Hartland Abbey
With monastic roots, the lived-in family home of the Stucley family.
Bideford, Devon, EX39 6DT
Facilities
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Accessible loos
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Accessible parking
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Cafe / restaurant
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Facilities for children
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Free parking
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Parkland / open spaces
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Pet friendly
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Shop
Hartland Abbey and its gardens, being an old house built across a narrow steep-sided valley, is not easily accessible for wheelchairs unfortunately. Wide steps with a handrail lead to the front door with access to the main reception rooms. Illustrated folders of images of the upstair rooms are provided for those unable to walk up stairs. Wheelchair access is flat leading to the exhibitions including ‘William Stukeley – Saviour of Stonehenge’ and ‘Filming at Hartland Abbey since 1934’, tea room, shop and museum. We sadly regret we cannot allow mobility scooters access to the house as the passages are too narrow.
Room descriptions in large type are available to those with impaired vision. Stewards in the main reception rooms are there to assist our visitors.
A small car park situated next to the Walled Gardens is solely for the use of those with walking difficulties. The Walled Gardens have a few steps due to the contour of the land.
We do everything we possibly can to help our visitors. If you have a specific query please ring 01237441496/234.
Hartland Abbey was built in the twelfth century across a narrow, wooded valley leading to an Atlantic cove a short walk away. Henry VIII gifted the Abbey to The Keeper of his Wine Cellar, whose descendants live here today. Architecture and decoration span the mediaeval, Queen Anne, Georgian, Regency, and Victorian periods.
Not only can visitors experience the stunning interiors, collections, beautiful woodland and walled gardens and walks to the beach at Blackpool Mill, but the Abbey exudes the warmth and friendliness only found in a family home cherished for generations. Close family connections to Poltimore House and Clovelly Court nearby are evident.
Exhibitions of recent filming, historic photographs from family albums, seals from mediaeval times, and much more fascinate visitors.
Guided tours available by prior booking.
Important information: opening info is generated by artificial intelligence; check specific attraction details before travelling.
The indicator above will show ‘open’ when the public have any kind of access to any part of this property. That could be the park, a shop, or a special event, and may not reflect regular admission times to the main attraction. Always consult the website of the house or garden you intend to visit before travelling to check that the attraction you are interested in is open.
Hartland Abbey and Gardens is a historic attraction located in North Devon, offering a variety of experiences for visitors. Below is a detailed summary of its opening times and events for 2026:
General Opening Times
The Abbey and Gardens will reopen for the season on Mothering Sunday, 15th March 2026, from 11:00 AM to 4:00 PM, for the annual Daffodil Day. The main season runs from Sunday, 29th March 2026, to Thursday, 1st October 2026, open from Sundays to Thursdays inclusive, plus Good Friday. No prebooking is required, and payment is made on arrival at the kiosk.
Special Events
- Daffodil Day: 15th March 2026, 11:00 AM to 4:00 PM. Special entry prices: Adults £10, Children (5-15) £1, under 5s free. Entry to the house is an additional £5, open from 12:00 PM to 3:00 PM.
- Bluebell Sundays: 12th and 19th April 2026, 11:00 AM to 5:00 PM. Special entry prices: Adults £12, Children (5-15) £1, under 5s free. Entry to the house is an additional £5, open from 2:00 PM to 5:00 PM.
- Easter Bunny Hunts: Easter Sunday and Monday, 11:00 AM to 5:00 PM. Regular entry prices apply.
- Outdoor Theatre Performances: Various dates in summer 2026, starting at 6:30 PM. Free entry to the grounds for theatre-goers from 5:00 PM. Bring your own seating and picnics.
Admission Prices
- House, Gardens, Grounds, Beachwalk, and Exhibitions: Adults £18.50, Children (5-15) £6, under 5s free.
- Gardens, Grounds, Beachwalk, and Exhibitions only: Adults £15, Children (5-15) £5, under 5s free.
- Family tickets and group rates are available.
Additional Information
The Old Kitchen Tea Rooms serve homemade light lunches and cream teas, open from 11:00 AM. Dogs are welcome on leads in the gardens and grounds. The house is partially accessible for wheelchairs, and the gardens have some accessible areas.
For further details, contact the Administrator at 01237 441496 or 441234.
Free entry for Historic Houses members (special events excluded). No pre-booking required.
