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Godolphin
An ancient and atmospheric estate with a medieval garden and historic house
Godolphin Cross, Helston, Cornwall, TR13 9RE
Opening times for 29 April 2025
Asset Opening time House Closed Estate Dawn - Dusk Garden 10:00 - 17:00 Tea-room 10:00 - 17:00 Outbuildings 10:00 - 17:00 Last orders in the tea-room are 30 minutes before closing time.
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Ticket type With Gift Aid Without Gift Aid Adult (18+) £14.30 £13.00 Child (5-17) under 5s free £7.20 £6.50 Family (2 Adults and up to 3 children) £35.80 £32.50 1 adult + 3 children £21.50 £19.50 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.
- 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.
- Cycle parking
Cycle parking is located opposite the Welcome Hut.
- 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.
- Guided tour
Guided tours available on select days. Please call ahead for further information.
- Tea-room
The Piggery tea-room offers a range of hot and cold drinks, cakes and sandwiches. There are children's and vegan options available. No hot food offer available. Last orders in the tea-room are 30 minutes before closing time.
- Toilet
Toilets available in the Piggery and listed loos near the orchard. Accessible toilet available in the Piggery.
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
- Accessible toilet
Located in the Piggery tea-room.
- Braille (guide or menu)
- Designated parking
Accessible parking available for all visitors with accessible requirements. This carpark is located at the top of the entrance driveway.
- Drop-off point
- Induction loop
Induction loops at till points in welcome hut and Piggery. Induction loop facility also available for guided tours.
- Large print (guide or menu)
- Level access to food outlet
- Narrow corridors
In the House when open.
- Photograph album
Available in the Piggery tea-room and King's Room.
- Powered mobility vehicle available
An electric mobility Tramper is available to hire with pre-booking essential via e-mail (godolphin@nationaltrust.org.uk).
- Ramped access/slopes
There is ramped access to the orchard and to the courtyard.
- Seating available
- Steps/uneven terrain
The terrain at Godolphin is uneven and sloping in places.
- Virtual tour
British Sign Language Tours on tablet available to hire from the welcome hut.
- 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
- Cycling
We kindly request that cycles and scooters are parked in our cycle parking, which is outside the Welcome Hut.
Planning your visit
See the bluebells at Godolphin
Come to Godolphin to enjoy the annual displays of bluebells amongst the ancient woodland
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.
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.
PDF
Article
School visits to National Trust places in West Cornwall
In West Cornwall we have a range of beautiful, historical and natural places to visit with a school group.
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, cakes and sandwiches. Last orders are 30 minutes before closing time. No hot food offer available.
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.
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.
Eating
Godolphin Piggery Tea-Room
No visit to Godolphin is complete without a stop-off in the Piggery tea-room. Enjoy a selection of, 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 there is no hot food offer available and 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
Godolphin Woods Walk
This circular walking trail takes you through ancient woodland of Godolphin giving you a glimpse into the estates industrial mining past.
Trail
Godolphin Riverside walk
Follow this circular walk beside the River Hayle, and spot the nature and wildlife thriving in an area once heavily mined for tin, source of the Godolphin family's wealth.
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
See the Bluebells at Godolphin
Enjoy the annual carpet of bluebells at Godolphin this spring, and find out how you can help protect our native bluebells for generations to come.
Event
Godolphin Woods Walking Mining Tours
Enjoy a short walk through a mining landscape, with one of our volunteer guides, who will highlight the features of mining that remain and tell you more about the historic relationship between Godolphin and mining.
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.
Event
Guided wider estate walks at Godolphin
Join one of our volunteer walk leaders for a guided walk in nature, exploring the wider Godolphin estate.
Event
May Half Term at Godolphin
Join us for a mighty mini-beast adventure this May half term at Godolphin
Event
Trust 10
Get outdoors and get fit with the Trust10 running trail through the countryside of Godolphin.
Event
Miracle Theatre presents Twelfth Night
Miracle Theatre revisits Twelfth Night - Shakespeare’s joyous, chaotic comedy, where love knows no boundaries!
Event
Summer of Play at Godolphin
Are you ready for a summer of play? Join us at Godolphin for a summer chock-full of fun activities for all the family to enjoy.
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.
Support us
Article
Volunteering at Godolphin
There's a variety of volunteer roles to get involved with at Godolphin. Find out more about which roles are currently available and how you can get involved.
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.