Bowood House & Gardens
Extensive gardens and parkland with Classical house at its heart, extensively remodelled in the mid-twentieth century.
Calne, Wiltshire, SN11 0LZ

Facilities
- Cafe / restaurant
- Easily accessible without car
- Facilities for children
- Free parking
- Parkland / open spaces
- Picnic area
- Shop
- Wheelchair ramps/routes
- Accessible toilets
- Accessible parking
- Guide dogs welcome
for the latest information.
Bowood House & Gardens; home to the Marquis and Marchioness of Lansdowne, surrounded by 2,000 acres of Grade 1 listed ‘Capability’ Brown parkland.
An enchanting landscape awaits you, with a flowing mix of plantations and sweeping lawns leading down to a mile long lake. Bowood House hosts a wealth of art and antiques, with many historical treasures, such as Napoleon’s death mask and Queen Victoria’s wedding chair. The Italian inspired terrace gardens and the herbaceous border surrounding the Georgian house makes the perfect day out.
Children will be entertained for hours, with an adrenaline fuelled adventure playground, with a life-size Pirate Ship, aerial walkways and balancing beams.
For the latest events at Bowood, see their website.
Open 1 April to 1 November, 11am to 6pm (last admission 5pm).
Not free for Historic Houses members. See Admission for details.
See their website to double check their opening times
This house is not part of the Free for Members scheme, but is one of many houses on our website that we support to promote their tours, weddings, filming and other commercial offerings. To see all the places you can visit as a Historic Houses member, please visit our ‘Free for Members’ listings page here. Or to find out more about how the membership scheme works and how it supports our work to protect independent heritage, visit our page here.
From 2022, Bowood House will no longer be offering free entry to Historic Houses members. If you live nearby and would like to visit Bowood frequently, you can purchase a season ticket on their website.
See Bowood’s website for details of Day Ticket entry prices.
This house is not part of the Free for Members scheme, but is one of many houses on our website that we support to promote their tours, weddings, filming and other commercial offerings. To see all the places you can visit as a Historic Houses member, please visit our ‘Free for Members’ listings page here. Or to find out more about how the membership scheme works and how it supports our work to protect independent heritage, visit our page here.
Whether you’re a tour operator, special interest group or planning to visit with friends and family, we have a variety of tours and packages at Bowood House & Gardens.
Contact
Bowood House & Gardens are now delighted to offer an educational programme for Primary Schools.
We can also offer the, recently renovated, Gardeners’ Bothy with its warm welcome and area for teaching and practical activity sessions. The facilities within Gardeners’ Bothy include an overhead projector, DVD player, sound system, table and chairs, lavatories and an area for refreshments. Children can either enjoy their packed lunch in the Gardeners’ Bothy or within the grounds.
- Wheelchair ramps/routes
- Accessible toilets
- Accessible parking
- Guide dogs welcome
for the latest information.
- The landscape around Bowood House was designed by ‘Capability’ Brown.
- Robert Adam worked on the interiors of the House.
- Dr Priestley identified Oxygen at Bowood House in 1774.
- Jan Ingenhousz worked on his discovery of Photosynthesis at Bowood House.
- Bowood House was a Red Cross Hospital during WWI and a school following the war.
Historic Houses nearby

Lydiard House & Park
Lydiard Park, Lydiard Tregoze, Swindon, Wiltshire, SN5 3PA

Corsham Court
Corhsam, Wiltshire, SN13 0BZ

Westonbirt House
Tetbury, Gloucestershire, GL8 8QG
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