Adults: House, Exhibitions, Gardens and Walks £17.50
Adults: Gardens, Exhibitions, Walks £14
Registered disabled: House, Exhibitions, Gardens and Walks £14
Registered disabled: Gardens, Exhibitions, Gardens and Walks £8
Wheelchair users: £7 for house and exhibitions; £5 for gardens
Children 5-15: £6 House and gardens; £5 gardens only
Family (2-3 children): House and gardens £39; Gardens and exhibitions only £30
We welcome groups to the Abbey and gardens. Please see our website for group rates or ring Theresa on 01237441496.
Guided tours of the house are available by prior request and take approximately 45 minutes- 1hr. Allow extra time for the gardens, woodland walk to beach, lunch and cream tea. (Average visit 2½ – 3 hours inc. gardens, grounds).
If you are a special interest group please tell us so that we can arrange a tour with either Sir Hugh or Lady Stucley, or a guide with specific knowledge. For tours with Sir Hugh or Lady Stucley there will be an extra charge.
Sir Hugh and Lady Stucley now welcome private groups of 12-60 people at times other than when we are open to the public. Lunches and dinners for special occasions in the panelled Dining Room with its huge, circular, segmented table by Jupe, specialist tours or small conferences can be catered for.
We welcome educational visits provided they are well supervised. Please see our group rates and contact Theresa on 01237441496.
Hartland Abbey and its gardens, being an old house built across a narrow steep-sided valley, is not easily accessible for wheelchairs unfortunately. Wide steps with a handrail lead to the front door with access to the main reception rooms. Illustrated folders of images of the upstair rooms are provided for those unable to walk up stairs. Wheelchair access is flat leading to the exhibitions including ‘William Stukeley – Saviour of Stonehenge’ and ‘Filming at Hartland Abbey since 1934’, tea room, shop and museum. We sadly regret we cannot allow mobility scooters access to the house as the passages are too narrow.
Room descriptions in large type are available to those with impaired vision. Stewards in the main reception rooms are there to assist our visitors.
A small car park situated next to the Walled Gardens is solely for the use of those with walking difficulties. The Walled Gardens have a few steps due to the contour of the land.
We do everything we possibly can to help our visitors. If you have a specific query please ring 01237441496/234.
Getting here
Bideford, Devon, EX39 6DT
Five miles west of Clovelly through Hartland Village en route to Hartland Quay. Turn off A39: 15 miles west of Bideford, 15 miles north of Bude. M5: Junction 27 follow North Devon Link Road to Hartland.
Nearest airports Exeter and Bristol. Trains to Barnstaple via Exeter.
Local bus service from Barnstaple station and Bideford to Hartland village.
Visiting Hartland Abbey
Amongst the impressive interiors spanning Mediaeval, Queen Anne, Georgian, Regency and Victorian periods you can see the three main Reception Rooms, the fabulous Alhambra Corridor by Sir George Gilbert Scott and the Gothic Library by Meadows with its fireplace by Batty Langley. Important paintings by artists including Reynolds and Gainsborough, furniture, porcelain, early photographs, a museum of documents from 1160 and changing displays of family memorabilia fascinate visitors.
Much of the 50 acres of gardens and woodland walks had been lost since the First World War but since restoration began in 1996 once again there are beautiful paths through bulbs, rhododendrons, azaleas, camellias and hydrangeas; the Bog Garden and Fernery, by Gertrude Jekyll, thrive again.
In the three 18th-century Walled Gardens climbers, herbaceous, tender perennials and vegetables delight and glasshouses protect stunning plants for display in the house. Walk through carpets of primroses, historic daffodils, bluebells and wildflowers to the newly restored Summerhouse in the woods, the Gazebo and Blackpool Mill with its beautiful beach and cottage, a popular film location.
Home to the Dashwood family in Jane Austen’s ‘Sense and Sensibility’, it has recently been the location for Rosamunde Pilcher’s ‘The Shell Seekers’and the Lanyon in ‘The Night Manager’ with Tom Hiddleston. In 2017 the Hartland Abbey Estate was used for the filming of ‘The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society’ starring Lily James.
Our popular displays include ‘William Stukeley – Saviour of Stonehenge’ and ‘Filming on the Hartland Abbey Estate since 1934’. Access to our exhibitions, museum, gift shop and display of early photographs are accessible from 11am with an entry ticket to the gardens.
Donkeys, black sheep and peacocks roam. Children’s Quiz. Holiday cottages to rent. Hartland Abbey adjoins the SW Coastal Footpath in an area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. Free parking. Gift Shop. 1 mile from Hartland Quay and St. Nectan’s Church, the Cathedral of North Devon.
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