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Speke Hall
A green oasis on the edge of Liverpool with a rare Tudor house at its heart
The Walk, Speke, Liverpool, L24 1XD
Important notice
Due to the Met Office warning of high winds, Speke Hall will be closed Saturday 23 November. We will reopen once a post storm inspection has taken place on Sunday 24 November
Opening times for 23 November 2024
Asset Opening time Hall Closed Gardens 10:30 - 16:00 Restaurant 10:30 - 15:30 MTWTFSS282930311234567891011121314151617181920212223242526272829301OpenPartially openClosedGrounds only
Ticket type Gift aid Standard Adult £13.20 £12.00 Child £6.60 £6.00 Family £33.00 £30.00 1 adult, 2 children £19.80 £18.00 Group Adult £10.50 Group Child £5.00 House and grounds
Ticket type Gift aid Standard Adult £18.70 £17.00 Child £9.40 £8.50 Family £46.80 £42.50 1 adult, 2 children £28.10 £25.50 Group Adult £15.00 Group Child £7.50 Become a member and discover more than 500 places
Bookshop
Second-hand bookshop at Home Farm, opening times vary
Restaurant
Home Farm restaurant open every day, serving a range of hot food, snacks, cakes and drinks
Car park
Tea-room
Stable Tea-Room open at weekends and during school holidays
Dogs allowed
Dogs on leads allowed in most areas of the grounds except kitchen garden, play areas, maze and Giant Childe of Hale trail. Assistance dogs only inside the house
Toilet
Toilets available at Home Farm and in Dairy Courtyard by the house including accessible toilets and baby-changing facilities
Guided tour
Limited indoor and outdoor guided tours available on most days on a first come, first served basis
Designated mobility parking spaces. Accessible toilets. Level entrance to house, ground floor wheelchair accessible. Garden mostly flat, some steep gradients.
Accessible toilet
Accessible toilets at Home Farm and in Dairy Courtyard by the house
Level access/terrain
Most paths in the formal garden are level access. The ground floor of the house is level access, however access to the first floor is by stairs only
Designated parking
Several designated parking spaces located close to Visitor Reception
Powered mobility vehicle available
Limited number available, please call us in advance to book a mobility scooter
Induction loop
Seating available
Benches located in various parts of the garden, picnic tables located on the orchard and at Home Farm
Level access to food outlet
Level access to Home Farm restaurant. Access to Stable Tea-Room is by ramp at the rear
Wheelchairs available
Limited number available, we recommend calling us in advance to book a wheelchair
Level access to shop
Level access to second-hand bookshop
By road
We are adjacent to Liverpool Airport and approx 1 mile off Speke Boulevard (A561). If traveling from motorways, follow the airport signs from M62 exit 6 or M56 exit 12, then the brown tourism signs for Speke Hall. If traveling from Liverpool city centre, follow the river south along Riverside Drive and look out for roadsigns to the airport or brown tourism signs for Speke Hall. Main gates will be locked at 5pm so please exit the car park before this time.
Parking: Free parking on site.
Sat Nav: Use L24 1XD for satnavs.
On foot
linked to Mersey Way footpath
By train
Speke Hall is 2 miles away from Liverpool South Parkway and Hunts Cross train stations. Both of these are on Merseyrail's Northern Line but South Parkway is also a stop on several cross country routes and other services which run into Liverpool Lime Street.
By bus
There are no bus services which run directly into the grounds but there are plenty which can set you down within ½ mile of the entrance to Speke Hall. Reception is a further ½ mile from this point. If travelling from the city centre, please take any of the buses running from Liverpool One bus station towards Liverpool Airport and ask the driver to drop you off as close to Speke Hall as possible. The 86, 86A and 500 bus services are the most direct. For further details of timings and available bus routes, please visit the Merseytravel website. For further details of available bus routes, please visit the Merseytravel website.
Planning your visit
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Speke Hall Community Passes
Find out about our neighbours' and community passes to visit to Speke Hall as many times as you like throughout the year.
