Things to do in Lanhydrock house

An adult and a child standing on scaffold and admiring the intricate plaster ceiling at Lanhydrock — Visitors on the scaffold in the Long Gallery | © Steve Haywood

Lanhydrock is a Victorian country house packed with layers of history and family stories. Discover a major conservation project on the Mansion route as the Long Gallery ceiling is restored, explore the lives of the Agar-Robartes children on the Family route, and meet the costumed servants below stairs who cared for the house and family.

Winter closing at Lanhydrock

Please note that the house and gardens at Lanhydrock are currently closed for winter conservation work and will re-open on 1 March.

Must-sees at Lanhydrock

Whether you want to see the Long Gallery’s exquisite Jacobean plaster ceiling being conserved 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.

A conservator wearing yellow rubber gloves using a brush to clean the plaster on the ceiling in the Long Gallery at Lanhdyrock — A conservator at work in the Long Gallery | © Faye Rason

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 is undergoing full conservation and repair. At 35 metres (116 feet) long, the barrel-vaulted ceiling of the Long Gallery at the National Trust’s Lanhydrock in Cornwall will take experts months to clean. Visitors are invited to climb a purpose-built scaffold to see the full length of the Long Gallery ceiling up close and watch the conservators at work.

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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:

C:UP Long Gallery ceiling project

This year, take the unique chance to get up close to Lanhydrock's nationally signifcant Long Gallery ceiling as conservators work to restore this intricate piece of art. From March to October, walk along the raised platform and take the once in a lifetime opportunity to see this masterpiece of Jacobean plasterwork up close as it is cleaned and conserved.

Please note that much of the collection on the mansion route is currently displayed on racking or under dust sheets to keep it protected while the Long Gallery ceiling is conserved. The Kitchen and Victorian Family Routes are displayed as normal.

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.

Family visitors in the kitchen Lanhydrock | © Chris Lacey

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.