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
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Cafe / restaurant
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Easily accessible without car
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Facilities for children
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Free parking
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Parkland / open spaces
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Picnic area
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Shop
- Wheelchair ramps/routes
- Accessible toilets
- Accessible parking
- Guide dogs welcome
Bowood House & Gardens; home to the Lansdowne Family, 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.
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.
Open 1 April to 2 November 2025, 10:30am to 5:30pm (last admission 4:30pm).
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
- Wheelchair ramps/routes
- Accessible toilets
- Accessible parking
- Guide dogs welcome
Getting here
Calne, Wiltshire, SN11 0LZ
Public Transport
Bus – Routes 33 and X33 (Chippenham to Devizes) go through Derry Hill village. Route 55 stops on the A4 close to the turning into Derry Hill village.
Train – The nearest main line station is at Chippenham. Taxis are available or take the 55 bus to Studley crossroads.
Driving
Please use the postcode SN11 0LZ. Bowood is easily accessible from the M4 at Junction 17 and is located between Chippenham and Calne, off the A4.
- 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
Corsham, Wiltshire, SN13 0BZ
Westonbirt House
Tetbury, Gloucestershire, GL8 8QG
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