Basildon Park a National Trust country estate in Berkshire

Basildon Park is a beautiful rural estate located just a few kilometres from the charming village of Goring-on-Thames and a little over seventy kilometres from London.

The estate, along with its extensive gardens, parkland, and woodland, is currently owned by the charitable organization National Trust, which cares for heritage sites in the United Kingdom. In my opinion, it is one of the most respected institutions I know.

Basildon Park tours and attractions of a beautiful estate

Exploring Basildon Park is best begun with a stroll through its extensive green spaces, of course, if the whimsical English weather permits. I recommend a walk through the wooded, flower-filled park, where numerous paths and mysterious trails lead through its most picturesque parts.

Within the estate, you’ll find charming spots for picnics and playgrounds. Of course, the park can be enjoyed not only in spring or summer. Even in winter, Basildon Park beckons for a visit; during this time, the park undergoes a dramatic transformation, becoming darker, more mysterious, and incredibly intriguing. And you can always step inside the house, where it’s cozy, warm, and inviting.

Garden in Basildon Park

The grounds surrounding the historic house were reorganized and redesigned in the 19th century. The result of the gardeners’ work is a recreational area and a charming garden, perfect for leisurely walks on warm days. However, throughout the past century, this garden had its ups and downs. For years, it lay abandoned, only to flourish again and then be forgotten once more.

Currently, the entire area is well-maintained and beautifully prepared, especially the floral section, which is worth seeing. Thanks to the many species of roses cultivated on the estate for years, this place has an incredible charm. During your visit, remember that some rose bushes have won prestigious awards at numerous exhibitions. Pay particular attention to the old rose called Rozamunda. It’s a white rose with such an intense fragrance that flower enthusiasts from around the world line up for cuttings.

Another bush, no less famous than Rozamunda, is Madame Boll with flowers in a noble pink colour and a warm, sweet scent. I, personally, love flowers, although due to my frequent travels, I can’t devote too much attention to them. But if I were to settle down permanently someday, a bush similar to Madame Boll would be my dream.

Behind the house, there are recreational areas with numerous old trees and evergreen shrubs, making the estate look like it’s nestled in a park. Among the trees lies another rose garden established by Lady Lliffe, designed in the 1960s.

All this green richness looks best from the terrace at the back of the house, built from stone blocks in 1850. In my opinion, it’s also the perfect spot for a picnic.

Ground floor

The first room we entered were the Garden Room on the ground floor of the house, offering a beautiful view of the greenery through its substantial window. It’s the central part of the house, adjacent to the Octagonal Drawing Room, which is an open space with eight walls, stretching throughout the house up to the attic.

On the ground floor, this space is arranged as a large salon with numerous antique furniture pieces, paintings, and artworks. The salon walls are covered in red felt, chosen to be the perfect backdrop for the paintings hanging on them. Have a look at our gallery, and you’ll see that Lady Lliffe, who designed the interior, did an excellent job. The room looks stunning, making it difficult to leave.

In the Garden Room, pay attention to the panoramic wallpaper made by the French company Zuber. For over 250 years, this company has been producing embossed wallpapers on special order, using old techniques that haven’t changed for centuries.

Other rooms on the ground floor include a tearoom for guests and the former summer breakfast room, which in the past served as a billiard room.

First floor of a big house

The first floor of Basildon Park, known as the “Noble Floor,” was designated for family and the most important guests visiting the estate.

The architect, when designing the house, created a structure with classical shapes, full of symmetry and mathematical precision, but took an entirely different approach to its interior. It was a very bold and modern move. The rooms in the house vary in size and have asymmetrical shapes. An example is the octagonal room, which contradicts the external symmetry of the house. This adds charm to the building, and a stroll through it can be quite surprising.

The first floor was divided into spaces for women and separate areas where men spent their leisure time. A particularly interesting place in the “male” part is the beautiful library with a substantial collection of books, maps, and documents. I love libraries, especially the old ones, slightly dusty and with a specific smell.

In the other rooms on the first floor, you’ll find the dressing rooms of Sir Francis Sykes and Lady Sykes. The lady’s bedroom and the private sitting room of the homeowner, which currently serves as the gallery of the artist Graham Sutherland, are also located here.

Among the communal areas on the first floor are several interconnected rooms, a spacious hall, and the octagonal drawing-room, where you’ll see a gilded ceiling with carved panels imitating Italian Renaissance style. They were installed in 1840 and for years aroused envy in other noble visitors to the estate. An additional attraction in this part of the house is the Venetian windows, through which daylight illuminates precious paintings and antique furniture inside the room.

Next is the huge dining room with a large, perpetually set table. Over the centuries, this was a room that was redesigned and refurnished according to the latest fashion. However, today it looks very similar to its original form.

The next room is the relatively modern kitchen, installed by Lady Lliffe in the 1950s. The original kitchen is located in a separate wing of the house, and meals prepared there had to be delivered to the dining room through the courtyard of the house. Perhaps it made sense in the days when Basildon Park employed a lot of staff, but nowadays, it was impractical, and it was easier to cook right next to the dining room, especially since Lady loved to supervise. The Green Salon separates the kitchen from the dining room, formerly serving as a less formal dining room, now a small salon in neoclassical style. Importantly, the fireplace in the Green Salon is one of the few original parts of the house and looks fantastic.

