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Englefield house.

Late sixteenth-century house largely rebuilt in the 1850s by Richard Armstrong and sitting in its own extensive park.

Englefield, Reading, Berkshire, RG7 5EN

Experience this house

• Easily accessible without car
• Free parking
• Garden only
• Parkland / open spaces
• Accessible parking
• Guide dogs welcome

There is an inscription on a stone staircase in Englefield Gardens which reads, “If you help towards Englefield Garden either in flowers or invention you shall be welcome thither”.

This inscription was taken from a letter written in 1601 by Sir Edward Norris, the then occupier of Englefield House, and shows that a garden was managed and cared for on the Estate over 400 years ago.

However, the origins of the gardens as they appear today were created in the late 1860’s with the building of the stone balustrades and staircases by Italian craftsmen.

In 1936 the woodland garden on the hill above the house was created by thinning the forest. At the same time the stream was constructed and the area planted by Wallace & Barr of Tunbridge Wells. Much of the original planting is still in place and this includes varieties of rhododendron, azalea, camellia, magnolia, hamamelis, parrotia, cornus, davidia and acer. The lower terrace was redesigned in 1974 by the redoubtable landscape architect Lanning Roper.

The grotto at the top of the stream is a more recent addition to the gardens and is lined with a mosaic of pine cones. Near the entrance gates is a children’s garden with water jets hidden in four small statues as well as slides and swings – great fun for younger visitors.

A walled kitchen garden has recently been restored to produce many varieties of fruit, vegetables, herbs and flowers (access to the walled kitchen garden is only for groups that book in advance). The gardens themselves are enclosed by our magnificent deer park and provide stunning views over our lake and surrounding countryside beyond.

Please note:  The information on the Historic Houses website is advisory, but please always check the website of the house or garden you intend to visit before travelling.

Our gardens are open to visitors every Monday throughout the year:

10.00am – 6.00pm  April to October.

10.00am – 4.00pm  November to March.

From March to October we are able to accommodate group tours Tuesday to Thursday for a minimum of 20 people.

Historic Houses members visit for free, gardens only.

Adults: £5.00

Children: Free

From March to October we are able to accommodate group tours in the gardens Tuesday to Thursday for a minimum of 20 people. Tours are led by our Head Gardener.

Group tours must be booked in advance.

[email protected] or 07585 509747.

Getting here

6 miles west of Reading, off of the A340. 1 mile from the village of Theale.

Train to Theale station where you can catch a taxi to the house (approx 5 minutes away).

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Englefield House

Englefield england, berkshire, introduction.

Englefield House has 19th- and 20th-century formal terraced, water and woodland gardens of 5 hectares, situated within a deer and landscape park which originated before Domesday. At its most extensive the park was set within a larger agricultural estate of around 6000 hectares.

The following is from the Register of Parks and Gardens of Special Historic Interest. For the most up-to-date Register entry, please visit the The National Heritage List for England (NHLE):

www.historicengland.org.uk/listing/the-list

A country house surrounded by 19th and 20th century formal and woodland gardens within an 18th and 19th century landscape park.

Location, Area, Boundaries, Landform and Setting

Englefield Park lies 9km west of the centre of Reading, with the estate village of Englefield adjacent to the north-east. The 150ha site is bounded partly by an estate wall, along the south and east boundaries, with the A340 Pangbourne to Theale road adjacent to the east, and the Theale to Bradfield lane adjacent to the south and south-west. The estate is bounded to the north by agricultural land, that area to the north-east through which The Street runs being formerly ornamented agricultural land (OS 1882). The park straddles a ridge running south-west to north-east, with the summit running through the Old Deer Park which enjoys extensive panoramic views at various points. The house stands on the slope down to the south-east, below which the land flattens out towards Cranemoor Lake and the surrounding park. The setting is largely rural, with the River Kennet and its valley to the south, and various industrial buildings associated with Theale visible to the south.

Entrances and Approaches

The main entrance to the park lies 1km south-east of the house, set back off the A340 road, flanked by two stone lodges joined by a connecting screen and round-arched gateway dated 1862, the whole being in Jacobean style (Richard Armstrong, listed grade II). The drive runs west through the park, curving north-west, lined in parts by a C19 iron park fence in criss-cross pattern. The drive continues north-west, bounded to the north by open lawn, overlooking Cranemoor Lake and the park to the south, and the house to the west. The church (C13, G G Scott 1857, 1868, listed grade I), with its prominent spire, stands towards the north end of the drive, the northern half of which was flanked by village houses in the C18 (Rocque, 1761), these having gone by the 1870s (OS).

Having passed the church to the north, the drive turns south-west, 100m north-east of the house, approaching in line with the north-east front. The drive enters a square, tarmacked forecourt enclosed by stone walls, the entrance being flanked by stone gate piers and iron gates, arriving at a porte-cochère on the north-east front (the whole listed grade II* as part of the house). A spur off the drive running parallel to the forecourt gives access to the service yard to the rear of the house on the north-west side, entering the service yard via an archway in a rear wing. A further parallel spur to the north gives access to the car park to the north-west of the house, this spur being joined 100m north of the house by a former drive from the west. Now a track, this drive originates at Bradfield Lodge and gateway (C19, brick, in similar style to the main entrance lodges), 700m west of the house. The track runs along the top of the ridge, through the Old Deer Park, with views to the north-west.

The entrance to a further former drive, which ran up to the south-east front of the house, lies 700m south of the house, flanked by two stone gate piers set in the brick boundary wall. This former drive, present in the 1820s (estate map, 1829) and gone by the 1870s (OS), was probably removed during the construction of the formal garden elements. It ran north across the park to the house along an avenue, traces of which remain. Another drive still enters at this southern gateway, running north close to the west bank of Cranemoor Lake to join the south end of The Street. This drive was formerly flanked by several buildings, when it seems to have formed the southern extension of the main village street (Rocque, 1761).

Up until the C19 the house was approached directly via the north-west front, off a public road which ran along the slope of the ridge and was used as a winter course of the old Bath Road (Rocque, 1761). This appears to have been the mid C18 main entrance to the house, until the park was landscaped.

Principal Building

Englefield House (C16, C19, listed grade II*) lies towards the centre of the park, situated on the south-east-facing slope of the ridge which crosses the park. The three-storey, H-plan house is built in Jacobean style of ashlar, with brick wings to the rear (north-west), and work by the architect Richard Armstrong from the mid C19. It overlooks the c 1850s formal garden terraces to the south-west and south-east, with beyond these long views across the park, particularly to the south-west over the River Kennet. The stone stables stand 200m east of the house, set back off the main drive from which they are reached by a spur running along the churchyard boundary.

Gardens and Pleasure Grounds

The gardens lie to the west and south of the house, with substantial formal terraces (1850s, probably Richard Armstrong) merging into a 1930s and later woodland garden lying on the hillside to the north. The garden is entered from the west, garden front of the house, the door opening directly onto the main terrace, aligned west to east on the garden front, and largely laid to lawn with C20 shrub beds and specimen trees. The 180m long terrace continues past the south front, with a spinal gravel path extending the whole length of the terrace, separated from the park below by a stone retaining wall. At the east end of the main terrace, two gateways with low, white-painted wooden gates lead out into the park, the gateways flanking a large stone seat placed against the stone boundary wall, overlooking the park to the south and the forecourt to the north.

