Wollaton Hall
Wollaton Hall is an Elizabethan mansion set in a 500 acre park part of which is now a private golf club. It has been the subject of a £9million restoration project which is all but complete and is a truly magnificent Grade I listed building. All this only 3 miles from Nottingham city Centre.
The hall was built between 1580 and 1588 by the architect Robert Smythson for Sir Francis Willoughby who well nigh bankrupted himself in the process. It was unused by his heirs for some time but then the family moved back. It was repaired and restored by Sir Jeffrey Wyattville in 1801 and later became home to the Middleton family. In the 1920s it was taken over by Nottingham council and became the natural history museum.
Review
Fortunately you can get to and from Wollaton from the M1 (Junction 25 or 26) without going through the city centre, bad signing and traffic snarl-ups. It is a beautiful quiet spot with the hall set on a natural hill in the middle of the park. Plenty of parking but if you want to get near the house carry on past the first car park otherwise you've got quite a walk.
The house is absolutely beautiful with Great Hall, Tudor kitchens and Prospect room (tour only), Regency dining room and salon, wall paintings in the stair well. Most of the other rooms available to visit house the natural history museum. There are large collections of stuffed birds and animals and pinned insects which, personally I've always considered rather ghoulish. Rather more to my taste were the rock and fossils.
There are extensive gardens with temple and camellia house. Walking round the grounds could keep you occupied all day with paths through the woods and deer park. There is a lake with the usual complement of beggars augmented by the local crow gang.
The old stables and coach houses contain a gift shop, café, the Yard Gallery with a changing programme of exhibits, an industrial museum and a steam engine house (steam up last Sunday in every month).
All in all a good day out for £2 and the price of the petrol. There is something here to interest almost everybody. We took our own snap so can't comment on the café. There are however eating holes on Wollaton Road and at least one gave back your parking charge if you ate there.
Photographs
Information
Admission FREE entry to the park, hall & museums. Car parking charge of £2 (2009) per day applies (season tickets available), blue badge free. Please note that charges may apply for some tours, events and activities.
Park open 8am weekdays and 9pm weekends. Closes at dusk - various times throughout the year please visit the website below for full details.
Hall and museums open April - October 11am - 5pm, November - March 11am - 4pm. Some areas of house only visitable on organised tours cost (2009) £2.50, concessions £2, children £ 1.50.
Disabled parking in front of the hall, lift access, changing facilities and aids for the deaf and blind.
Dogs welcome but keep them on leads where deer are about and out of the designated areas in calving season.
Children's playground, café, picnic areas, private hire for weddings and conferences, programme of regular events, group bookings, specialist tours, educational activities.