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Visiting Speke Hall with your dog
Dogs on leads are welcome to explore most areas of Speke Hall's grounds. Find out where you can go with your dog, what facilities are available to them and other important information at this two pawprint rated place.
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Visiting Speke Hall with a group
Situated within eight miles of the centre and boasting excellent motorway links, this Tudor manor is ideally located for group leisure and educational visits.
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Highlights
House
A rare Tudor manor with a Victorian personality. Home to a priest hole, Gothic Revival furniture and William Morris wallpaper
Garden
A varied garden featuring colourful borders, kitchen garden, traditional orchard, manicured lawns and sheltered woodland, known for its bluebells.
Estate
A green oasis of semi-ancient woodland and acres of fields and paths on the edge of the River Mersey, surrounded by industrial Liverpool.
Eating
Once the heart of the estate, Home Farm restaurant serves a range of meals and treats. Stables Tea Room serves light refreshments.
Play areas and maze
Gated and woodland play areas, the interactive Giant Childe of Hale play trail and a mind-boggling hedge maze.
Second-hand bookshop
Tucked away at Home Farm, Speke's Volumes sells a wide variety of pre-loved books.
Speke and Garston Coastal Reserve
70 acres of land stretching alongside the banks of the Mersey, home to varied birdlife. Gate open during opening times only.
Spotlight events
Haunted Manor by Candlelight
Step into the shadows of Speke Hall as the Haunted Mansion by candlelight this October. An eerie experience, bound to play on your senses with smells, sounds, and shadows. No jump scares, just pure atmosphere. Book now.
Things to see and do
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Activities for families at Speke Hall
There's always adventure to be had at Speke Hall, whenever you visit. Have you ever played vegetable musical instruments? Solved a mind-boggling hedge maze? Zoomed along a zip wire? Made your own woodland den? Discover the fun activities your family can enjoy here.
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Eating and shopping at Speke Hall
Home Farm restaurant is open every day for you to grab a drink or a bite to eat. Afterwards, pop into the second-hand bookshop to find a pre-loved gem.
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Exploring the garden and estate at Speke Hall
From peaceful strolls through colourful borders, to adventures in the woodland and spotting wildlife in the secret garden, there's plenty of seasonal joy to find at Speke Hall.
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Things to do in Speke Hall's house
Discover the hall's fascinating objects and architectural features and learn about the Norris family’s dangerous life under Elizabethan rule.
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Christmas days out at Speke Hall
Experience an enchanting family Christmas and the joys of festive music at Speke Hall. From a magical retelling of the Twelve Days of Christmas inside the Tudor house, to a family walk in the grounds to listen to festive melodies, there is a whole host of family-friendly things to do throughout the season.
Top trails
Trail
Speke Hall estate walk
Explore the wider Speke Hall estate to discover a green oasis in urban Liverpool. Walk through colourful meadows and woodlands with unexpected histories while spotting fascinating wildlife.
Trail
Speke Hall hidden paths trail
Explore the hidden paths around the garden and through the ancient woodland surrounding Speke Hall.
Trail
Speke Hall coastal walk
Take a stroll along the historic boundary of the Speke Hall estate to the Mersey shoreline. It's easy terrain and a good distance for children.
Trail
Speke Hall and Garden trail
Enjoy an easy stroll taking in views of the Tudor hall and restored garden from every angle.
Eating and shopping
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Eating and shopping at Speke Hall
Home Farm restaurant is open every day for you to grab a drink or a bite to eat. Afterwards, pop into the second-hand bookshop to find a pre-loved gem.
Recipe
Wet Nelly
Try your hand at making some Wet Nelly, a cake with history that's become a firm favourite over the years at Speke Hall. It's perfect hot with custard or cold with a cup of tea.
Recipe
Scouse
Originally brought to Liverpool by Northern European sailors and known as 'labskause', this is the region's best known dish and what all Liverpudlians came to be known as.
