Things to do in the house at Calke Abbey

Planning your visit

To explore inside, you'll need to purchase a separate admission ticket from the Ticket Office. National Trust members can visit free of charge but will need to show their membership cards at the entrance. 

Please bear in mind that there may be a potential wait at the front of the house on busy days.

You can help us care for the house and its historic collection by:

• Borrowing a baby carrier and leaving pushchairs and buggies outside.
• Grabbing a snack beforehand – food and drink cannot be taken around the House.
• Turning the flash off before taking any photographs on your visit.
• Using one of our scrapers for muddy boots.
• Leaving heels and pointed walking sticks behind, as they could damage the historic floors.

Reframing Calke project

From July 2024, Calke Abbey is undertaking a 24-week project to repair and restore the first and second floor windows and walls on the west and south front of the house.

During this time, scaffolding will be present on the west and south front of the house to allow safe access to all 65 windows.

This work will ensure that the walls and windows of the house remain watertight, protecting Calke’s historic objects and interiors. 

Calke Abbey: the 'un-stately' home 

Built on the site of a former priory, Calke Abbey was sold to the Harpur family in the early 17th century, who extended and developed the house over several generations. Sir Henry Harpur, 7th Baronet, also expanded the lime works, a decision that brought him great wealth. The house stayed with the Harpur-Crewes until the National Trust began caring for it in 1985. 

By 1985, many of its rooms had been abandoned for decades and were in a state of decay. We've decided to preserve these rooms as they were found, vividly demonstrating how country houses like Calke Abbey fell into decline.

Visiting the house is journey from grandeur to abandonment. Experience state rooms, peeling wallpaper and vast collections of strange and unique objects – presented and preserved exactly as we found them.

Explore the rooms at Calke Abbey

You'll begin your journey the Entrance Hall and explore the 'stately' rooms at the front of the house, including the Dining Room, the Library and the Saloon, where you'll find plenty of taxidermy, an impressive book collection and grand paintings.

As you make your way towards the servants' quarters, experience a sense of abandonment in the School Room and Sir Vauncey's childhood bedroom, where a great number of belongings were stored, and simply left.

Wandering through the house, you'll discover deep and complex stories of the family who amassed a huge collection of treasures, and who shaped the Calke you see today. Why not speak to a Room Guide to learn more of Calke's secrets?

The tunnels

The tunnels are included in park and garden admission, which is free for members. Enter via the west door to begin your experience in Calke’s twisting tunnels.  

Created as an invisible passage between the brewhouse and the cellar, the tunnels were the perfect way for servants to transport beer barrels without being seen. Venture underground and walk in their footsteps – you can almost hear the clinking bottles and wooden barrels rolling over the bricks.

Emerge into the brewhouse, and admire large mash tuns, which produced copious galloons of beer and ale.  

Revisit throughout the year to see the tunnels decorated for seasonal highlights and key celebrations.