Basildon Park

Basildon Park is a wonderful place to visit. The elegant manor house is beautifully preserved, and the surrounding parkland and walking trails are peaceful and scenic. There’s also a lovely café where you can enjoy a delicious coffee or something to eat after your walk. It’s a dog-friendly site, with free parking and free entry for National Trust members, which makes it even better. The gift shop is fantastic — full of charming souvenirs, great books, and maps that inspire future trips. Clean, free toilets are available on site, and the staff are always friendly and welcoming. Overall, Basildon Park is a truly enjoyable day out. Highly recommended!

2nd time visiting, 1st time visiting around christmas and I was very impressed. I thought the decorations were gorgeous and very well done. I liked the ballet theme and how they incorporated in small details and music. We have national trust but actually I would pay the entry fee for the holiday decorations. Car park well organised, staff in house very friendly and knowledgeable. Various cafe options. Also loved the exhibition detailing all of the filming done on site such as Pride and Prejudice, Bridgerton, Downton Abbey and the Crown

Visiting a National Trust house is always a favourite Christmas past time. The National Trust and their incredibly talented teams of volunteers continue to surprise me year on year with their creativity when curating themed exhibitions in and around the houses. Basildon Park is currently (until the 4th January) resplendent in Christmas decorations celebrating the enchantment of ballet. My sister and law visited and had a wonderful time. We twirled our way through rooms with costumes and creations from the Nutcracker, Swan Lake and Romeo & Juliet among others. The cafe served delicious Thai squash soup and chillis. We strolled the grounds pretending to be characters from period dramas and marvelled at the grounds. As usual the staff and volunteers were so helpful. Parking was easy enough, the shop is full of treasures, and as usual there was a trail for the children to use round the house and grounds to add to their entertainment.

We went to see the christmas decorations and they did not disappoint. The house was beautifully decorated, each room was themed around a different ballet play. Followed by some delicious cake and coffee from the coffe shop.

Fine manor house with plenty of woodland and pasture to explore. There’s ample parking which is a good thing as it’s only really possible to get there by car. The manor has great architecture and is very well maintained. There’s a cafe there but the food is a little below the standard I’d expect for a national trust venue.

Basildon Park is such a charming mix of history and glamour! Built in the 18th century for Sir Francis Sykes and later owned by James Morrison, the house even fell into disuse during WWII before being rescued in the 1950s by Lord and Lady Iliffe. I loved exploring the rooms and viewing framed personal family photos and other mementos. It was also fun discovering the home’s on-screen fame—right now there’s a 20th anniversary exhibition celebrating all the films and TV shows shot here, from Pride and Prejudice to Downton Abbey, and The Crown. The National Trust has done a great job keeping both the house and its lovely grounds inviting, so it’s easy to imagine life here across the centuries.

The Christmas decorations in the house were lovely, fun to try and decipher the various ballets. I also enjoyed the long walk around the grounds, nice and peaceful. The lights in the trees leading up from the entrance were nice in the dusk too.

We had a splendid time at Basildon Park. The house is beautiful, my favourite room was the Seashell Room. Volunteers from National Trust were so friendly and full of historical information. We didn’t get a chance to have a long walk outside but we did manage to have a lovely short one after picking up a bite at the cafe. Look forward to coming back for a longer walk & a visit to the gift shop.

18th century house with beautiful park overlooking the river Thames outside Pangbourne. fine collection of paintings and furniture. this was one of the setting for the recent Pride and Prejudice film. the gardens are nice in spring when Daffodils are in full bloom. this is a national trust building.