Layer Marney Tower
Magnificent Tudor gatehouse in rural Essex countryside.
Colchester, Essex, CO5 9US
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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Mostly wheelchair accessible
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Pet friendly
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Picnic area
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Shop
- Accessible parking
- Accessible toilets
- Guide dogs welcome
- Wheelchair ramps/routes
Access to the gardens, the church, tea room and shop are possible in a wheelchair. The play area has a large disc swing. We have a toilet fitted for wheelchair access.
There is no lift up the tower but if you are coming to a wedding or conference there is a lift to the Corsellis Room.
Some pieces from the Crowns and Crests exhibition are displayed on the ground floor in the Hall of the Tower
The tallest Tudor gatehouse in the country, Layer Marney Tower was built in the 1520s by Lord Marney, friend to both Henry VII and Henry VIII.
A statement house, of grand design, decorated with ornate terracotta, Layer Marney has been a family home for over 500 years. Lord Marney planned a much larger house, with three additional wings built round a grand central courtyard, but he died before it was finished and his only son died two years later. There is still plenty to see…
This year Layer Marney Tower is commemorating 500 years since the death of Henry 1st Lord Marney, builder of Layer Marney Tower. His beautiful towering Gatehouse is part of the front façade of the incomplete palace he intended to build.
Wander the gardens, climb the tower, see the Marney Family effigy tombs in the Church, explore the countryside around. There is a Tea Room, Shop and Play Area.
There are Exhibitions at different levels as you climb the tower. In total there are 45 Crowns and Crests, on loan from the College of Arms, from the Knights of Garter and which originally stood in St George’s Chapel in Windsor. The Map and Linen Room have some of the Victor Batte-Lay Foundations pictures and, on the first floor is a collection of over 30 Miniatures and Dolls Houses loaned by the English family.
There is a model of what the Tower might have looked like if Lord Marney had lived longer. There is a medieval barn and the Tudor stables were converted into our Long Gallery in Edwardian times. Wander through the gardens to the church, before enjoying a cup of tea and cake in the Stables Tea Room.
Invitation to View tours
The tour will be from one end of the building to the other, going through the private parts of the family home as well as some of the larger rooms not open to the general visitor. It is mainly on the ground and first floor and follows a different route to any other tours. Most tours are arranged on days when the place opens in the afternoon which allows you to return to as a normal visitor to the tower, gardens and church at no extra cost, until 5pm.
Tours that are scheduled will be listed below. If none are scheduled yet, please check back later, or find other tours you might enjoy on our tours listing page here.
Please note: The information on the Historic Houses website is advisory, but please always check the website of the house or garden you intend to visit before travelling.
16 Apr – 19 July Sunday & Wednesday
23 July – 31 Aug Sunday, Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday & Thursday
3 Sept – 1 Oct Sunday & Wednesday
Historic Houses members visit for free.
Adults £10.00
Children Under 13 Free
13+/Students £7.00
Groups, clubs and coaches welcome on pre booked tours any time
Guided Tours are welcome any day throughout the year.
Groups that want to wander at their own pace are welcome on the days we are open to visitors
Please contact us to book either a Guided Tour or Group Visit, 01206 330784.
Schools welcome
We cover lesson plans for EYFS, KS1, KS2 and KS3. An educational visit to Layer Marney Tower is a fantastic experience for your children, however much they have learnt in school, if they are studying the Tudors, it is when they meet a “cunning woman” for “real” and are offered some of her cures for their common ailments – a live frog down the throat for a sore throat, etc or realise that nettles were a staple food for peasants, Tudor life comes to life.
Although we are a Tudor building, there has been habitation on this site for hundreds of years. Therefore we have new courses that can fit in with the new Curriculum.
Our education team is very adaptable and we can fit into your school’s needs, so if you don’t see the type of course you were looking for, do ask, it is likely we can accommodate you, writing a new lesson just for your school, or adapting one of our stock lessons.
In September we are holding a History Festival based around the Tudors and Henry , 1st Lord Marney, which will be very interesting for those studying A’level or degree level History.
Contact us on 01206 330 784
info@layermarneytower.co.uk
Look on our 500 page of the website (www.layermarneytower.co.uk/500) to see the tours on offer for Friday 14th July, the first of the 3 days re construction of Henry 1st Lord Marney’s Funeral procession, starting at the College of Arms, Queen Victoria Street London.
- Accessible parking
- Accessible toilets
- Guide dogs welcome
- Wheelchair ramps/routes
Access to the gardens, the church, tea room and shop are possible in a wheelchair. The play area has a large disc swing. We have a toilet fitted for wheelchair access.
There is no lift up the tower but if you are coming to a wedding or conference there is a lift to the Corsellis Room.
Some pieces from the Crowns and Crests exhibition are displayed on the ground floor in the Hall of the Tower
Layer Marney Tower, Essex
Layer Marney Tower, Essex
Layer Marney Tower, Essex
Layer Marney Tower, Essex
Layer Marney Tower, Essex
Did you know...
Henry VIII visited whilst the house was being built, he stayed for two nights.
Getting here
Colchester, Essex, CO5 9US
Postcode CO5 9US
Midway between Colchester and Tiptree, just off the B1022 Colchester to Tiptree road.
From London and the West: Leave the A12 at the Kelvedon turning (B1024). Drive through Kelvedon, crossing the river, and at the top of the hill turn right to Maldon and Tiptree (B1023). Follow this road for about two miles to a T-junction. Turn left to Colchester (B1022). Turn right after 2 miles, at the signpost to Layer Marney Tower. Follow the brown tourist signs to the Tower.
From Ipswich and the East: Turn off the A12 at the Halstead exit (B1124). Follow the signs to Maldon, through the “new builds” and at the B1022 turn right towards Tiptree and Maldon. After two miles you will see, on the right, the entrance to Birch Quarry, and soon after turn left at the brown tourist sign to Layer Marney Tower. Go straight over the crossroads and down the lane to the Layer Marney Tower entrance.
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