A lower terrace lies below the main terrace where it passes the south front, reached from the top path by two sets of stone steps at either end of the lower terrace. This lower terrace, also raised above the park, is enclosed by stone balustrading, with large bastions at the outer corners (1850s, the whole listed grade II) linked by a broad gravel path along the centre.

At the west end of the main terrace, c 130m west of the house, a set of broad stone steps leads up a grass slope to a cross terrace, partly laid to gravel. This terrace is also bounded by stone balustrading, and carries a further stone seat aligned with that at the east end of the main terrace.

West of the house the north boundary of the main terrace is formed by a tall, stone retaining wall surmounted by balustrading, at the foot of which lies a herbaceous border. A central, projecting balustraded bastion stands 90m from the house; at the foot of this lies a projecting raised stone pool, flanked by two sets of stone steps leading up from the main terrace to a parallel gravel walk running along the top of the retaining wall. From here a central set of short, stone steps leads north up a grass bank to a broad, open grass terrace, bounded to the north by two lengths of curved balustrading set into the hillside, flanking a central set of steps leading up to the woodland garden. This level area was formerly the site of a large, rectangular, C19 glasshouse (now gone).

An informal grass path leads straight up the hillside from this upper flight of steps, the path being flanked by mature woodland with informal curving paths and plantings of flowering shrubs and trees. This area encompasses the work carried out by R Wallace and Co in 1935. An informal pond (removed late C20) formerly lay at the south corner, probably a survivor of a chain which lay in this area in the mid C18 (estate map, 1762). The woodland garden has been the site of a pleasure ground of sorts since at least the mid C18, when a grove lay adjacent to the east of this area, with paths radiating from a central point (Rocque, 1761).

The site of the terraces appears to have been part of the landscape park in the later C18, probably being drawn into the present formal arrangement in the 1850s, when the former glasshouse was built, and the lawn on the main terrace below the glasshouse was divided into two formal rectangular areas surrounded by paths (now gone).

The park surrounds the house and gardens, being divided into two, with the Old Deer Park to the north-west, in use as such since c 1600, and the more recently laid out area of landscape park to the south-east.

The Old Deer Park, largely composed of woodland with open areas of pasture still containing deer, straddles the ridge, traversed by several tracks and the remains of former drives, with extensive views from the east side of Beech Hill, east towards the hill which hides Reading. The landscape park to the south-east runs down the hillside from the Old Deer Park and the house, levelling out as it reaches the lake and beyond. Still stocked with deer, it is laid to pasture, and is dominated by Cranemoor Lake which bisects it north to south, lying c 500m from the house.

The lake contains several islands, and is bisected by a bund running west/east (late C20), such that the southern half is now (1998) largely dry. The lake, then reached from the house by a formal avenue, existed in the mid C18 (Rocque, 1761; estate map, 1762), when it took the form of formal canals separating several islands. The lake was subsequently enlarged to the north, the canals being removed and the islands reformed, and the surrounding area was landscaped, probably in the 1770s for Paulet Wrighte. (Garden Hist 1987).

Kitchen Garden

The kitchen garden lies 250m east of the house, enclosed by brick walls. It is divided into several sections, partly filled with a nursery and associated modern glasshouses.

The Victoria History of the County of Berkshire 3, (1923), pp 405-9

Country Life, 169 (26 February 1981), pp 502-5; (5 March 1981), pp 560-3; (12 March 1981), pp 642-5; no 13 (26 March 1987), pp 128-31

N Pevsner, The Buildings of England: Berkshire (1966), pp 136-9

Garden History 15, no 2 (1987), pp 50, 54, 134

J Harris, The Artist and the Country House (1979), p 356

Travers Morgan, (English Heritage Inspector's Report 1990)

Rocque, Map of Berkshire, 1761

A plan of all the lands belonging to Powlet Wrighte in his manor and parish of Englefield, 1762 (Berkshire Record Office)

T Pride, A topographical map of the Town of Reading and the County adjacent to an extent of 10 miles, 1790

The Parish of Englefield, 1829, (Berkshire Record Office)

The Englefield estate of R Benyon de Beauvoir, 1844, (Berkshire Record Office)

OS 6" to 1 mile: 1st edition surveyed 1877-8, published 1882

2nd edition published 1913

OS 25" to 1 mile: 2nd edition published 1911

Description written: May 1998

Amended: September 1999

Edited: March 2000

Access contact details

Open every Monday throughout the year and, additionally, every Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday from 1st April to 31st October. Hours 10.00am to 6.00pm each day.

Off the A4 near Reading. Please see: http://www.englefieldestate.co.uk/location.html

Other Websites

• http://www.englefieldestate.co.uk/gardens.html
• http://www.hha.org.uk/Site/Custom/Property.aspx?id=866&rg=&co=-1&tp=0&pd=-1&me=&mn=&mr=10&vw=0&st=n&nm=Englefield+House
• https://www.historicengland.org.uk/listing/the-list/list-entry/1000583

HISTORIC DEVELOPMENT

The Englefield family, which was resident in Englefield from the 9th century, owned the manor of Englefield from the 12th century until the estate was seized by Queen Elizabeth in about 1560. The estate and manor house then passed through various hands, always by inheritance and not by purchase. In 1597 Lord Norris became tenant of the house and part of the estate and seems to have incorporated the old house within a new one erected about 1600. One Dudley Carleton reported in 1600 that Sir Edward Norris was making a park about his house, and in 1601 Sir Edward is quoted as saying that `If you help towards Englefield garden either in flowers or invention you shall be welcome thither' (Inspector's Report 1990).

John Paulet, fifth Marquess of Winchester, acquired the estate in 1635, it remaining in the Paulet family until passed by marriage to the Benyon family in the late 18th century. In the early 1760s (estate map, 1762) a formal layout existed, including a long main axis connecting the house with what is now the north end of Cranemoor Lake which was divided by formal canals surrounding several islands. This area seems to have been landscaped shortly afterwards, as a painting of 1777 by Nathaniel Dance (Harris 1979) shows Paulet Wrighte standing in front of the house set in landscaped parkland. Paulet Wrighte (d 1779) employed the designer Richard Woods, who in 1781 was paid by Wrighte's executors 10 guineas for a survey, but seemingly no further work was carried out by Woods, Wrighte instead employing a surveyor, Clement Read, who was paid £150 in about 1781 (again by Wrighte's executors), probably for improvements to the landscape park (Garden History 1987). The house was altered in the 1820s, and again in the 1850s-1860s, when the formal garden terraces were also added, possibly by the architect Richard Armstrong during his work on the house. A series of maps (held at the Berkshire Record Office) and pictures shows the development of the landscape through the 18th and 19th century. In 1935 a woodland and heath garden was laid out to the north of the terraces by R Wallace of Tunbridge Wells. Lanning Roper gave advice on modifying the plantings in the 1960s (Inspector's Report 1990). The estate remains (1998) in private ownership.

• Mr Thomas Hopper
• Mr John Soane
• Mr Richard Armstrong, Junior
• Mr Richard Woods

Designations

The national heritage list for england: register of parks and gardens.

