Ham House and Garden

A Stuart Showpiece on the Thames

Ham House was built in 1610 by Sir Thomas Vavasour, Knight Marshal to James I, on the south bank of the Thames near Richmond. The house passed to William Murray, a childhood companion of Charles I, who was given the property in 1626. Murray's daughter Elizabeth inherited the estate and, through her marriage to the Duke of Lauderdale in 1672, transformed Ham House into one of the most lavishly furnished homes in Restoration England.

The couple spared no expense. They employed the finest craftspeople to install richly carved woodwork, gilded leather wall hangings, elaborate plasterwork ceilings and furniture imported from across Europe. After Elizabeth's death in 1698, the house passed to her descendants from her first marriage, the Tollemache family, who occupied it for the next 250 years. Their relative lack of wealth proved a blessing — unable to afford wholesale modernisation, they left the interiors largely untouched.

What to See and Do

The house tour reveals room after room of original 17th-century decoration. The Great Staircase, carved with military trophies, leads to state apartments hung with tapestries and fitted with period furniture. The Long Gallery, Duchess's bedchamber and closets retain their Stuart fittings in remarkable condition. A collection of miniature portraits, lacquerware and textiles adds to the sense of stepping back in time.

Outside, the gardens have been restored to their 17th-century layout based on surviving plans. The Cherry Garden's box-hedged compartments and central Bacchus statue recreate the Duchess's private parterre. The Wilderness, a formal arrangement of hornbeam hedges and summerhouses, leads to open meadows and the Thames towpath. The walled kitchen garden, cultivated since the 1600s, grows heritage vegetables and cut flowers organically and supplies the Orangery Cafe.

Getting There and Nearby

Ham House sits between Richmond and Kingston, easily reached by bus or a pleasant walk along the Thames Path from Richmond station. The riverside towpath connects Ham House to Marble Hill House on the opposite bank (reachable via the seasonal Hammerton's Ferry) and to Richmond town centre upstream. Petersham Meadows, grazed by cattle, lie between the house and Richmond Hill, whose famous view is the only one in England protected by an Act of Parliament.

Allow three to four hours to see the house and gardens at a comfortable pace. The Orangery Cafe serves lunches, cakes and drinks using produce from the kitchen garden. Comfortable shoes are advisable, as paths cross gravel and grass. Check the National Trust website before visiting, as the house occasionally closes for conservation work while the gardens remain open.