Things to do in Lanhydrock house

A boy looking into a display case containing toys at Lanhydrock — In the Nursery at Lanhydrock | © James Beck

Lanhydrock is a Victorian country house packed with layers of history and family stories. Discover the Robartes family and the newly conserved Long Gallery ceiling on the Robartes Route, explore the lives of the Victorian Agar-Robartes children on the Family route, and meet the servants below stairs who cared for the house and family.

Must-sees at Lanhydrock

Whether you want to see the Long Gallery’s exquisite Jacobean plaster ceiling or admire the brilliantly preserved kitchen rooms, you’ll find it waiting to be discovered at Lanhydrock. Our Senior House and Collections Manager has selected their four favourite things for you to look out for.

Two people photographed in front of an ornately carved plaster ceiling in the Long Gallery at Lanhdyrock — Visitors in the Long Gallery | © Steve Haywood

Long Gallery ceiling

A magnificent example of 17th century craftsmanship and the jewel in Lanhydrock’s crown, the for the first time in its 400-year history, one of Europe’s most spectacular historic ceilings underwent full conservation and repair in 2024. At 35 metres (116 feet) long, the barrel-vaulted ceiling of the Long Gallery at the National Trust’s Lanhydrock in Cornwall took experts months to clean.

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Bags in the house

Bags bigger than H36cm x W26cm x D12cm are not allowed in the mansion to ensure the safety of Lanhydrock's collection. If a bag is larger than this, it must be placed inside one of the free to use lockers inside the bag drop. Small paper carry bags are available inside bag drop for you to carry any essential belongings.

Three routes, a hundred stories

Lanhydrock is divided into three separate house routes; choose one and take your time or visit all three:

Robartes Route

Discover 400 years of stories, from John and Lucy Robartes, who comissioned the magnificent Long Gallery ceiling at Lanhydrock, to the Victorian Agar-Robartes. With a new exhibition for 2025, the Robartes Route features some of Lanhydrock's most significant treasures, including delicate ceramics, precious books and the Long Gallery ceiling, which can be seen for the first time since a yearlong conservation project to clean and conserve it in 2024.

The kitchen experience

See the mechanical hub of the house, brimming with Victorian technology. Find out what it takes to produce Lady Robartes’ evening menu and how traditional Cornish clotted cream was produced in the purpose-built heated cream pans. You might even be lucky enough to meet Mrs Candy the cook and her kitchen maids in person.

The Family route

Visit the newly-refurbished nursery suite to learn about the lives of the Agar-Robartes children. A wonderful place to explore and play; take a seat in the night nursery for some quiet story time, or play games in the day nursery with Mademoiselle Ortica, the Victorian governess.

After all that fun in the nursery, it’s time to follow the Agar-Robartes children as they grow up and enter society. The Coming of Age experience explores the glamorous world of debutante balls, dancing, sports, fashion and society for the teenagers of the Victorian era.

A girl Playing on the rocking horse in the Nursery at Lanhydrock — Play with real toys in the Nursery | © James Beck

Family fun in the house

As a family home there is plenty to do for younger visitors and for those who are just young at heart. You can don a fancy hat as the Agar-Robartes children once did and put on a play in the theatre room or take a ride on Punch, the resident rocking horse. Learn some dance steps (and mark your efforts out of 10) in the Bay bedroom. Meet Mrs Candy, the cook in the kitchen, experience and learn what a Victorian picnic was like and how many kinds of apple you could eat in Victorian England.