• Reference: GD1573
• Specimen Tree
• Garden Terrace
• House (featured building)
• Description: The house was altered in the 1820s.
• Earliest Date: 31 Dec 1599
• Latest Date: 31 Dec 1599
• Water Garden
• Woodland garden

Domestic / Residential

Open to the public

Civil parish.

• {English Heritage Register of Parks and Gardens of Special Historic Interest} (Swindon: English Heritage 2008) [on CD-ROM] Historic England Register of Parks and Gardens of Special Historic Interest
• Pevsner, N. {The Buildings of England: Berkshire} (Harmondsworth: Penguin, 1966) pp 136-139 The Buildings of England: Berkshire
• Historic Land Management {Englefield Park Heritage Management Plan} (2005) Englefield Park Heritage Management Plan

An approach to Englefield House through the model estate village, passing the church and rectory before coming upon the massively asymmetrical east front, suggests a house newly conceived and executed in the second half of the nineteenth century. In fact, the house's present shape and its decorative components are not so very different from what is seen in John Constable's painting of 1832 or in the background of Powlett Wrighte's portrait of (about) 1775. Englefield is a late Elizabethan E-plan house which has undergone remodelling and refacing in the 18th and 19th centuries without ever suffering a particularly drastic alteration to its basic plan or the style of its external appearance. It still stands within one of the last surviving deer parks in Berkshire.

While making repairs to the Long Gallery at Englefield House in 1838, builders are reported to have discovered the date 1558 inscribed on one of the roof timbers. This suggests an addition to the main structure, the basis of which is presumably of pre-Elizabethan date. The ancient Englefield family, who were supposedly lords of the manor since the reign of King Edgar the Peacemaker , in the early 9th century, and knights of the shire in the 14th and 15th centuries, therefore occupied at least part of the present edifice.

The last of this ancient line to live at Englefield, was Sir Francis Englefield Senior , a man who attained greater personal distinction than any previous member of the family. He served as sheriff of the county in 1547 and was made a knight of the carpet at the Coronation of King Edward VI. He became one of the chief officers of the household of Princess Mary and was involved in the religious difficulties of the time, being forbidden to allow the celebration of mass in the princess's household. The order of the council was not obeyed and he, with two of his fellow officers, was sent to the Tower in 1551, but their imprisonment was only of short duration. Despite such events, Sir Francis remained, all his life, a firm supporter of the old religion. On the accession of Queen Mary, he was rewarded for his services, being made a privy councillor and master of the Court of Wards and Liveries. Throughout her Catholic reign, he sat in Parliament as one of the knights of the shire for Berkshire. He almost certainly completed the north-east range of Englefield House, including the Long Gallery, at the height of his career, which came abruptly to a close upon the accession of Elizabeth I. Foreseeing the downfall of the old religion, Sir Francis fled from England, in 1559, and lived in exile, at Vallodolid in Spain, for the remainder of his life.

The new monarch immediately seized his lands and is said to have granted the use of Englefield to her spymaster-general, Sir Francis Walsingham. He also had a town-house in Reading , on the corner of Broad Street and Minster Street. In spite of protesting to the privy council from abroad, Sir Francis could obtain no redress. So, in 1576, he cleverly presented his estates at Englefield to his protestant nephew and namesake with the right to reclaim them whenever he presented the latter with a gold ring. When the inevitable attainder came, in 1585, it took four years of legal argument and a special Act of Parliament before the manor of Englefield could finally be declared forfeit to the Crown. Sir Francis Englefield Junior bought Whiteknights Park , now Reading University, in 1606 and the family continued to live there, yet were buried in the church at Englefield, until Sir Henry Charles Englefield, Bart., died in 1822 and this branch of the family became extinct.

After the attainder of Sir Francis Englefield Senior, in 1585, Queen Elizabeth I leased the manor-house and certain lands there to Humphrey Foster of Aldermaston House and George Fytton for forty years. During the law-suit, this lease was declared void and, in 1589, the same premises were granted to Thomas Crompton, Robert Wright and Gelly Meyrick, acting as trustees for the Queen's favourite, Robert Devereux, the 2nd Earl of Essex.

Essex may have purchased the house as part of his bid to win the hand of Sir Francis Walsingham's daughter, Frances, a lady of great beauty and fascination, and the widow of the gallant Sir Philip Sidney. Moreover, if he were rejected, it would still make a fine home for his mother, Lettice Knollys , in the county of her youth. The thought of a return to her own childhood home must have appealed to Lady Sidney though, for the two were married the following year. Essex must have spent large sums on Englefield, for the house's present plan and proportions were probably largely established through his work. After the Earl's fall from grace and subsequent execution in 1601, however, the manor, unfortunately, returned to Royal hands, where it stayed until 1611. In that year, King James I granted it to John Eldred and William Whitmore, who appear to have conveyed it to Thomas Erskine, Viscount Fenton and later Earl of Kellie.

Kellie almost certainly bought the place to add to his wife's smaller Englefield estate, centred on the Old Rectory. Along with her first husband, Sir Edward Norreys , she had entertained Queen Elizabeth there in 1601. After the Countess' death in 1621, Lord Kellie sold Englefield to his creditors, Sir Peter Vanlore of Tilehurst and William Rolfe. The latter sold it, in 1623, to Sir John Davies , whose wife, being the Earl's step-daughter, knew the property well. Sir John had been distinguished in politics and letters. He was attorney-general for Ireland and the author of the poem 'Nosce Teipsum,' of a treatise on Ireland and of other works. His wife , however, was somewhat eccentric and, after his death in 1626, was severely punished by the Court of High Commission for the use she made of her prophetical gifts!

The manor of Englefield was then settled upon Sir John's daughter, Lucy, wife of Ferdinand, Lord Hastings and later Earl of Huntingdon, but, in 1635, they sold up to John Paulet , the 5th Marquis of Winchester. Only two years before, Lord Winchester had married, as his second wife, Honora, the daughter of the catholic Richard de Burgh, Earl of Clanricarde & St. Albans. Her mother was Frances Walsingham who had electrified the Royal Court by joining the Church of Rome two year's after the execution of her second husband, the Earl of Essex. The Countess had only died a few years before, so it may have been through her influence that Honora persuaded her husband to acquire Englefield House.

The main residence of the Marquis and his family was, however, always the great Tudor palace of Basing House, near Basingstoke in North Hampshire. He is famous for his loyal defence of his home against the armies of Parliament between August 1643 and October 1645, when he was imprisoned in the Tower and Basing razed to the ground. The loss of Basing meant that Englefield became his principle seat after the Restoration of the Monarchy in 1660. He busied himself writing and translating devotional works from the French, and perhaps finding peace there in some way made up for the loss of Basing. During his first three years of residence, however, the 'Loyal Marquis' lost a son, a daughter and his wife Honora. All are buried under black marble slabs in Englefield Church. Nevertheless, his Lordship took Isabella Howard, daughter of the 1st Viscount Stafford, as his third wife and lived for another fifteen years.