Top floor and room with shells

The top floor of the house never held much significance and was typically allocated for bedrooms for less important guests or simply used as storage spaces. However, I particularly enjoy such places, which are famous repositories where old and out-of-sync objects are stored.

Here, you can find incredible furniture, outdated household appliances, clothing, old firearms, and porcelain that have been replaced by more modern versions. There are cages with stuffed animals, miniature landscapes enclosed in large jars, once the pride of the homeowners.

In the corners lie old carpets, paintings that no longer fit the rooms, and a whole mass of everything that is obsolete and forgotten. It’s an impressive place, unfortunately often inaccessible to visiting guests.

Utility rooms

I don’t know about you, but I truly enjoy exploring old estates from the perspective of their utility rooms. Kitchens, pantries, laundries, and other spaces where the staff ensured the proper functioning of the house are, in my opinion, very interesting and tell us more about the heritage than the opulent and glamorous rooms intended for their owners.

The northern part of Basildon Park served precisely this function. Here are the rooms where the numerous staff worked and lived. Wandering through the labyrinth of corridors, you’ll come across a large kitchen and a slightly smaller pantry. Further on are warehouses where food and everything needed in a house of such size were stored. I even stumbled upon a former dairy, where homemade cheeses, curds, and other dairy products were prepared.

In the basement of the house are wine cellars and office and staff rooms.

Basildon Park and its interesting history

Carr, who was considered the most talented architect in Western England at the time. Carr, based most of his projects on the Palladian style, characterized by moderation in decorations and classical monumentality. Such is Basildon Park, large, massive, and spacious.

Although the construction of the estate started according to plan, its completion dragged on until the mid-19th century, when the property was acquired by James Morrison, the ancestor of the later founders of the popular Morrison stores across the UK. It was James who completed the construction of Basildon Park and adorned the estate with valuable furniture, paintings by renowned masters, and other works of art.

During the First World War, the house was requisitioned by the British government, which used it as a convalescent home for wounded soldiers. After the war, the house changed hands again, with the new owner stripping the old estate of valuable details, such as fireplaces and ornamental facade parts, to adorn his own home. Basildon Park was once again put up for sale.

The next owner of the house, George Ferdinando, came up with a clever idea. He took advantage of the popular American trend of living in estates styled after old European manners and put Basildon Park up for sale in the United States. For the price of 1 million dollars, he committed to dismantle the house into small parts and reassemble it in a location chosen by the new owner in the USA. Despite considerable interest from American millionaires, the idea did not pan out, and only the furnishings of the house were sold off.

Today, the dining room furnishings from Basildon Park can be seen in the Waldorf-Astoria hotel in New York. Doors, windows, and doorframes designed by Carr are in the Metropolitan Museum of Art and several other institutions across the United States.

Unfortunately, the subsequent years were not kind to the estate. The beautiful house, standing in the heart of a vast park, was almost destroyed during the Second World War. When it seemed that the estate could not be saved, it was purchased by Lord and Lady Lliffe in the 1950s.

Thanks to Lady Lliffe’s incredible ingenuity and talent and her husband, Lord Lliffe’s wealth, Basildon Park was restored to its former glory. Old, restored furniture and furnishings were purchased for the house. Paintings by old masters once again adorned the walls, and the spacious interiors sparkled with luxury once more. This is the house you will see when visiting Basildon Park, and I highly recommend it.

Basildon Park is one of many estates across Britain, and it does not stand out with a spectacular style, unusual architecture, or the influence it exerted on Victorian England. Similarly, the furnishings of the house, although pretty and suitably chosen, do not possess great museum value. Paintings and furniture were bought more to look good in the rooms than for their value. However, I believe this place deserves a visit, if only because of the enormous work and heart put into its maintenance by successive owners. I recommend spending a day visiting Basildon Park, and believe me, you won’t regret it.

Basildon Park facts, information, and curiosities

• The address of Basildon Park is: Lower Basildon, Reading, Berkshire, RG8 9NR.
• The estate is open from 10:00 to 17:00, and the house from 11:00 to 17:00.
• Ticket prices (unless you’re a National Trust member, in which case entry is free) are £17 for adults and £8.50 for children.
• The estate features a souvenir shop, parking (free for National Trust members), toilets, a café, a flower, and plant shop, as well as a second-hand bookshop.
• Dogs are allowed on leads throughout the park and gardens.
• The paths in the park are gravel, and on rainy days, they may become muddy and soft, which could make it difficult to navigate with a wheelchair.

• Mentions of the areas adjacent to the estate date back to the Domesday Book of 1086.
• In the village of Goring-on-Thames, near Basildon Park, the British singer George Michael was born and passed away.
• Basildon Park was used as a filming location for the series “Bridgerton,” based on the bestselling novel by Julia Quinn, which follows the lives of eight siblings from the English upper class.
• The grounds around the house span over 400 acres of parks, woodland, and gardens.
• The park is criss-crossed with a network of paths and trails laid out to allow visitors to reach all the interesting spots.
• Within the park are ancient trees, classified as natural monuments, as well as valuable rose bushes.
• During World War II, the house was repurposed as a hospital and training ground for American commandos. The building was so heavily damaged that after the war, there were discussions about demolishing the old estate.
• The present appearance of the estate is thanks to Lady Lliffe, who dedicated her entire life and immense wealth to restoring Basildon Park to its former glory.
• For more attractions that we visited in England, please visit the British section on our website.

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