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Godolphin
An ancient and atmospheric estate with a medieval garden and historic house
Godolphin Cross, Helston, Cornwall, TR13 9RE
Important notice
Due to the Met Office warnings of severe weather, Godolphin gardens, outbuildings and tea room will be closed on Sunday 22nd December.
Opening times for 22 December 2024
Asset Opening time House Closed Estate Dawn - Dusk Garden 10:00 - 16:00 Tea-room 10:00 - 16:00 Outbuildings 10:00 - 16:00 MTWTFSS2526272829301234567891011121314151617181920212223242526272829303112345OpenPartially openClosedGodolphin
Ticket type Gift aid Standard Adult £13.20 £12.00 Child £6.60 £6.00 Family £33.00 £30.00 1 adult family (3 children) £19.80 £18.00 Become a member and discover more than 500 places
Bookshop
Second hand bookshop - generally open from 10-4, but we may not have volunteer cover some days, so if you particularly want to visit the bookshop please call ahead to check.
Guided tour
Guided tours available on select days. Please call ahead for further information.
Car park
Please use What3Words to locate to Godolphin carpark: quit.warms.casually. We have three carparks on site, including an accessible car park, which is located at the top of the track, opposite the entrance. Please note the car park payment meters are cash only. National Trust members park for free. All day parking is £5.
Tea-room
The Piggery tea-room offers a range of hot and cold drinks, cakes and light lunches. There are children's and vegan options available. Last orders in the tea-room are 30 minutes before closing time.
Cycle parking
Cycle parking is located opposite the Welcome Hut.
Toilet
Toilets available in the Piggery and listed loos near the orchard. Accessible toilet available in the Piggery.
Dogs allowed
Dogs (on short leads) are welcome everywhere within Godolphin’s garden and outbuildings, including the tea-room. Assistance dogs only inside the house and King's Room. Dogs must also be kept on a lead on the farmland of Godolphin estate, including Godolphin Hill, due to livestock grazing. Dogs under close control are also welcome on the wider estate.
Uneven terrain with some steep slopes and steps. Accessible parking and drop-off point available. Powered mobility vehicle (Tramper) available to hire. Accessible toilet in Piggery tea-room. Also BSL tours on tablet, easy-read guide, large print guide and visual story available.
Accessible route and/or map
Narrow corridors
In the House when open.
Accessible toilet
Located in the Piggery tea-room.
Photograph album
Available in the Piggery tea-room and King's Room.
Braille (guide or menu)
Powered mobility vehicle available
An electric mobility Tramper is available to hire with pre-booking essential via e-mail (godolphin@nationaltrust.org.uk).
Designated parking
Accessible parking available for all visitors with accessible requirements. This carpark is located at the top of the entrance driveway.
Ramped access/slopes
There is ramped access to the orchard and to the courtyard.
Drop-off point
Seating available
Induction loop
Induction loops at till points in welcome hut and Piggery. Induction loop facility also available for guided tours.
Steps/uneven terrain
The terrain at Godolphin is uneven and sloping in places.
Large print (guide or menu)
Virtual tour
British Sign Language Tours on tablet available to hire from the welcome hut.
Level access to food outlet
Wheelchairs available
All terrain wheelchair available to hire from the welcome hut.
By road
Please note that many SatNavs do not accurately locate Godolphin. We recommend using What3Words (///quit.warms.casually) and following signs to Godolphin. From Helston take A394 to Sithney Common, turn right onto B3302 to Leedstown, turn left, follow signs. From Hayle B3302 to Leedstown, turn right, follow brown signs. From West, B3280 through Goldsithney, turn right at Townshend. Please follow brown signs for the car park.
Parking: National Trust members park free, please scan your membership card for a ticket from the machine. Up to 1 hour parking is £1.50 per vehicle, up to 2 hours parking is £2.50 per vehicle, and all day parking charge is £5 per vehicle. Blue badge holders park for free. We have three small carparks, and 5 accessible car parking spaces.
Sat Nav: Please note that many SatNavs do not accurately locate Godolphin. We recommend using What3Words (///quit.warms.casually) and following signs to Godolphin.
By train
Hayle 5 miles, Camborne 9 miles, Penzance 9.6 miles.
By bus
Bus No 39 Helston to Camborne via Sithney, Townshend and Leedstown, Bus No 39A Penzance to Camborne via Leedstown, then Bus No 39 from Townshend
By bicycle
We kindly request that cycles and scooters are parked in our cycle parking, which is outside the Welcome Hut.
Planning your visit
Article
Christmas at Godolphin
Enjoy a festive visit to Godolphin this Christmas. See the house decorated in its Christmas finery, enjoy Carol singers and have a go at crafting some Christmas decorations.
What's on at Godolphin
Find out more about the upcoming events planned at Godolphin.
Article
Visiting Godolphin with your dog
Godolphin is a two pawprint rated place. Take a gentle walk around the garden or head up to Godolphin hill for expansive country views. Find out all you need to know to enjoy your time here with your dog.
PDF
Article
Your accessible visit to Godolphin
We have numerous ways to make your visit to Godolphin as accessible as possible. Find out all you need to know here.
Highlights
Godolphin Garden
One of Cornwall’s most important medieval gardens on the national Register of Parks and Gardens as Grade II*-listed.