Englefield was inherited by Lord Francis, the only surviving son of the Marquis' second marriage. He seems to have preferred the spelling of Powlett for the family name, and married Anne Breamore from Tidmarsh , reputed to have been his kitchen maid. Their marriage remained a secret until a manservant, one day, found the meat poorly carved and, not willing to take the blame himself, asked in the kitchen whom he should say was responsible. "You can tell them that Lady Francis Paulet carved the meat," she replied. There is a positive sign that their marriage was a happy one in the hall. The stained glass windows in the entrance show each husbands' coats of arms on the left, with their wives' on the right. As a girl from a poor background, Anne Breamore had no coat of arms and her husband has made her side pure gold which is what she must have been in his eyes.

Lord and Lady Francis Powlett had two sons and a daughter. The eldest son, Francis succeeded to Englefield in 1696 and he was probably the one to lay out the formal gardens and a new forecourt. His sister, Anne inherited upon his death in 1712. Anne, married the Reverend Nathaniel Wrighte, son of the Lord Keeper of the Great Seal of England. The other brother is something of a mystery. It is thought that he went to sea and was lost, but a drama that happened one peaceful lunchtime seems to throw doubt on this theory. The story goes that a sea-faring man appeared at the dining-room window and threw a clod of earth through it,, exclaiming that he had come to claim his rightful inheritance. The Reverend Wrighte does not look the sort of man to suffer an interruption of this kind, if his portrait in the house is anything to go by. The sea-faring man, rightful heir or imposter, was sent packing.

In 1729, the succession passed to Powlett, the elder of Anne and Nathan's three sons. Powlett Wrighte married Mary Tyssen from Hackney in Surrey, a considerable heiress through her mother, Rachel de Beauvoir. They were responsible for bringing some of the library together. They had one son in 1739 before Powlett's death only two years later. The widowed Mrs. Wright married, as his third wife, Richard Benyon of Gidea Hall in Romford (Essex), a man of obscure origins who had made a �75,000 fortune in the service of the East India Company, latterly as the Governor of Fort St George in Madras. No doubt much of the furniture, cabinets, chests and porcelain which grace the house today were brought back from the East by the Governor. Richard and Mary had one son, also Richard, who married Hannah Hulsein in 1767 and was made heir to Gidea Hall. Mary's elder son, Powlett Wrighte the Younger "reduced and modernised" his house at Englefield, probably in the 1770s. Decorative features of this period survive in the Smoking Room, the Dining Room and the Drawing Room, but the identity of the architect responsible is uncertain. Powlett was on good terms with his half-brother, Richard Benyon the Younger, and may well have used the same craftsmen. Benyon is known to have patronised James Wyatt, who designed the bridge and another building in the park at Gidea. The library ceiling and the idea of an imperial staircase in a plan of Englefield of about 1775 are accomplished enough to make it possible that Wyatt was at least consulted. In 1777, the year of his mother's death, Powlett married, but he died childless, two years later. He left Englefield to his uncle, Nathaniel Wrighte the Younger, for his lifetime and then, on the latter's death in 1789, to his half-brother Richard Benyon.

Richard Benyon the Younger died in 1796 and Gidea was sold in 1802, leaving Englefield as the family's principle seat. His son, the third Richard Benyon, took the names of Powlett and Wrighte, in 1814, and of De Beauvoir in 1822, a year after the death of his first cousin twice removed, the Reverend Peter De Beauvoir. Richard Benyon De Beauvoir was heir, not only to the Englefield rents, but also to his grandfather's East India fortune and, through his grandmother, to the de Beauvoir estates at Downham in Essex and Hackney. In addition, he married Elizabeth, the daughter of Sir Francis Sykes, another wealthy nabob and the builder of neighbouring Basildon Park. His multiple fortune, thus enabled Richard to engage Thomas Hopper to undertake substantial work at Englefield House. In his first letter of January 1823, he provided a pencil sketch of the south-west corner of the house, showing the addition of the two bay windows which now light the Drawing Room and the rooms above it. These windows repeated the proportions and decorations of the Elizabethan central porch bay and were also added to the Dining Room on the south-east corner. Hopper finally added a number of tall square turrets, many of them disguising chimneystacks, and work was complete by 1829.

On Benyon De Beauvoir's death, in 1854, Englefield passed to his nephew Richard Fellowes, second son of his sister Emma, on condition that he took the name Benyon. Emma Fellowes' three sons were, with reason, known as the 'Lucky Fellowes'. Edward, created Lord De Ramsey in 1887, inherited his father's extensive properties in Huntingdon and Norfolk; Richard succeeded his uncle to Englefield and the London and Essex properties; while the third son, James, came into Kingston Maurward in Dorset on his marriage to Charlotte Micklethwaite.

Marion Benyon, the eldest of Richard Fellowes Benyon's daughters, married Sir John Shelley, 9th Baronet. However, upon Benyon's death in 1897, Englefield was entailed to heirs male and passed to his nephew James Herbert Fellowes of Kingston Maurward, who also changed his name to Benyon. He was made the first Chancellor of Reading University in 1926 and, in 1935, was succeeded by his son, Henry, who became Lord Lieutenant of Berkshire and was created a Baronet. Sir Henry Benyon in turn died childless leaving Englefield to his second cousin Admiral Richard Shelley, younger son of John and Marion Shelley. Admiral Shelley took the name Benyon and, upon his death in 1967, the property came to his eldest son, William, elected MP for Buckingham in 1970. He has reopened of the entrance archway and the demolished the old kitchen in the courtyard behind the house in 1972. These are the only major changes to the house since Victorian times.

Partly Edited from a number of old guidebooks.

Englefield House Gardens

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Englefield house and estate, englefield, reading, berkshire.

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The gardens are not accessible by wheelchair. 

Brief description

The manor house is a private residence and not open to visitors. The beautiful gardens are open to the public; dating back to the late1860s, they cover 12-acres, to include a forest, stream and 1000 species of plant.

Englefield, Berkshire, RG7 5EN

Mailto:[email protected]

0118 930 2504

https://www.englefieldestate.co.uk/

The Englefield Estate is off J12 of the M4. Follow the signs towards Newbury and then Pangbourne.

OS SO  SU622719

Opening Times

Monday: April to October 10am to 6pm and November to March 10am to 4pm.

Always check with the venue directly for up-to-date information including opening times and admission charges as they may be subject to change.

The nearest train stations are Pangbourne or Reading.

The gardens do not have any facilities or refreshments. Reading is a large town with many shops, cafes, restaurants and a cinema. Pangbourne is a scenic village with a small number of shops and pubs.

Nearest Venues

St Mark's Church, Englefield, Reading, Berkshire

171 metres*

Bradfield College, Bradfield, Berkshire

1.18 miles*

Theale Church. Opening times vary. Free entry

1.23 miles*

St Andrew's Church (Church of England) Bradfield, Berkshire

Route M4 Westbound from Reading Services to Chieveley Services, M4 Westbound

1.25 miles*

Theale, Berkshire

1.58 miles*

*Distances are calculated in a straight line from the current venue, please allow extra time/distance based on available paths or roads.

Englefield House Garden

The 12 acre garden descends dramatically from the hill above the historic house through woodland where mature native trees mix with rhododendrons and camellias. Drifts of spring and summer planting are followed by striking autumn colour. Stone balustrades enclose the lower terrace with lawns, roses and mixed borders. A stream meanders through the woodland.

