Basildon Park - National Trust

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Basildon Park - National Trust This is a story of grandeur created, dissolved and resurrected - not once, but twice. We welcome feedback – both positive and negative.

Sitting elegantly in 162 hectares (400 acres) of historic parkland and gardens, this 18th-century house was purchased by Lord and Lady Iliffe in the 1950s, when it was de-requisitioned after the Second World War. With extraordinary vision, the Iliffes brought Basildon Park back to life, acquiring a collection of fine furnishings and carefully selected Old Masters. The wooded parkland offers glorious seasonal colour, with spring bluebells, summer buttercups and autumn leaves, while the landscape has been carefully restored to offer wonderful views and peaceful trails. House rules: ​


We want our page to be a place where people can share how they feel about the National Trust and talk about their experiences in a fun environment. It helps us to learn and grow. These house rules aim to ensure everyone can enjoy themselves while they’re here: ​


We ask you to be nice and polite to one another – you almost always are! - and respect each other’s views and comments. We ask all users to ensure your contributions are civil, polite, tasteful and suitable for all ages. We won't tolerate disruptive, offensive or abusive behaviour, unlawful or objectionable content. This includes any material which might be defamatory, offensive, infringing, obscene, lewd, pornographic, violent, abusive, insulting, threatening, harassing, discriminatory, blasphemous, indecent or otherwise unlawful or objectionable. It also includes any material which is aggressive, argumentative or likely to be construed as bullying, and it includes spamming or repetition - in particular the posting of off-topic material in subject-specific threads or areas. ​
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*Moderation policy* ​
In general, we don’t moderate posts, except on the rare occasions - for example where someone has posted offensive, threatening or libellous content about named or identifiable individuals on our page. We have a duty to protect our staff and volunteers, so while deleting comments is totally out of character for us, our position is that any post containing a libellous accusations, should be removed. We’ll also remove any posts that in any way target individual teams or members of staff. We will not comment on our staff and volunteers in this way in public forums. If any correspondent has feedback to share about any individual members of staff or teams in the organisation, please get in touch with us directly. If an individual continues to post offensive, threatening or libellous content then we’ll be forced to block that person from the page. Similarly, if any individual repeatedly posts contributions of the nature noted above in the 'material' list, we'll again be forced to block that individual from the page (in this scenario, we will have previously warned the individual about their content).​


We won’t tolerate postings, content, or links that are racist, sexist or homophobic. We also don’t permit linking to or posting any content which endorses illegal activity, or any activities against the values of the National Trust. ​
If you’re concerned that a posting or user content has broken any of our house rules or you’re worried about any comment or content then please send us an email to [email protected] and let us know. ​


Finally, please note that the views on our page are created by our community and don’t necessarily represent the views or opinions of National Trust. ​


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Follow The Bunnies of Hoppity Hill as they search for hidden ghosts, discover pumpkins, bats and owls and enjoy a wonder...
10/10/2026

Follow The Bunnies of Hoppity Hill as they search for hidden ghosts, discover pumpkins, bats and owls and enjoy a wonderfully spooky adventure together.

On Saturday 24 October, join us for We're Going on a Ghost Hunt storytelling sessions at Basildon Park. Packed with storytelling fun, music and gentle spookiness, its the perfect event for little trick-or-treaters.

There will 3 storytelling sessions throughout the day, each lasting half an hour. 10:30am to 11am in the Garden Room
11:30am to 12pm in the 50s Kitchen
1pm to 1:30pm in the 50s Kitchen

Each session will have limited spaces and be on a first come first serve basis. Collect your timed ticket from Visitor Reception. All children must be accompanied for the whole session by one adult per family. Normal admission applies.

Image: Dominick Soar (DGS Media)

A reminder that the entire site will be closed from tomorrow, 6 October, until Wednesday 21 October (inclusive) for an u...
05/10/2026

A reminder that the entire site will be closed from tomorrow, 6 October, until Wednesday 21 October (inclusive) for an upcoming project.

The garden, parkland and stable yard will reopen on Thursday 22 October, with the House and main tearoom reopening on Saturday 24 October.

Thank you for your understanding.

National Trust | Arnhel de Serra

The first autumn leaves turning at Basildon Park. 🍁National Trust | Ellie
29/09/2026

The first autumn leaves turning at Basildon Park. 🍁

National Trust | Ellie

The Pooch Passport is back at Basildon Park, and we recruited Lando to help us celebrate!🐶Pick up your passport at any p...
26/09/2026

The Pooch Passport is back at Basildon Park, and we recruited Lando to help us celebrate!🐶

Pick up your passport at any participating National Trust property, and every time you visit a new place with your four-legged friend make sure to get a stamp. 5 stamps earns you a pack of treats, and a whopping 10 stamps receives a limited edition pin badge. You have until 28 February 2027 to participate.

The Pooch Passport is run in partnership with Forthglade: Natural Pet Food.

National Trust | Connor/Laura

23/09/2026

Only one more week to see Silhouettes of Society at Basildon Park! The last day to see the exhibition is on Wednesday 30 September.



National Trust | Ellie

Throughout October, Basildon Park will be closed on several days due to a filming project happening on site. 🎥On Tuesday...
22/09/2026

Throughout October, Basildon Park will be closed on several days due to a filming project happening on site. 🎥
On Tuesday 6 and Thursday 22, the mansion and tearoom will be closed for preparations. The rest of site including the gardens, shop and Toolshed kiosk will be open from 10am.
The whole site will be closed from Wednesday 7 to Wednesday 21 October.

Thank you for your patience whilst we’re closed. The valuable funding goes towards vital conservation work across the house, gardens and parkland. We’ll be open again very soon for autumn fun and adventures. 🍁

National Trust | Ellie

16/09/2026

Did you know it’s only 100 days until Christmas?!

This festive season, Basildon Park presents the Magic of the Musicals with sparkling decorations inspired by the characters and stories of a night at the theatre.

Basildon will be decorated for Christmas between Saturday 14 November to Sunday 3 January.

National Trust Images | Ellie

We're Going on a Ghost Hunt ™ this Halloween at Basildon Park👻24 October - 8 November👻Based on the bestselling children’...
14/09/2026

We're Going on a Ghost Hunt ™ this Halloween at Basildon Park

👻24 October - 8 November👻

Based on the bestselling children’s books, this Halloween the Bunnies of Hoppity Hill are setting off on an adventure to find the ghosts hidden around Basildon Park with heaps of exciting things to see and do along the way. ​

™ Illustrations by Cherie Zamazing, based on the original characters created by Laura Hughes, copyright © Bloomsbury Publishing 2023​

13/09/2026

We know… we’re very lucky. ✨

National Trust | Ellie

We’re very excited to welcome you for Heritage Open Days next week!Between Monday 14 - Friday 18 September, visit Basild...
11/09/2026

We’re very excited to welcome you for Heritage Open Days next week!

Between Monday 14 - Friday 18 September, visit Basildon Park for free as part of England’s largest festival of history and culture.

The whole site will be open as usual to explore, including the Silhouettes of Society exhibition in the mansion. With the exhibition closing on 30 September, make sure to catch it before it’s too late!

©️National Trust | Arnhel de Serra

Address

Lower Basildon
Reading
RG89NR

Opening Hours

Monday 10am - 5pm
Tuesday 10am - 5pm
Wednesday 10am - 5pm
Thursday 10am - 5pm
Friday 10am - 5pm
Saturday 10am - 5pm
Sunday 10am - 4pm

Telephone

+441491672382

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