busy especially at weekends.Be sure to visit the stunning Shell Room. Lord Iliffe's mother collected seashells on her travels and formed one of the largest collections in the country. The National Trust commissioned an artist to put them together in a most impressive and imaginative way. Also look in on the 1950's kitchen. I saw a few things reminiscent of my childhood!Guests are encouraged to play the piano and this creates ambience and brings the house to life. We were lucky enough to overhear an accomplished pianist as we were touring the house. We also saw how well the staff interacted with children as there was something for them to spot in each of the rooms, usually in the paintings, as well as the snowman toys that were dotted around for them to find - a great way to engage their observation skills.There is an unpaved, 400 yard winding path up to the house from the car park which could be an issue for anyone with limited mobility, however I believe a buggy is available on request. We spent around 3 hours there and that included a visit to the tea rooms and shop. We only had a drink as there was a disappointing selection of food left by 2 pm on a Sunday. The lofty tea rooms were not the warmest place to sit on a very cold January day. There is a small tea shop attached to the NT shop down by the car park that looked cosier and the surrounding villages looked lovely so I'm sure a good pub would be nearby. There was a biting wind so we didn't venture out on any of the walks, but they looked lovely (the car park attendants recommended wellies) and we will return so that we can find out.

The hall was well,displayed with knowledgable staff to assist and also a Room which explained what had been used for filming with which programmes. We really enjoyed the experience Nd would recommend it as a great place to visit

A well kept Georgian house that is maintained by the National Trust. Food was a little on the pricey side for what it was. A lovely tranquil setting that has housed Downtown Abbey and Pride and Prejudice cast and crew with photo albums in each room of various shots that were filmed in those rooms. Knowledge guides but the car park could do with being properly surfaced.

We visited on a very cold winter's morning over Christmas. On arrival we were greeted by very friendly and helpful staff who provided us with a map and directions of the things to see - especially with our five-year old in tow.The grounds were pretty despite the cold snap and were happy to get to the warm house once we trekked up the hill from the entrance. The staff within the house were faultless welcoming us like old friends and giving us and our son loads of information on the various rooms. Overall a worthwhile 5 stars!

What a surprise! I've always driven past the entrance, and wondered what it was like. I'm sorry it took so long to explore! The house and gardens were fascinating, and the attendants were very well informed and terribly keen to pass on their knowledge. Great to see scenes from Downton Abbey, and to realise that a lot of the series was filmed here. We took ages to go through the house, and alas, the queues for lunch were very long. It took about 20 minutes to get served, but the food was reasonable and tasty. A lovely way to spend the day with the family. I look forward to returning in the summer.

We did all the right things, chose a lovely day, telephoned the attraction before leaving to check they were open and then safely drove 60+ miles to see Basildon Park. When we arrived, there was a notice outside saying they had shut both house and grounds as there were too many people there! We simply could not believe it! The volunteer staff with whom we talked were implacable and their body language less than friendly.We drove a round trip of 120 miles all to no avail.If the National Trust is going to use its properties for TV settings then it really needs to up its game to ensure that its members are still able to enjoy the properties without this seemingly random closure affecting people.The staff who were stopping prospective visitors entering said that they were monitoring people leaving. We saw no evidence of communication with anyone and indeed then drove around past the exit where many vehicles were leaving.This was a shambles and the National Trust should be ashamed of its lack of strategic direction with this property,

We have visited Basildon Park a few times now as it's one of the larger and better NT properties in our area to visit. The house and grounds are lovely and very interesting and the staff very happy and friendly. The guides are knowledgable and the tours are given clearly and conscisely. The shop and tea room are good and the tomato soup in the tea room is out of this world! Be sure to try it.

This is worth a visit. You can buy (or bring your own) tennis ball for the kids and there are activities sent up around the grounds (learning type things). The grounds are great for a picnic and there is a nice cafe. The house is not huge but worth a tour. Very lucky to have this in our backyard.

Whether you want to explore the Basildon Hall, the stately home, or wander round the beautiful parklands, this is a wonderful place to spend an afternoon.