Accessibility

• Lord & Lady Benyon
• [email protected]
• 01189 302504

About Englefield House Garden

The garden at Englefield is enclosed by a handsome deer park, with magnificent views over the lake and surrounding countryside. It descends dramatically from the hill above the house through open woodland where mature native trees mix with Victorian conifers.

The woodland under planting began in 1936 with advice from Wallace & Barr and has continued ever since. Here are collections of camellia, rhododendron, eucryphia, acer, magnolia, cornus, davidia, azalea (many of them the nearly extinct Ghent varieties) and other unusual trees and shrubs. A grotto has lately been built at the top of the stream, lined with a mosaic of pinecones. There are drifts of daffodils and other spring and summer bulbs and wonderful autumn colour.

Grey stone balustrades and wide staircases, built in 1860 and dripping with climbing roses, enclose the lower terraces where there are formal plantings, mixed borders, roses, wide lawns, water features and small enclosed areas (some lately paved and pebbled). The lower terrace area was redesigned in the 1970s with help of Lanning Roper. A children’s garden with hidden jets of water from four small statues is fun for younger visitors.

A walled kitchen garden has been restored to produce many varieties of fruit, vegetables, herbs and flowers (please note; access to the walled kitchen garden is only for groups that book in advance). .

Open every Monday from Apr-Sept (10am-6pm) and Oct-Mar (10am-4pm). Please check the Englefield Estate website for any changes before travelling.

Englefield House Garden features

• 1927 Garden
• Autumn Colours
• Children Very Welcome
• Coaches Allowed
• Countryside Views
• Historical Garden
• Wheelchair access

Location details

Englefield House Garden, Reading, Berkshire, RG7 5EN

Directions to Englefield House Garden M4 J12. Take A4 towards Theale. 2nd r'about take A340 to Pangbourne. After ⅙m entrance on the L.

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Englefield House Garden openings

No opening times available.

• Wheelchair access to some parts of the garden.
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Payment is by cash only. Please get in touch with the owners for more details.

Yes, coaches are accepted at  Englefield House Garden . Please get in touch with the owners for details.

Sorry, no dogs are allowed in the garden at this time.

There are no plants for sale for the time being.

Yes, one or more routes at Englefield House Garden are accessible to wheelchair users.

Englefield House Garden is not explicitly a wildlife garden, but you may still find various indigenous flora and fauna.

How an English Country House Was Transformed for Cruella

The Englefield House is the real star of Disney's latest film.

“We wanted a house that felt like it was a grand country house that would make a big impression on young Estella when she arrives with her mother,” the film’s set decorator, Alice Felton, told House Beautiful of the Elizabethan-style abode, which was built in 1558. “It needed to look wild and huge with the sea crashing on the rocks below.”

The house's exterior was transformed for two parties that Baroness von Hellman holds here in the film. Felton says, “We added a canopy to one side of the house, as we needed to see guests going into the parties, and there wasn’t a grand entrance there.” She adds, “We used flowers and huge drapes in different themes for both of the events." But alterations weren't confined to the exterior of the dwelling. Felton and her team also "redressed the interior spaces in the Baroness’s style."

Felton notes that she “tried to keep a specific style” in all of the sites that acted as the Baroness’s residence, mainly “a mix of period-traditional style, with hints of the 1950s and 1960s.” Often, says Felton, she and her team “would use a traditional piece of furniture and upholster it in a modern fabric,” as a way of updating the piece. “We would match drapes and cushions. [We also added] more modern drapes and smaller props, like vases and flowers, that would be more contemporary.”

Vintage shops and markets were a go-to when sourcing furnishings for Hellman Hall, in addition to numerous prop houses based in and around London. Some original elements of Englefield House were maintained, however, like “the books and some of the amazing antiquities in the house,” says Felton.

Interested in visiting Englefield House and bringing the world of Cruella to life? Although the house itself is not open to the public, the gardens of the estate are available to tour—you can even get married here! And you never have to worry about Cruella de Vil crashing the party.

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Englefield House Gardens

Top ways to experience nearby attractions

Most Recent: Reviews ordered by most recent publish date in descending order.

Detailed Reviews: Reviews ordered by recency and descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as waiting time, length of visit, general tips, and location information.

Englefield House Gardens - All You Need to Know BEFORE You Go (2024) - Tripadvisor

• Mon - Mon 10:00 AM - 6:00 PM
• (0.46 km) The Old Lamb Hotel
• (0.72 km) The Falcon Inn
• (3.72 km) Travelodge Reading M4 Westbound
• (13.87 km) May Fields Guest House
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• (0.38 km) The Volunteer
• (0.74 km) The Bull
• (0.62 km) The Old Mill
• (0.66 km) Flavour of India
• (0.59 km) The Crown & Garden Theale

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Englefield Gardens

Englefield Theale Reading RG7 5EN

On A340, 1 mile from M4, Jct 12.

Tel 0118 930 2504

Visit website

Opening Hours

10am–6pm (4pm, 1 Nov–30 Mar), Mon.

Please see website for admission prices.

RHS members

Free access (member 1 only for joint memberships) applies when open.

• Assistance dogs only
• Free carer entry
• Autumn colour
• Herbaceous border

About the garden

Designed By Lanning Roper

The origins of the garden at Englefield date back over 400 years. The foundations of the garden as they appear today were created in the late 1860s with the building of stone balustrades and staircases by Italian craftsmen.   In 1936 the woodland garden on the hill above the house was created by thinning the forest. At the same time, the stream was constructed and the area planted. Much of the original planting is still in place and includes varieties of rhododendron, azalea, camellia, magnolia, Parrotia , cornus, Davidia and Acer .  The lower terrace was redesigned in 1974 by the American landscape architect Lanning Roper. It contains many roses both in the box borders and adorning the walls. Perennials such as delphiniums, Aconitum , salvias and a changing palette of annuals each year fill the box borders. Our wildflower areas offer colour during the summer months with many butterflies and insect life benefiting from this extra source of nectar. Please note: this garden is partially accessible.

Plants of special interest

• Rhododendrons/azaleas
• Wildflowers

Get involved

The Royal Horticultural Society is the UK’s leading gardening charity. We aim to enrich everyone’s life through plants, and make the UK a greener and more beautiful place.

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Englefield House Garden

A nineteenth century 'Italian' garden surrounded by a twentieth century woodland garden. Historically, it is a fine example of the Landscape Style . Stone balustrades and staircases enclose the lower terrace and a children's garden. The garden has an adjoining deer park with magnificent views over the lake and surrounding countryside. JC Loudon was here in 1833 and wrote that it 'is most nobly situated on the side of a considerable hill. . . there is nothing done in the way of pleasure-ground around it'. Lanning Roper advised on the planting design for the pleasure garden after 1975.

Address Englefield, Theale, Reading, Berkshire, England, RG7 5EN

Opening times Open Mondays all year. Also Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday from April to October. Open 10am to 6pm.

