Things to do in The Vyne house

Lifesize models of a lion and a unicorn stand among glittering Christmas trees in the Dining Parlour at The Vyne. — Lose yourself in Lewis Carroll's Wonderland | © National Trust / Dave Hughes

The Sandys and Chute families made The Vyne their home for over 500 years. They accumulated beautiful and important objects and made significant changes to the house during their lives, which you will see as you explore the opulent state rooms and humble servants’ quarters. Currently decorated for Christmas, the ground floor only is open at this time of the year.

Explore the ground floor this Christmas

Until 5 January, lose yourself in Lewis Carroll's Wonderland and see glittering trees illuminating whimsical scenes from Alice Through the Looking-Glass. You'll also encounter much-loved characters depicted in playful, life-size cut-outs designed by Rachel Hudson Illustration. House open daily for the festive season 11am-3pm, closed 24 & 25 December.

House highlights

Enter the house through the door on the South Drive and discover intriguing stories about The Vyne's former residents. With Grecian pillars, sweeping balconies and plasterwork like royal icing, the 18th-century staircase hall is a sight to behold.

Tucked away in a ground-floor ante-room, examine the intricate detail on Lattimo plates handpainted with 18th-century Venetian scenes. In the stone gallery, you’ll find a Tudor roundel that emulates the style and grandeur of the ancient world. The Vyne's pre-Reformation chapel showcases the earliest depiction of Henry VIII in stained glass.

Preparatory sketch for the altarpiece of the Church of San Marco Evangelista in Osimo, Italy by Giovanni Francesco Barbieri. | © National Trust / Karen Legg

Back at The Vyne for the first time in 70 years: The ‘Guercino’ Sketch

Part of an Italian Old Master work, in early spring come and see a rare-surviving 17th-century sketch by one of the most celebrated painters in Italian art. Giovanni Francesco Barbieri, who was known during his lifetime as il Guercino (the squinter) because of his crossed eyes, drew this preparatory sketch for the altarpiece of the Church of San Marco Evangelista in Osimo, Italy.

Created using red chalk on paper, the sketch is part of an album of 28 drawings bought by John Chute during his Grand Tour (1741-46). John Chute was an early collector of Guercino’s works, which became increasingly popular in the later 18th Century. The complete album was sold in 1949 and broken-up with each sketch then separately sold.

Returning to its former home for the first time in 70 years, The Vyne purchased this sketch in 2020 and in early spring 2025 you will be able to see it for yourself. As we enter 2025, a project will be underway to reframe the sketch.

Tomb Chamber stained glass

Uncover unique challenges the team encountered while conserving 18th-century stained glass.

A conservator solders a section of lead matrix on The Vyne's Tomb Chamber windows — Conserved for generations to come. | © National Trust / Karen Legg

Shedding light on The Vyne's Tomb Chamber stained-glass windows.

Newly conserved, in this article follow the story of the Tomb Chamber's 'nail-bitingly fragile' 18th-century stained-glass windows.

Find out more

Curator's choice: must-sees at The Vyne

Whether you want to see the house’s surviving examples of Tudor craftsmanship or admire the exquisite taste of John Chute, here are four key things to look out for.

A pair of Lattimo plates depicting Italian cities, in the Ante Room at The Vyne, Hampshire — A pair of Lattimo plates depicting Italian cities, in the Ante Room at The Vyne | © National Trust Images

Venetian lattimo glass plates

In July 1741 John Chute and his friends commissioned these hand-made plates while visiting Venice. In a time before photography, these decorative souvenirs were a way of displaying their visit, featuring different painted views of the city. Made using a technique named lattimo, tin oxide was added to the glass to give it a white appearance. The images were copied from paintings and engravings. What really makes this set special is its survival. The sets belonging to John’s friends Walpole and Pelham-Clinton were sold after their deaths and are now dispersed. The Vyne is the only place where you can see a large, intact set of these plates (16 of the original 24 survive) which are still displayed in the cabinets made for them in the 19th Century.

A detailed close up of an 18th-century casket of ebony with panels of pietra dura mounted in ormolu and encrusted with semi-precious stones — A detailed close up of an 18th-century Italian casket at The Vyne | © National Trust Images/James Mortimer

Italian casket

This 18th-century ebony Italian casket has panels of pietra dura mounted in ormolu and encrusted with semi-precious stones. It was purchased at great expense by John Chute on the Florence leg of his Grand Tour, as a tongue-in-cheek ‘apology’ to his older brother Anthony, who had asked him to curb his spending.

The staircase hall featuring delicate plasterwork and a balcony. — The staircase hall at The Vyne | © National Trust / Virginia Langer

Entrance hall

John Chute was under pressure from his close friend Horace Walpole to make improvements and alterations to The Vyne. Mostly, he made drawings and then never acted upon it. An exception to this was the new entrance hall which he built in 1769 and 1770. Richly decorated with classical features, it gave a real ‘wow’ factor for visitors to his home and still provides a dramatic entrance today.

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Close up detail of the 16th-century stained glass window in the Chapel at the Vyne, Hampshire

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Find out when The Vyne is open, how to get here, the things to see and do and more.

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Lake with swans and fringed by trees with orange and red late autumn foliage, The Vyne, Hampshire

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