Estate
More than 500 acres of countryside, including sheltered woods, river banks and Godolphin hill, all set within a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Piggery tea-room
Tea-room housed inside the Piggery with original slate stalls. Serving hot and cold drinks and cakes. Last orders are 30 minutes before closing time.
Godolphin House
Grade I-listed house begun in the late 1400s with later additions. Family wealth hit by recession in the 19th century, resulting in the ghost of a great house you see today. Open to the public for the first week of every month, from the first Saturday to Thursday (except January).
Farm buildings
Grade II-listed farm buildings demonstrating the change at Godolphin from a great house to a tenanted farm.
Mary's Wood
Mary's Wood incorporates barefoot trail, mud pie kitchen and circular stroll through this recently planted woodland area.
Spotlight events
Upcoming events at Godolphin
Find out more about all the exciting events we have planned this season.
Things to see and do
Article
Things to do in the garden at Godolphin
Godolphin’s garden paths provide a natural space that’s rich in history. Find out how the garden provides a home to the native Cornish bee. Explore the orchard, side garden paddock and King’s Garden.
Article
Christmas at Godolphin
Enjoy a festive visit to Godolphin this Christmas. See the house decorated in its Christmas finery, enjoy Carol singers and have a go at crafting some Christmas decorations.
Visiting the house at Godolphin
Godolphin House is open to the public for the first week of every month from the first Saturday to the following Thursday, except January. Find out more about our opening times here.
Article
Family-friendly things to do at Godolphin
Take a look at what family-friendly events and activities we have at Godolphin. Get mucky in the mud-pie kitchen, explore nature up-close with the barefoot trail and enjoy the wide open spaces of nature in the gardens.
Article
Exploring the estate at Godolphin
Discover the countryside and find out how a herd of cows can help butterflies to thrive. Take walks with far reaching views across the Cornish coast and discover local legend in this ancient landscape.
Article
Wildworks: 'This is Me'
‘This is Me’ is one of seventeen artworks produced for Hello Stranger, a Cornwall-wide community engagement programme created by Wildworks and supported by National Trust properties in Cornwall and the communities they serve.
Eating
Godolphin Piggery Tea-Room
No visit to Godolphin is complete without a stop-off in the Piggery tea-room. Enjoy a selection of warm pasties, sandwiches, cakes, and cream teas which can be accompanied with a good choice of hot and cold drinks. Well-behaved dogs on leads are welcome in the tea-room. Please note that last orders are 30 minutes before closing time.
Outdoor activities
Activity
Running at Godolphin
Get outdoors and get fit at Godolphin. Take part in our monthly Trust10 running trail and discover the countryside estate at the same time. Suitable for 5k and 10k running abilities.
Top trails
Trail
Godolphin Hill walk
This gentle ramble up to the top of Godolphin Hill will reward you with some of the most impressive views over West Cornwall you can find.
Trail
Trencrom Hill trail
Take a walk up Trencrom Hill, not far from Godolphin, for breath-taking views from the top. It's the ideal hill for a quiet walk with a view.
Places to stay
Godolphin House
Combining 17th-century luxury with modern décor, this large manor provides a memorable stay.
Degibna Lower Pentire Barn
A sophisticated barn conversion with a timber-frame ceiling and views over Carminowe Creek.
Powders
A sophisticated wood cabin with expansive views over Frenchman’s Creek.
Whitstone Cottage
A traditional white-washed cottage with a thatched roof and a country rustic interior.
Helston Lodge
Perching above the Loe, this former gate lodge is the perfect lakeside location.
Degibna Lower Pentire Farm House
A lakeside hideaway with a country cottage interior and an enclosed garden.
Penrose Stables
A contemporary apartment in an 18th-century stable block on the Penrose estate.
Bar Lodge
A stay with a view, this remote hideaway perches just above Loe Bar Beach.
Upcoming events
Event
Trust 10
Get outdoors and get fit with the Trust10 running trail through the countryside of Godolphin.
Event
Visit the house at Godolphin
Venture into Godolphin House and discover the rich history within the walls of this once great mining powerhouse. Find out more about those who lived here and lives they led, in what was once Cornwall's largest and finest house.
About Godolphin
Discover Godolphin, rich in archaeology and wildlife. Travel back in time as you wander around the 16th-century garden, one of the most important historic gardens in Europe.
Explore the wider estate, boasting Leeds engine house and stack, the remains of the Godolphin family mine. Don’t forget to visit Godolphin Hill on the south-westerly reaches of the estate. Here you can breathe in some of the best views in Cornwall looking out over St Ives Bay to the north and the famous St Michael’s Mount to the south.
Disappear into the tranquil and mysterious woodland, where the years of mining have left an unnatural, undulating landscape.
History
Article
History of Godolphin
Added to the UNESCO World Heritage list, Godolphin has special status. Find out about the people who lived here and how they created their wealth from the estate.
Our work
Project
Project
Cornish coastal meadows project
We are working to create 250 hectares of new species rich grassland at National Trust sites across Cornwall. The project, due to be completed by 2026, will help us rise to the twin challenges of biodiversity loss and climate change.
Art and collections
Godolphin's objects and collections
Explore the objects and works of art we care for at Godolphin on the National Trust Collections website.