Website Visit the Englefield House Garden website

Nearby gardens

Nearby hotels

• French Horn Hotel (13.7 km away)
• Newbury Manor Hotel (14.2 km away)
• Phyllis Court Club Hotel (17.9 km away)

• Audleys Wood Hotel (22.1 km away)

• Red Roofs at Oldfield (29.4 km away)

Nearby nurseries

• Edulis (3.0 km away)
• Henry Street Nursery (14.4 km away)
• Foxgrove Plants (18.7 km away)

• Wear's Nursery (19.7 km away)
• Southview Nurseries (20.2 km away)
• Newington Nurseries (25.9 km away)

• Vic Johnstone and Claire Wilson (28.9 km away)
• Steventon Road Nurseries (28.9 km away)

Designers and Influences

Heritage Live

Heritage Live is a series of annual summer concerts staged on the Englefield Estate near Reading Berkshire, staging major names in pop-rock to classical. 

The beautiful private estate of Englefield in the Royal county of Berkshire provides a perfect setting for Heritage Live's summer evening concerts. In recent years, the house and grounds have been used for numerous movies and television series, including  X-Men First Class , The King's Speec h, and  The Crown , but the story of Englefield is a long and fascinating tale over many hundreds of years of English history and heritage.

This year’s shows range from Russell Watson with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra to Culture Club with Lulu, Kim Wilde and Gabrielle.

Englefield Estate Theale Reading RG7 5EN United Kingdom

heritagelive.net/contact

What's on at Heritage Live

Madness with Lightning Seeds & Old Time Sailors

Pete Tong Ibiza Classics With Jules Buckley & The Essential Orchestra

Elbow & Special Guests

Flackstock '24

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Activities & Classes

Looking for something to do, rather than something to see? We've got all manner of classes and workshops , plus  games, escape rooms and other interactive activities . There's something for everyone, from dance, to arts and crafts, to food and drink and the odd bit of geekery, too!

Saturday Dance Classes

Dads @ Dee Caf

Kindermusik Musicians classes

Get Online at Reading Central Library

Englefield House Gardens

Top ways to experience nearby attractions

Most Recent: Reviews ordered by most recent publish date in descending order.

Detailed Reviews: Reviews ordered by recency and descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as waiting time, length of visit, general tips, and location information.

ENGLEFIELD HOUSE GARDENS: All You Need to Know BEFORE You Go (with Photos)

• Mon - Mon 10:00 - 18:00
• (0.29 mi) The Old Lamb Hotel
• (0.45 mi) The Falcon Inn
• (2.33 mi) Travelodge Reading M4 Westbound
• (8.67 mi) May Fields Guest House
• (3.85 mi) Beech House Hotel
• (0.24 mi) The Volunteer
• (0.46 mi) The Bull
• (0.39 mi) The Old Mill
• (0.41 mi) Flavour of India
• (0.37 mi) The Crown & Garden Theale

More From Forbes

Where was ‘anyone but you’ filmed all the stunning locations from the rom-com.

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Sydney Sweeney and Glen Powell in "Anyone But You."

Anyone But You finally made its Netflix streaming debut, which is exciting news for rom-com fans everywhere. As you watch the movie, you might be wondering where Anyone But You was filmed and if you can visit the breathtaking beaches, cliffs, and other locations in real life.

Loosely adapted from Shakespeare’s “Much Ado About Nothing,” Anyone But You stars Glen Powell as Ben, a finance bro who has an incredible first date with Bea (Sydney Sweeney), a law student uncertain about her career. After spending the night, Bea panics and leaves without telling him. When she realizes she made a mistake and returns to his apartment, she overhears Ben saying that she is a “nothing” to him.

Years later, they unexpectedly reunite at a destination wedding in Australia for Bea’s sister, who is marrying Ben’s friend. When their exes show up, they pretend to be a couple—and the rest is history. The film was directed and co-written by Will Gluck, the filmmaker behind rom-coms like Easy A and Friends with Benefits . It was released in December and had an impressive run at the box office, surpassing $88 million domestically and $219 million worldwide, according to Box Office Mojo .

After its release, the movie went viral on TikTok as audience goers reacted to the film’s credit sequence, which features the cast dancing and singing to Natasha Bedingfield’s nostalgic 2004 hit “Unwritten,” a song highlighted throughout the film. There were also rumors of an off-screen romance between Powell and Sweeney that helped promote the film, as well as the actors’ flirty publicity tour and Sydney Sweeney’s SNL monologue .

Now, Anyone But You is back in the limelight after the film was released on Netflix on April 23, quickly becoming the No. 1 movie on the platform in the U.S. after just one day.

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The best reading glasses plus expert tips from an ophthalmologist, ‘baby reindeer’ star says real martha searches need to stop, where was anyone but you filmed.

Anyone But You was filmed in parts of Australia around New South Wales and Sydney. Director Will Gluck told The Hollywood Reporter that he wanted the film set in Sydney because he had “really fallen in love with the city” and liked it so much he moved his family there.

“Almost every time you shoot a movie in Sydney, you have to pretend it’s somewhere else and frame out the Opera House and the Harbour Bridge. For Anyone But You , I thought, “Why do that?” We actually wrote this movie 100 percent for Sydney — very specific to the destination,” Gluck wrote.

The director continued, “We flew helicopters all over — seeing the city from that vantage point is stunning — and landed one at the Opera House, shut down the Harbour Bridge, filmed at the Queen Victoria Building, and shot for two weeks overlooking Bondi Beach,” he said. “We spent a week on a boat in Sydney Harbour shooting a scene where they’re stranded on a buoy, but you can’t have humans in the water without a shark cage, so we had to have one the whole time. You pinch yourself. It’s so unbelievable we were actually doing these things.”

Here are a few specific Anyone But You filming locations you can visit in person.

Sydney Opera House

The Sydney Opera House is a focal point in Anyone But You. The 20th-century architectural landmark serves as a gorgeous backdrop for big moments, including the end scene when Ben passionately kisses Bea, who is standing at the top of the steps. You can visit the performing arts center for special events and tours.

Marks Park, Bondi

Located in Sydney's northern suburbs, the wedding scene in Anyone But You was filmed at Marks Park overlooking Bondi Beach and the Pacific Ocean. The cliff-top park is open to the public and has fitness stations, a playground, and some shaded areas.

SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA - APRIL 01: A general view of North Palm Beach on Sydney's Northern Beaches, on ... [+] April 01, 2024, in Sydney, Australia (Photo by Steve Christo - Corbis/Corbis via Getty Images)

Many of Anyone But You ’s breathtaking beach scenes were filmed around Palm Beach. Director Will Gluck told THR that one of the best parts of filming was on location in Palm Beach, a suburb in the Northern Beaches.

“Our caravans were parked right on the water, and Glen and Sydney and I decided to live there the whole time. We’d shoot all day and all the crew would go home, then we’d jump in the water and have a swim, go to our trailers and have dinner sitting outside,” he said. “It’s one of the most beautiful places in the world, and you normally wouldn’t be allowed to sleep there. It was probably the most fun I’ve ever had filming.”

Jones Bay Wharf

Jones Bay Wharf in Sydney Harbour's Pyrmont.

The historic Jones Bay Wharf is another familiar filming location in Anyone But You. The hidden gem in the Pyrmont district is home to fine dining restaurants, charming cafes, and beautiful views the of the city and Harbour Bridge.

Queen Victoria Building

Queen Victoria Building in Sydney, Australia.

While on their way to collect flowers for the wedding, Ben and his friend Pete are seen walking alongside the Queen Victoria Building. The Romanesque 19th-century building is actually a five-level shopping center with fashion boutiques, jewelry stores, cafes, and restaurants.

