Stonor Park & Gardens
Stonor Park & Gardens
Welcome to Stonor – one of England’s oldest manor houses, situated in one of the most beautiful settings, owned by the same family for over 850 years. Recently listed as number 7 on Visit Britain’s list of the Top 25 most magnificent stately homes and manor houses and home to Tumblestone Hollow, the fantastic adventure playground.
The house contains a remarkable collection of portraits, beautiful stained glass, old Master Drawings, European Bronzes, an early 19th century wallpaper of Paris.
The House, Chapel, Stonor Pantry Cafe and Gift Shop are open on Sundays from the end of May until the end of September, as well as Bank Holiday Mondays and all Saturdays in July and August. Please see website for opening times.
Tumblestone Hollow, Stonor’s magical adventure play area is open every day from 2-18 April for our annual Easter Trail, on 23 and 24 April and then every Friday to Monday during term time and every day during school holidays and half terms until the end of September. It reopens for Halloween during October Half Term. The Chilterns Pit Stop Cafe is open on the same days and offers a stopping point for walkers and cyclists exploring the Chilterns.
The park, with its famous herd of fallow deer, is also open by way of a public footpath throughout the year, from where there are stunning views of both the house and surrounding countryside. The footpath is part of both The Chilterns Way and Shakespeare’s Way.
Stonor is closely associated with St. Edmund Campion, martyred in 1581. He was a Londoner, and a leading Oxford academic of the day, ordained a Catholic Priest and Jesuit on the Continent who had answered the call of the Pope to volunteer to work on ‘The English Mission’.
Already known to the Stonor family, he was given refuge here in 1581 to print in the greatest secrecy a pamphlet describing ‘Ten Reasons’ why the historical Catholic faith should be preferred over the teachings of the newly Established Church. The rooms used to print this work can be seen, along with an exhibition describing St. Edmund Campion’s life and death