Upcoming events
Event
Christmas Cupcake Design Workshop
Join our Head Chef, Fay as we get festive with food in this fun Christmas cupcake workshop.
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An Evening of Festive Music
Enjoy Christmas carols in the Great Hall on 4, 5 & 6 December, with festive refreshments served in the restaurant before the concert.
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Christmas Wreath-Making Workshop
Join RHS Chelsea Gold Winners, Louise and Deb, to learn and create your own Christmas wreath at Speke Hall in this fun and engaging workshop.
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Breakfast with Father Christmas
Bring your little ones for Breakfast with Father Christmas at Speke Hall on selected weekends in December. Enjoy a delicious breakfast, meet Father Christmas, sing along to some Christmas songs and post your letters.
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Storytime with Father Christmas
Bring you little ones and join Father Christmas in his study to gather round the fire place, as he reads you a short story to get you into the Christmas spirit
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Sherlock Holmes' Christmas Casebook - Sold Out
Unravel holiday mysteries in Sherlock Holmes’ Christmas Casebook, and enjoy a one-person theatre performance like no other at Speke Hall. Get ready for an evening full of deduction and seasonal surprises on 7 December!
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Christmas Ghost Stories
Don’t be alarmed by the tick of the clock or darkening shadows as you take part in an old Victorian tradition of ghost stories at Christmas.
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The Tudor Songbook at Christmas
Treat someone to the gift of Tudor music this Christmas. Join soprano Jay Britton for a festive celebration in the Great Hall as she performs music from the Tudor period, all in full period costume and accompanied by a lutist.
About Speke Hall
Speke Hall is a rare Tudor timber-framed manor house in an unusual setting on the banks of the River Mersey. Restored in the 19th century, it is a unique mixture of Tudor simplicity and Victorian Arts and Crafts aesthetics.
Built by the devout Catholic Norris family, eager to impress visitors with the grandeur of their home, Speke Hall embodies more than 400 years of turbulent history. Its secret priest hole reflects Catholic persecution in the Tudor period, whilst much of the Hall’s upkeep was financed first by the Norris family’s, and later by the Watt family’s, longstanding involvement in transatlantic slavery. From building the world’s largest slave trading port to slave-ownership, investment in slave-trading voyages and shipping of slave-produced goods, these aspects of the owners’ histories are embedded in the Hall’s walls. During the 18th and 19th centuries, Speke Hall experienced years of neglect and decay, including a spell when it was used as a cow shed. Finally pulled into the Victorian era of improvement and technology, the Hall was resuscitated with a Gothic revival style.
In the 21st century, Speke Hall and its surrounding estate provide a place to reflect on past and present, and about how the legacies of history remain relevant today. The Hall is surrounded by restored gardens and protected by a collar of woodland.
Latest news
News
Speke Hall wins Large Visitor Attraction of the Year
Find out how Speke Hall won Large Visitor Attraction of the Year at the Liverpool City Region Tourism Awards.
History
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History of Speke Hall
Since Sir William Norris began building Speke Hall in 1530, its survival hasn't always been guaranteed. Discover the stories of the people who have lived at Speke Hall.
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Speke Hall's colonial connections
Learn how Speke Hall’s close proximity to Liverpool, once Britain’s largest slaving port, enabled its owners to play key roles in the British empire for nearly four hundred years.
Our work
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Our work in the house at Speke Hall
Learn about the important work that the conservation team are doing to preserve Speke Hall in Liverpool and the tools they use to do so.
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Our work in the garden and on the estate at Speke Hall
Discover how we care for the garden and estate at Speke Hall and how we’re helping wildlife including bees and butterflies to thrive.
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Planting a new woodland for Speke
Find out more about how community groups and volunteers recently planted over 1,200 trees on Speke Hall's estate to improve habitats, store carbon and bring people closer to nature.
Support us
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Volunteering opportunities at Speke Hall
Discover volunteering opportunities at Speke Hall, from bringing the story of this special place to life as a room guide to getting your hands dirty with the garden team.