Anyone But You is now streaming on Netflix.

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Congress approved a TikTok ban. Why it could still be years before it takes effect.

TikTok’s fate in the U.S. has never been more in doubt after Congress approved a bill that gives its parent company two options: sell it to an approved buyer or see it banned.

President Joe Biden signed the legislation into law on Wednesday. 

But it could take years for the TikTok ban to actually go into effect, since its Chinese-owned parent company, ByteDance, is likely to challenge the statute in court. 

And even if it survives a legal challenge, no one is quite sure what would happen next. 

How soon could a potential ban take effect?

It would probably be several years from now.

According to the statute’s language, ByteDance would have nine months to divest and find an American buyer for TikTok once the bill is signed into law. 

On top of that, the president can push back the deadline by an additional 90 days. 

That means, without a sale, the soonest TikTok could shut down in the U.S. would be more than one year from now.  

But it’s more complicated than that. 

If ByteDance sues to block the implementation of the statute — which it has said it would do — the bill will be taken up by the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals, according to Isaac Boltansky, director of policy for the financial services firm BTIG.

Boltansky said ByteDance would file a suit no later than this fall. And while the case is under judicial review, the “clock” on any ban is effectively paused, he said. 

Once the D.C. court issues its ruling, whichever side loses is likely to request a review by the U.S. Supreme Court.

That would forestall the ban by another year — meaning nothing would go into effect until 2026, Boltansky said.

TikTok will argue that the ban is unconstitutional and that it’s also taken steps to protect American users’ data. The app has already launched an aggressive lobbying campaign, featuring a number of small-business owners and influencers who say it's their lifeblood.

“We have got to make enough noise so that they don’t take away our voice,” TikTok user @dadlifejason, who has 13.8 million followers, says in a TikTok ad shared on social media.

What about finding a buyer?

The bill stipulates that TikTok can continue to operate in the U.S. if ByteDance sells the app to a U.S.-approved firm. 

While large U.S. tech companies would love to get their hands on the platform, Boltansky said that Biden administration regulators — not to mention GOP critics of Big Tech firms — have no interest in expanding the power, reach or influence of such companies.  

Some other outside groups might emerge. At least one led by Steve Mnuchin, who was Treasury secretary in the Trump administration, has already sought to make a bid, telling CNBC in March that he was putting together an investor group . The Wall Street Journal has also reported that former Activision Blizzard CEO Bobby Kotick was looking for potential buyer partners. While ByteDance, which owns other companies, is worth hundreds of billions of dollars, TikTok would fetch less than that, experts say — especially if it is sold without its powerful recommendation algorithm.  

But Boltansky believes ByteDance is unlikely to agree to any kind of sale. The Chinese government has said as much, arguing that it regards the algorithm as a national security asset. And without that, TikTok becomes much less appealing to potential buyers.    

So is TikTok in the U.S. going away?

It might — but the ultimate impact may be limited. The fact is, most TikTok users already have a presence on other platforms, so the impact on their livelihoods to the extent that they operate businesses on TikTok could be limited.

According to a survey from the financial services group Wedbush, approximately 60% of TikTok user respondents said they’d simply migrate to Instagram (or Facebook) in the event of a sale, while 19% said they’d go to YouTube. 

Analysts with financial services company Bernstein arrived at similar estimates. In a note to clients, they forecast that Meta, which owns Instagram and Facebook, would take over as much as 60% of TikTok’s U.S. ad revenue, with YouTube gaining 25%. Snapchat would also benefit, they said. 

Why did lawmakers feel they needed to take this drastic step?

Boltansky said many political pundits remain surprised that the bill got over the finish line. But a wave of anxiety about both Chinese influence and the impact of social media on youth converged to get it passed.

“This has been noteworthy,” Boltansky said. “Everyone is so conditioned to D.C. doing nothing or the bare minimum to keep the lights on.”

As tensions with Beijing have grown, congressional lawmakers, along with top law enforcement officials, have warned that TikTok is controlled by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and is a national security threat to the United States.

“It screams out with national security concerns,” FBI Director Christopher Wray testified on Capitol Hill last year

U.S. officials fear that the Chinese government is using TikTok to access data from, and spy on, its American users, spreading disinformation and conspiracy theories.

It felt like a TikTok ban was moving slowly, then quickly. What happened?

The House passed its standalone TikTok bill on a big bipartisan vote in March. But the Senate appeared in no hurry to take up the measure as Commerce Chair Maria Cantwell, D-Wash., drafted her own legislation.

That all changed when Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., working with the White House, rolled out his $95 billion foreign aid supplemental plan last week that included billions of dollars for Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan. 

Included in that sweeping aid package: the House’s TikTok bill, with some minor changes. Johnson pushed the package through his chamber, then sent the House on a recess, forcing the Senate to take it or leave it.

Rather than further delay the critical, long-stalled military and humanitarian aid, the Democratic-controlled Senate is moving to quickly pass the package — including the TikTok bill and other Johnson priorities.

Rob Wile is a breaking business news reporter for NBC News Digital.

Scott Wong is a senior congressional reporter for NBC News.

Turkey's Erdogan postpones tentative White House visit, sources say

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Turkey Bureau Chief overseeing political, economic and foreign policy coverage. Work spans the country's diplomatic balancing act, landmark elections, historic earthquakes and the mainstream media, as well as reporting on Syria, Lebanon and Ukraine. Previously covered the U.S. economy, Federal Reserve and Wall Street including award-winning work on financial-market trading and a global cyber heist.

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Russian missiles pound Ukrainian power plants in escalating campaign

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Summer concerts

Madness - plus special guests Lightning Seeds and the Old Time Sailors 

Friday 19th July 2024

Englefield House, Pangbourne, Berkshire RG7 5EN

Madness will headline the stage at Englefield House near Pangbourne in Berkshire on Friday 19th July 2024 as part of Heritage Live’s Concert series. The show will also see them joined by special guests Lightning Seeds and the Old Time Sailors.

The hugely popular band, known for their raucous live sets are bringing their ‘C’est la Vie’ tour which will include songs from the new album ‘Theatre of the Absurd Presents C’est la Vie’, as well as huge singles such as ‘One Step Beyond’, ‘Baggy Trousers’, ‘House of Fun’, ‘Our House’, and more.

General sale tickets can be purchased now  via the Heritage Live website . 

Promoter, Giles Cooper of GCE Live said: “2024 is set to be another vintage year for Heritage Live at Englefield House. Madness are an absolute favourite for so many, and so we are delighted to be hosting them this year, for what will truly be a sensational show”.

Madness have become one of the most celebrated British bands of all-time since their emergence from Camden Town in the 1970s. Amongst many awards the band have received, in 2000 they were awarded an Ivor Novello Award for Outstanding Song Collection.

For all show info, including venue information and VIP packages visit: www.heritagelive.net

Englefield Estate accepts no responsibility for any issues with purchase of tickets, including but not limited to: additional fees charged by ticket vendors, the sale of fake or otherwise void tickets, or purchase of tickets that do not arrive. Please see FAQs below for further information on purchasing tickets and contact the ticket vendor should you have any issues with your purchase.

Please note:

That the promoter has the right to change the supporting line-up. For full and final line-up and details about the event, please  visit Heritage Live's website .

How do I book tickets?

To book tickets please visit  https://arep.co/p/madness-englefield

Stage times: 

Gates to the concert arena open at 3pm and the event is set to finish at 10.30pm

How do I get to Englefield House?

By car: Sat Nav co-ordinates: RG7 5EN

Exit Junction 12 of the M4, signed for Reading. Take the A4 in the Newbury direction, go straight across at the first roundabout and at the second roundabout turn right onto the A340, signed to Pangbourne. For concerts, the site is accessed via the ornamental gates about half a mile on the left hand side. Please follow signage to concert parking.

There is plenty of car parking space available at Englefield, (charged at £10 per car), and tickets can be purchased in advance (as an add-on when buying your concert ticket) for fast-track entry, or by cash/card on the night. Please note that the local road infrastructure is limited, so please allow plenty of time for your journey to and from the venue. Access to Englefield Village is not permitted.

By train:  The nearest railway station is Theale, which is just 2 miles away and 5 minutes in a taxi. Reading station is a 20 minute rail journey from London Paddington and then just a 7 mile drive to Englefield, which takes 15 minutes in a taxi.  View taxi telephone numbers at the bottom of this page.

By bicycle: Please find Englefield on the National Cycle Network .

Is there car parking at the venue?

Please note that car parking tickets can be purchased in advance when you book your concert ticket, via our many ticket agents. Car parking tickets can also be purchased on the night for £10 per car (cash or card).

Please be aware that the road infrastructure surrounding Englefield is very limited, so please allow plenty of time for your journey to and from the venue. Please be patient and respectful to our staff and neighbours. Please allow up to 90mins to enter and leave the car parks.

Vehicles are not permitted to remain in the concert car park overnight.

Are there disabled / accessible tickets?

For discounted Disabled/ Accessible tickets, please purchase your tickets online at  AXS Ticketing . Please note that if you require a space on our  Access Viewing Platform (AVP)  or a space within our  Access Zone , you MUST book this option when buying your concert tickets. It will not be possible to change normal concert tickets to Access tickets at a later date. All Access tickets are sold on a first-come-first-served basis.

There are three ticket options for Access Customers. For more information about the ticket options, visit Heritage Live's website here .

Accessible Toilets

Accessible Toilets are located at the Accessible Entrance and also adjoining the Accessible Viewing Platform (AVP) and Access Zone. There will also be a least two accessible toilets in each of the main toilet blocks in the main arena. These toilets will not require a radar key but are reserved for customers with Access requirements only. An accessible toilet wristband will be required and can be requested at the 'Access Customer Services Check-In' marquee. Additional accessible toilets will also be available on site. For the most up to date information on the location of these toilets and how to access them, please check with the Accessibility Service Team upon arrival.

In addition, ‘Vehicles for Change’ will be providing one of their vehicles for individuals who require either a changing bench and/or hoist or where more space for wheelchair users to access the toilet is needed. The vehicle has either a tail-lift or side-lift with large opening doors which enable the wheelchair user to move straight into the toilet and washroom space. Inside, there is plenty of room for carers or family members who may need to assist or accompany the user. There is a sink at wheelchair height, a toilet with drop down grab rails at either side, a full sized (6 ft) free standing and height adjustable changing bench and an electric ceiling tracked hoist which is compatible with all loop slings. A shower is included with hot and cold running water. They all have heating and consumables such as wipes and disposable gloves and a bin for waste will be provided.

Accessible Parking

Heritage Live offers Access customers an Accessible/ Blue Badge Car Park, which is positioned as near as possible to the Access facilities.

Important notes:

• The Blue Badge Parking ticket is limited to one per paying customer, subject to availability.
• You can book your vehicle space in the Accessible Car Park online (at the same time as when you buy your concert ticket), but if you forget, you will also be able to pay at the gates upon arrival, subject to the following conditions:-
• If you haven't bought your Accessible Parking ticket in advance, you can pay by cash or card as you enter the main entry lanes of the car parks (charged at the discounted rate of £9 per vehicle and subject to availability). You must present your Blue Badge, with matching Photo ID and event ticket upon arrival. If you arrive without this documentation you may be refused entry to the Accessible car parking area. After paying, you will then be directed to the dedicated Accessible Car Park by the parking stewards.
• The Accessible car park will be clearly signposted as you enter the event site, but please do check its exact location for your specific Heritage Live venue and event.  Please e nsure you enter the site via the correct vehicle entrance (see the 'Access facilities map' which will be posted on the Event Information of your chosen concert on the Heritage Live website as the date of the concert approaches .
• An accessible buggy service (for those requiring it) will operate to transport customers to and from the Access/ Blue Badge car park to the dedicated accessible event entrance. This service will begin when gates to the main arena are opened and will continue at the end of the show until all customers have left. For safety reasons there may be a waiting time of up to 30 minutes at the end of the event for this service while the main egress takes place.

Can I bring food and drink?

Food, alcohol and soft drinks must be purchased on site and cannot be brought into the concert arena. Prohibited items will be confiscated upon entry. There will be an array of artisan food traders and bars onsite. Single-use plastics are prohibited. Empty refillable water containers can be brought in to use at the free water filling points

Can I bring my own seating?

You are allowed to bring in a camping chair and deck chairs will be available to hire on the evening at £10 each. However, please note that these can only be used in the REAR of the ARENA and you will be prevented from placing them in the front arena, where it is likely to be very busy. There will also be picnic benches and hay bales scattered around the rear edges of the concert arena). For those who have purchased VIP tickets, there will also be some relaxed (unreserved) scattered seating withing the VIP Compound.

What is included in a VIP ticket?

Take advantage of a VIP Ticket (must be purchased on top of your concert ticket) which entitles you to the facilities of the VIP GUEST AREA.

> VIP toilets, VIP Bar (cards only), unreserved additional relaxed seating areas, plus picnic benches scattered on the grass within the VIP compound, plus 'street artist' entertainment.

> VIP ticket holders will also have early access to the concert arena, when possible.

Can children attend?

Children aged 14 and under may purchase a Child Ticket (proof may be required upon entry). All children must be accompanied by an adult. Under 5’s free (no ticket required).

Can I stay on the Estate?

There are no facilities for camping, caravans or campervans on the Englefield Estate. For more information on camping and caravan sites in Berkshire please visit the official tourist website for South East England .

What happens to my ticket if the event is postponed or cancelled?

In the event the concert is postponed, your ticket will apply for the new date. If you are unable to attend this date, you will be entitled to a refund.

In the event the concert is cancelled, you will be entitled to a refund. Please contact your ticket vendor for more details.

This is an outdoor concert, so please dress appropriately. Small umbrellas permitted but please take care and be mindful of those around you when using it.

Please download your E-tickets to your mobile phone (or print them off) before leaving for the concert, as Wi-Fi and 4G signals are very limited onsite.

Can I visit Englefield House?

Englefield House is a private residence and is not open to the public. There will be no access to Englefield House or gardens during the concerts. If you wish to visit Englefield gardens, they are open every Monday. Click here for further details.

Are dogs permitted?

Dogs are not permitted, except for assistance dogs.